Page 18 of Ravaged By the Dark

Renee stuffed all their things in her bag and tossed it over her shoulder before securing his hand in hers. They stepped outside and made their way across the parking lot when the sight of a black Hummer froze her mid-stride, but it was really the man leaning against it that caused her reaction.

Arek looked like he was modeling for a car magazine the way he was lounging against the vehicle, legs stretched out.

Sex, that’s what he was, a walking orgasm.

Black jeans were hugging all the right places and showing off his long, strong legs, a black T-shirt molded to every cut of his chest and abs, with black combat boots and sunglasses that raised the level of sexy to downright dangerous. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him, and even though she couldn’t see his eyes, she could feel his intense gaze boring holes into her soul.

Renee looked around for someplace to veer off into another direction when suddenly J.J. jerked his hand out of hers. She stumbled with the unexpected lurching force and landed on her knees.

“Arek!” J.J. yelled and took off running. He was fast for a four-year-old, and by the time her brain registered the danger J.J. was in, he was already a few parking spaces away.

“J.J., stop!” Renee bolted after her brother, her eyes going wide as she saw a car starting to back out of a nearby parking spot. “J.J.!” Her voice was shrill with fear as the image of him being struck danced behind her eyes.

Arek must have recognized the danger, too, because he’d sprung away from the Hummer like a cheetah. He beat her to J.J. and protectively whipped him up into his arms.

“Hey!” Arek slammed his free hand down on the trunk of the car. His face was dark as he practically snarled at the driver, his voice deep as he yelled for the guy to watch out.

“Holy shit, man! I’m so sorry. Did I hit you?” the guy called from the driver’s window.

Renee didn’t bother to answer or pay attention to Arek’s conversation as relief flowed through her system. The adrenaline was making her body shake as she took J.J. from Arek.

“You can’t do that. You were almost hit by a car. Do you know how much you scared me?” She closed her eyes and held him to her chest as tight as she dared. She tried to calm her galloping heart with little success.

J.J. buried his face in the crook of her neck, his arms wrapping around her tight. “I’m sowwy,” he mumbled into the side of her neck. He let out a small sniffle, and she could feel his tears as he wiped his face on her shirt. She wasn’t mad at him and hated that she scared him, but her mind kept playing the image of him being run over right before her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Arek’s voice was soft.

“I will be. Thank you, I wasn’t going to be fast enough.” Renee choked back her rising emotions.

Arek gripped her shoulder, and the warmth from his hand was more intense than the mid-summer sun. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know he’d run to me like that.”

“What are you doing here? I thought I told you I wasn’t interested.”

“I came to apologize.” Arek took off his sunglasses, and his sky blue eyes had her heart racing again for a whole new reason. “I realize I was a…” He paused and looked at J.J. “Tool the other night, and I didn’t want that to be your impression of me. In my pathetic attempt to impress you, I ended up making myself look like a D-bag. I’m hoping you’ll accept my apology and know I never meant any disrespect.”

“Okay…I get why you’re here, but how did you know where I was?”

“It’s surprising what you can find out about someone when you search for them online.” His whole face lit up, eyes glittering with mischief as a smile pulled at the corner of his lips. He puffed out his chest slightly as if what he said should impress her.

“So you’re saying you stalked me.”

“Technically, yes, but that is such an ugly word. It’s more like I took a strong interest in learning where I might find you other than at the club.”

“Uh-huh, still creepy.” She smiled and had no idea why. She should be backing away and calling the police, but instead, she was happy he’d taken the initiative to find her. Yup, her mother had certainly passed along the terrible taste in men gene.

“I guess it is, but I didn’t have your number.” Arek rubbed the back of his neck. “And sitting outside your doorstep seemed like an even worse idea.”

“At this point, I’m pretty sure that finding my number is something you could’ve found if you wanted to.” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he laughed, his smile showing off a dimple. “Fine, your apology is accepted, but I really should be getting home, I….”

Arek held up his hands to cut her off.

“No, my apology is bigger than that. I figured the best way to apologize to you would be to do something nice for J.J.” At the sound of his name, the little boy lifted his head and looked up at Arek. “I was thinking we could all go to Pacific Park for the afternoon. Would you like to ride on a Ferris wheel, J.J.?”

“That’s really sweet of you, but we can’t afford that.”

“You won’t have to spend a cent. This is an apology, after all. Rules with an apology are simple—the apologizer pays, and the apology receiver accepts it. That’s the rule. I didn’t make it up.”

“Can we, Nae Nae? Please, please, please,” J.J. begged, his big brown eyes full of excitement. They’d never had the money to do anything this exciting, and her heart seized in her chest at his bright smile. This kid had her wrapped around his finger.