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“I didn’t realize we had come to this, Aiden. But I’ve gotten the message, loud and clear,”I said.
As I straightened, his hand snapped out and grabbed me by the forearm. Gideon was at my side in a split second.
“Aiden,”he warned.
“Back off, Gideon. I wouldn’t hurt her,”Aiden said.
I realized then his words were slightly slurred. Aiden was actually drunk, something that was very rare for him. He stood swiftly and pulled me away from Gideon, to the rail of the balcony.
“You seem to have everything figured out, sweetheart. Why don’t you clue me in?”He demanded.
I ripped my arm from his grasp and he didn’t try to touch me again.
“You don’t want me. That’s fine. I thought we might have hit a bump on our new road. But instead, you’ve gone off on a detour that I’m not following. So fine. I know the score,”I said.
Aiden studied me for a moment, indecision on his face.
“I didn’t fuck her,”he growled.
When he turned to look away from me, I spotted red lipstick on his cheek and I felt frozen in my spot for a moment.
“Yet,”I shot back.
He didn’t deny it, and it was like he reached into my heart and yanked part of it back out. I gasped for air for a moment, stepping away from him. I had been so wrong about Aiden Knight. I turned on my heel and practically ran for Gideon. He opened his arms, and I threw myself into him. He curled his body around me, holding me to him before turning me toward the private exit from the club.
In the parking area, the limo waited, and Gideon guided me into the vehicle. Jaxon and Oliver joined us quickly and soon we were driving away from the train wreck that was my heartbreak. I just stared out as the city flew by and tried to find a way to disconnect the feelings I thought I had for Aiden.
At dinner, I had just been telling Ash that I have no idea what love is. And if this was the way it felt when it fell apart, I wasn’t sure I wanted it. I clearly didn’t know what love was, because I wouldn’t have felt it so quickly for Aiden and I wouldn’t have allowed myself to be so hurt by him.
When we got home, I stood in the entryway, trying to decide where to go. On one hand, going to bed alone seemed like a good idea, but then it also made me want to sob. Jaxon came to me and kissed my temple.
“I have a bit of work to handle before bed. Gideon, why don’t you take her up to your room?”He suggested.
Jaxon and Oliver exchanged a look, and I didn’t have the energy to figure out what it meant. Gideon nodded and without a word, he lifted me into his arms and started to climb the stairs. My body was sore in all the right places and one not right place. I tried to adjust to keep him from pressing too hard on my ribs that I was pretty sure were bruised.
In his room, Gideon gingerly put me on my feet in the bathroom. He helped with the zipper of my dress and I let it fall to the floor. As I reached back to undo my bra, I noticed Gideon had frozen and was just staring at me. I looked at him strangely for a moment and then looked down at myself, immediately seeing what caught his attention.
My side had seemed to burst into color with purples, blues and reds. The bruise had blossomed just over my ribs and was angry looking. I stared at it for a long moment, wondering why I hadn’t felt more pain until Gideon had picked me up to carry me. The bruise looked much worse than the way I actually felt.
“What the fuck happened?”Gideon demanded.
I went still, not prepared for how to face down what I was going to have to come clean about. But then, why did I have to tell him every little thing going on with me? This was mybody, my life. If I had an injury, it was my business. I could feel defiance rising and my spine began to stiffen.
“Nothing. I’m fine,”I replied.
My answer sounded lame to my own ears, so I knew it wasn’t going to satisfy Gideon. He stepped back, no longer touching me, to stare down at me.
“Brooklyn,”he said. His voice took on a demanding tone, and it only caused me to bristle further.
“Gideon. This is my body. And if I say nothing happened, nothing happened,”I shot back.
I stepped toward the bedroom, prepared to just end the conversation. Gideon had different ideas, throwing an arm across the doorway. I stopped, shot him a glare, and ducked under before he could stop me. I put my dress back on, zipping up the back, so I wasn’t arguing half naked. Being dressed made me feel more in control.
Gideon stalked into the bedroom after me, anger radiating off of him. I wasn’t sure if the anger was directed at me or if he thought someone had hurt me. And technically, maybe someone else had done it, but it wasn’t without my acknowledgement. Of course, the big man didn’t know that, and I wasn’t ready to show my hand quite yet.
I crossed my arms across my chest, trying to determine if the evening was at a loss. Gideon opened his mouth once, but snapped it shut. He tore the elastic from his bun and his hair flowed around his shoulders. He ran his hand through it in an aggravated manner as he paced across the room from me.
“Who did it, Brooklyn?”He finally said.
