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We were quiet, but I had no words to say. We both knew somewhere in the back of our minds this couldn’t last, but what an incredible ride. As I closed my eyes, I was vaguely aware he’d unfastened my wrists, shifting one arm to my side. He kissed the back of my neck then nuzzled his head against mine. As the room faded into shadows, I felt peace unlike any I’d ever experienced before.
I only hoped it would last.
* * *
A few tiny cries.
A swim up from the depths of a beautiful dream.
A sudden hard pull on my heart.
I lifted my head, taking shallow breaths as I tried to comprehend if I’d dreamt the sound or not. When I heard the cry again, a sudden realization kicked in. “Savage.”
“Mmm…”
“Lily needs you.” I turned around to face him, cupping his face.
He opened his eyes, blinking twice until I was able to gather a sense of understanding. “What’s wrong?”
“She’s crying.”
Groaning, he pulled away, easing onto his back.
“You need to comfort her. She needs her uncle.”
“I know. Stay here. I mean right here. I’m far from being done with you.”
There was no doubt I’d need to leave before morning. The precious little girl didn’t need a strange new family. I crawled under the covers as he climbed out of bed, reaching for his jeans then turning on the light on the nightstand. He glanced at me once before leaving the room.
I sank further under the covers. There was no way I could go back to sleep. The light was still on, the glow casting several strange shadows in the room. It was obvious he’d chosen a guest room to take as his, the room lovely yet with no character. No pictures of family, no special pillows or other adornments. I noticed two duffle bags and sighed. He’d brought nothing with him and somehow, I doubted he was having anything sent. A lean, mean fighting machine.
Chuckling, I pulled my knees against my chest, wrapping my arms around them as I continued to stare at the ugly green bags. I was more than curious about the man. A motorcycle club. They were either a group of bikers who enjoyed riding, maybe did some charity work, or they were involved with several aspects of crime from drug trafficking to weapons. I had an inkling which one Savage had been involved with. He wanted me to believe the worst in him.
If my instincts were correct, whatever had changed the man had occurred while serving in the Army. I doubted he would ever trust me enough to tell me about the incident. While it shouldn’t matter to me, it did. I wanted to know more about him, what made him tick.
After continuing to stare at his belongings for a full minute, I threw a look toward the door. Maybe I could sneak a single peek to try to figure him out. That wouldn’t be so bad. Would it? I got out of bed, padding toward the bags. Then I plopped on the floor, unzipping the first one. Clothes. There was nothing but clothes and a small toiletry bag.
Hmm… I glanced at the door again, taking another chance. After unzipping, I reached inside, finding more clothes. Then my fingers touched hard cardboard. As I pulled it out, I held my breath. It was a manila file with a stack of papers inside. Maybe it held the key to the solitary man. I pulled it free, flipping it open to the first page.
His Army papers.
He was a sergeant. I could see that. A ranger. Admirable and already known. He’d had a few commendations early on in his military career.
As I continued flipping, I almost passed a piece of paper in the middle of the stack. Wait a minute. Did I read that correctly? I hurriedly found it again and my heart sank for the man. A dishonorable discharge. Why? There were almost no details on the page. The only thing I found after searching through the rest of the file was that it had something to do with an incident in Afghanistan.
Jesus.
Is that what had shoved him into becoming such an angry man? I blew out a heated breath, realizing I’d taken far too long snooping. I quickly shoved everything back inside, trying to remember exactly the way the items were positioned. It was obvious given his actions at dinner that he was very particular about how he organized his life. Everything had to be just so. If I wasn’t careful, he’d suspect what I’d found.
I scurried back to the bed, crawling under the covers once again. When an additional ten minutes passed, I started to get worried. I left the bed for a second time, grabbing his tee shirt, laughing as the hem came down to the middle of my thighs. It smelled like him, musky and full of testosterone. There was nothing more comforting or sexy than wearing a man’s clothes.
I waited another few minutes then ventured out into the hallway, creeping along the hall as I headed for Lily’s room. What I didn’t want to do was to interrupt the time they spent together. She needed him more than he could understand at this point, her suffering hidden underneath her precocious actions. I wondered if anyone else who’d spent time with her had figured out she might need counseling.
As I moved toward the room, I couldn’t hear a single sound. I counted to ten then peeked, smiling at the sight in front of me. I inched into the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb as Savage had done before when he’d caught me reading to her.
He was curled up beside her in the small bed fast asleep, Princess’s head on his leg, Lily nestled so close that all I could see was her long hair splayed out across the comforter. It was the most beautiful sight I’d seen in a long time. So peaceful. So much like… family.
A sob threatened to give me away and I backed into the hallway, leaning against the wall. I was forced to keep my hand pressed against my mouth to try to keep from making any noise. They were truly beautiful together. I’d never wanted a family. Not really. But as I finally headed back to the bedroom, I realized I’d been lying to myself for years. I’d wanted what my parents had once had, a damn fairytale.
