Page 14 of Blade’s Protection

I pulled back, stepping out of the cage of her legs despite every instinct screaming to stay.

"We can't."

"We can." She reached for me, but I caught her wrists.

"No. This is exactly what I'm talking about. You're scared, looking for comfort, and I'm taking advantage⁠—"

"You're not taking anything I'm not giving freely."

"You're under my protection. There are rules⁠—"

"Fuck the rules."

The profanity from her sweet mouth nearly broke me. But I held firm, even as my body raged against the denial.

"When this is over, when you're safe, you'll regret this. Regret me." I helped her off the counter, steadying her when her legs wobbled. "You'll look back and realize you were just scared, that the trauma made you think you wanted something you didn't."

Hurt flashed across her features. "You don't get to decide what I'll regret."

"No, but I get to decide what I'll regret. And taking advantage of you when you're vulnerable—that would destroy me."

"I'm not some fragile flower, Blade. I'm not going to break."

"No, but I might break you." I stepped back, needing distance. "My hands have killed people, Tiffany. These same hands you want on you have ended lives. You're a healer. I'm a destroyer. That math doesn't work."

"You're not a destroyer. You're a protector."

"Same skill set, different application." I grabbed my phone again, resuming the texts to my brothers. "Phoenix will take you to the clubhouse in twenty minutes."

"So that's it? You kiss me senseless then ship me off?"

"It's for the best."

"Whose best? Because it's not mine." She stood there, my t-shirt barely covering her, looking like everything I wanted but couldn't have. "And from the way you're standing, it's not yours either."

She wasn't wrong. My body screamed for her, cock hard and aching, every muscle tense with denial. But my body had wanted a lot of things that would have gotten me killed over the years. This was just another battle.

"Get dressed. Pack your things."

"You're a coward." The accusation landed like shrapnel. "You're so scared of maybe hurting me that you're definitely hurting me. Right now. This is you causing me pain."

She was right. The hurt in her expression, the betrayal—I'd put that there. But better this pain now than the worse pain later when she realized what being with me really meant.

She disappeared into the bedroom, slamming the door. The sound echoed through my apartment, through my chest. Twenty minutes later, she emerged fully dressed, bag in hand, not looking at me.

Phoenix had returned, taking in the tension with raised eyebrows but smart enough not to comment.

"Keep her safe," I told him.

"You're not coming?" Tiffany asked, finally looking at me.

"Later. Need to check some leads on these fuckers."

A lie. I needed distance before I did something stupid like chase after her, pin her to my bed, and show her exactly how much I wanted her despite every logical reason not to.

She left without another word, Phoenix shooting me a look that said we'd be talking later.

The apartment felt empty without her. Cold. Like it had before she'd arrived and reminded me what warmth felt like. I stood at my window, watching Phoenix's bike disappear with her on the back, arms around another man.