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“You understand me?” he asked gently.
I frowned. Did he think I spoke another language?
I nodded, pulled my phone from my purse, and began typing. When I was done, I showed him the screen.
My name is Ainsley.
His eyes moved across the screen before meeting mine once again. “It’s nice to meet you, Ainsley.” He stuck his hand out. “I’m Cyrus.”
Chewing my bottom lip, I tentatively reached out my hand and returned his handshake. His touch was firm, his calloused thumb brushing over the back of my hand.
“You don’t speak?” he asked, keeping his hand wrapped around mine. The question held no hint of judgement.
Shaking my head, I pulled my grip from his and went back to my phone. I had every intention of typing up a reply, but his throat clearing stopped me.
Do you use American Sign Language to communicate?he signed slowly. He fumbled over a few of the words and hand signals, but I got the gist of what he meant and the fact that he tried, did something funny to my heart.
My eyes widened.
His lips pulled up into a smirk. “Surprised, pet?”
I nodded quickly.
He chuckled, the sound deep and growly.
For the first time in a very long time, I smiled back.
I wanted to ask him how he knew ASL, but our conversation was cut short when Piper and Sammy stepped into the lobby. Sammy had a scowl on his face while Piper was on her phone.
“What’s going on?” Cyrus asked them, taking a step toward me.
He was standing so close, if I made a sudden move, my shoulder would brush just beneath his chest. I could smell the cologne coming from him. It was spicy mixed with a hint of leather.
My eyes flicked to his leather cut, noticing a Hell’s Harlem logo sitting on the left breast with vice-president just beneath it. He obviously knew Jaron, Piper’s fiancé.
“Jaron wants you two to come over for dinner tonight,” Piper said, confirming my thoughts and looking up from her phone.
“He probably wants me to watch Brynlee so you two can have some alone time,” Sammy said, rolling his eyes.
Piper grinned, her cheeks turning pink. “We did that once.”
“Yup and I’m never letting it go.” Sammy wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
Watching the exchange before me sent a flutter of unease rushing through me. I wanted that. Family and friends. People you could trust with your heart and emotions. Someone I could trust with my body and soul. But I was so damn broken, there was no way that could ever happen.
“You may be free of us now, but you will never forget. I will come back for you.”
The words had only been a whisper at the time, buthewas right. I hadn’t forgotten.
My palms became sweaty, my heart was racing to the point it felt like it was trying to escape my chest.
“Breathe, pet,” Cyrus murmured beside me.
I turned, needing to get out of here. Needing to get away from people’s eyes and just escape. I needed to be by myself for fear that someone would see my vulnerability and take advantage of it.
“No.” Cyrus’s voice was firm. “Breathe.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head. My body vibrated, the anxiety slicing through me like tiny little shards of broken glass.
