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She made sure to thank him properly when they got back to his house last night.
“Thank you for yesterday,” she said aloud.
“Sweetheart, you thanked me quite well last night.”
Hyacinth couldn’t help the blush that came over her face. “Yes, well, I wanted to make sure I showed my gratitude in multiple ways. Plus, you made us this yummy breakfast. I’m starting to think I’m getting the better end of his deal.”
He moved so quickly; she had no time to react. Rhys grabbed her arm in his tight grasp. Lifting her from the chair, he pulled her onto his lap. One hand gripped her jaw as he stared into her eyes. “There is no way in hell that’s the case. You give me more than you realize. I would pay ten times the cost of that art with a moment’s notice.”
“But we’re so new, Rhys. I just want to make sure you feel that I’m giving you what you need.”
He sighed before brushing a soft kiss against her lips. “Baby, you give me more than you know. Just you being here with me is more than I can ask for. But you should know that I’m a greedy man, Cin. Now that I’ve had a taste of your sweet nectar on my tongue and felt your pussy wrapped tight around my dick, I don’t ever plan to let you go.”
Her eyes went wide at his declaration. There was no way he was serious about her so quickly.
As if reading her mind, he nodded. “Yes, I’m just that fucking serious about you. About us. I will make you happy, Cin. I just need you to believe in me. Trust me to make you happy. Trust me to protect you.” Rhys knew that he was skating the edge of telling her about his dealings outside of the restaurant. She hadn’t brought up the phone call, so neither had he. But soon enough, he’d have to come clean. He only hoped there was more time before he had to do that. Things were so new between them. He could only imagine how something like that would blow up in his face.
She stared into his eyes. “As long as you know that I will protect you, too. I’m all in, Rhys. Who knows what the future has planned for us. But, I’m willing to figure it out. You need a woman who can handle things when times get tough and who can stand by your side when you need it. I can do both. I may be small, but I have some power behind me. If I’m who you want, then we can handle whatever comes our way.”
Rhys couldn’t help the smile that came over his face after her little speech. Her words just confirmed what he knew all along. She was the right one for him. They would be good together. All was right in his world. His shoulders relaxed a bit. Now, all he had to do was convince her to give up that small ass apartment with her roommate and move-in with him.
Hyacinth’s phone rang, so she lifted from his lap to go see who was calling her this early in the morning. Her parents usually called her once a week, so she didn’t want to miss out on speaking with them. If she didn’t pick up, it would only raise more questions.
When she saw the call was from Brie, she answered right away. Her roommate didn’t usually call her, so it was a bit strange to see her number. They were cool acquaintances, but friends who talked on the phone just for shits and giggles was not how they rolled.
“Hello?”
“Oh, thank God, Hy. I’m so glad you answered. Listen, someone broke into the apartment. I don’t know what they took, but the cops are here now.”
Shock filled Hyacinth’s body. She looked over at Rhys with wide eyes as she listened to her roommate. “When did they break in? Are you okay?” Hyacinth could hear activity on the other side of the line, which must be the police.
“I’m fine, thank goodness. I stayed out last night and didn’t get back to our place until just now. When I walked in and saw what happened, I ran back to your room to see if you were okay, and…”
At Brie’s pause, Hyacinth panicked. “What? Brie, what did you see?”
“Hy, you should just come back to the apartment. I don’t want to scare you, but you need to come back and see for yourself. Can you get here soon?”
Stomach churning, Hyacinth nodded even though Brie couldn’t see her. Tears filled her eyes as fear gripped her. Whatever Brie had seen in that apartment must have scared the shit out of her.
Rhys got up from the table and came to stand next to her. Hyacinth was nodding, but no words were coming out. Worried about what was going on with his woman, he snatched the phone from her hand. “Who the fuck is this?” he snapped at the person on the other end.
“This is Brie. Wait? Who the hell is this? Who am I speaking to?” The shrill, panicked tone came through the phone.
“This is Rhys, a friend of Cin’s. What’s going on? Why the fuck is she so upset?”
“Her boss at the restaurant?” Brie questioned him, but he also could hear her take a deep breath. “Okay, okay. Yeah, she mentioned the place where she worked, and I looked it up. I’m nosey like that. Anyway, she needs to come home. Someone broke into our apartment and… and… the police are here. I need her to come home. They need to talk with her, and I need to make sure she’s safe. I don’t know you and although she didn’t seem scared, that doesn’t matter right now. If she’s not on her way here in thirty minutes, I’m telling the cops that you’re the one who has her. If you don’t want that to happen, I suggest you get moving and get her back here right now.”
The little snit had the nerve to hang up the phone on him, which only pissed Rhys off more. What the fuck was she talking about? The police were there at Hyacinth’s apartment? Why was it so urgent for Cin to return to her apartment right now?
Fuck it, it didn’t matter. He glanced around and saw Cin sitting on the couch looking spaced. He walked over and pulled her from the couch. “Come on, sweetheart. We need to get you home. Grab your purse and let’s go. Leave your other bags here. If someone broke into your house, you’re not staying there.” When she did not move on her own, he picked her up in his arms and walked to the bedroom. “No time to fall apart, honey. Let’s get moving.”
She finally came out of her daze to look up at him. “Who would do this to me?” Her first thought was to call her parents. It wasn’t that she was afraid, but shewasshocked. Who would target her? First the tires on her car, then her apartment. And if she were to go by Brie’s response, there was something specific that she needed to see. Snapping out of whatever was swirling around in her head, she pulled on some leggings and a t-shirt that she’d brought to lounge around in. “Yeah, let’s go. I’ll call Brie again once we’re on the road.”
When she glanced over at Rhys, she saw him opening a wall safe in the closet. Around his chest was a gun holster she hadn’t seen him wear before. He reached in and pulled out a weapon. With quick movements, he loaded a clip, checked the chamber, put the weapon on safe, and put it away in the holster.
Well, fuck. That was sexy as shit.
He turned around to see her staring at him and froze in place. “Don’t worry, Cin. It’s just for precaution.”
