I was also afraid of what Tristian might do when we got there. Every time he looked at the faint bruise on my cheek, the slowly healing gash across my eyebrow, his jaw tightened and his eyes turned predatory. It made me nervous. Tristian wasn’t a man who valued restraint in a fight; Brandon and The Killer had both found out what happened when someone crossed his line.
Everything else was still a mess. The meeting we’d skipped. Noah cutting the hospital payments. Darragh still out there with his threats. None of it had gone away just because we’d found our way back to each other. And now, Tristian wasn’t going to let me out of his sight.
A hand under my chin tilted my head up, breaking my spiral. Tristian looked down at me, and just like that, the darkness retreated. His thumb brushed over the bruise on my cheek with agonizing tenderness before moving to smooth over my bottom lip. I toyed with my fingers, my heart hammering against my ribs at the sheer intensity of his gaze.
His eyes were silent pleas for forgiveness. “I will never let him or anyone else hurt you, doll. Never again...”
I nodded as he pulled me to my feet, his words warming my heart.
As we reached the door of the apartment, I tugged his hand. He stopped, looking at me with immediate concern. My face burned with a sudden, shy heat.
“Kiss me,” I breathed, my voice barely a thread of sound.
A smile ghosted over his lips before he leaned down and captured my mouth. My mind buzzed with a sudden, electric peace. I wound my arms around his neck, drawing him in until there was no space left between us. He groaned into the kiss and lifted me effortlessly, my legs hooking around his waist.
When he finally pulled away, his eyes were a storm of relief and heaviness. I pressed my forehead to his. He needed this as much as I did. Maybe more.
The drive to my house was a blur of anxiety. As we pulled up, I saw my father’s car was missing from the driveway. My mother’s car was there, but she never got involved.
Remembering my father’s warning about the man in the driver’s seat, I’d asked Tristian to park a few houses down and he took my shaking hand. “We’re just going to grab a few things, and we’ll be out before you know it. If he’s home, we’ll do it some other time.”
I nodded, breathless, as he kissed my knuckles and stepped out to open my door.
We walked to the entrance, my hand locked in his.
I reached for my key, but the door was ripped open from the inside.
“Ingrid,mi nieta, you’re home.”
It was my abuelita. I threw my arms around her, a sob of relief catching in my throat. I hadn’t seen her in days. She’d been at doctor’s appointments she refused to talk about, adding to the pile of things that kept me awake at night.
“Hi, Abuelita...” I whispered.
She pulled back and smiled at the man beside me. “Tristian. It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too, Mariana,” Tristian replied.
I blinked, momentarily distracted by the fact that they were apparently on a first-name basis.
We stepped inside, but as I turned to lock the door, Abuelita’s hand caught my wrist. Tristian tensed instantly. I looked at her, my heart racing, as she reached out and touched my face.
She didn’t say a word as she grazed the reddened skin of my cheek with her thumb, her eyes narrowing into something sharp and dangerous.
I felt the shame immediately. Guilty that I should have told her, should’ve let her in. She’d always been the one person who would have listened.
Tristian broke the silence. “Mariana, I thought it would be best for Ingrid to stay with me for a short while... just until things are a bit more under control here.”
Abuelita’s eyes stayed locked on mine. “Thank you, Tristian. I definitely need to work on controlling a few things around here myself. You two can go upstairs. I’ll catch up with you both before you head out.”
She led the way, and I followed, leading Tristian up to my room. Camila’s door was open, the room empty, and my mother was nowhere to be seen.
Inside my room, I moved quickly, stuffing a tote bag with essentials: clothes and toiletries to start. I looked at my recently acquired art haul, wishing I could scoop it up, but I just didn’t have the space for it all.
Catching sight of my gaze, Tristian rumbled, “It’s okay, doll. We’ll be back for the rest in no time. You can make use of my things until then.”
I nodded gratefully. One last check of the room, a quick kiss on Tristian’s lips, then I ducked into the bathroom to change out of his oversized hoodie and into my flare leggings and a soft modal long sleeve.
When I stepped back out, Tristian was sitting on the edge of my bed. His eyes tracked me, slow and possessive. He beckoned me over with a single finger. I went to him, biting my lip as he placed his hands on my hips and pulled me between his thighs.
