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She didn’t call it home, but she agreed to come. That was the first step, in what I was sure was going to be a long road to getting back to what we had.
Chapter
Forty
Brooklyn
“You gotta be kidding me!”Ash’s exclamation made me wince.
The few days in the hospital had melted together, and I was discharged before I knew what was happening. The guys had kept their distance, but I always knew they were in the building somewhere. Ash only left my side to go home and pack ourthings, so when I was discharged we could go straight to the house. Gideon reassured me that he would stay with her the entire time, but I didn’t feel ok until she was back in the hospital.
The detective Gideon knew had come to see me twice, though there was nothing I could tell him that he didn’t already realize. But he had wanted a statement from me anyway, with specifics. Gideon had been in the room, having shown the detective in. I could see the hurt on his face when I asked him to leave so I could speak with the detective alone.
With the story out in the open and on the record, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Knights knew everything. Which was the reason I was on edge as the town car we were in stopped in front of the house. Ash’s excitement did nothing to make me feel more comfortable. I was extremely grateful to her for agreeing to give up her normalcy to stay with me at the Knights’house.
Aiden was at the open door, dressed more casually than normal in distressed jeans and t-shirt. He slipped on flip-flops to come open the car door before the driver came around with our bags. Ash jumped out of the car first and Aiden reached in to help me climb out. His hand in mine felt strong and warm, making me wish he would hold me just for a moment.
Gideon joined us and took the bags from the driver. He guided Ash into the house and I slowly limped to follow. The plastic surgeon had done wonders on my leg, but it hadn’t been a short process. I was supposed to be off my feet as often as possible to prevent any pulling at the tiny sutures.
By the time Aiden and I entered the house, Gideon was halfway down the lower hallway with a chattering Ash.
“Where is she going to sleep?”I turned to look up at Aiden.
“Oliver and Jaxon’s office turned guest room.”
“I didn’t mean to be so much trouble.”My voice was quiet as I looked away.
Without warning, Aiden wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pressing his chest against my back. His voice was low and his breath caressed my ear as he bent to whisper to me.
“We would take on the world if that’s what we needed to do. You are trouble we want to have.”
“We?”
Aiden’s body froze behind me, but he didn’t let me go. I couldn’t forget that Aiden and I weren’t on the best of terms before the kidnapping. He had been in the warehouse, was the first I saw beside the blue-haired Cain. It was his arms that comforted me and held me as I fell apart. Those actions were of someone that cared for me, but it was hard to not feel the sting of our last encounter alone. I could easily still see how he iced me out after we had sex on the hood of his car.
“We have a lot to talk about, sweetheart. Now isn’t the time. Let’s get you settled upstairs.”
Using his arm and body, he turned me from the downstairs hallway to face the stairs. I froze when I saw Jaxon and Oliver at the foot of the stairs. Behind them, in the entrance to the living room, was the man I knew now to be Cain. He had visited once in the hospital, but didn’t stay long. Barely speaking, he stood and assessed my injuries with his eyes, nodded, and left the room. I wasn’t sure what to make of him yet, but his presence told me he was still staying in the pool house.
“Welcome home, babe,”Oliver said.
I forced a smile on my face for his sake. He returned a tentative smile, which told me I probably looked like a freak show standing there with a random expression on my face. Aiden finally released me and I made my way to the stairs. I let Oliver wrap me in a hug, allowing his warmth and his familiar vanilla scent to surround me. Jaxon kissed my temple before stepping back and letting me climb the stairs on my own.
My bedroom door was open when I got to the top of the stairs. Everything was as I had left it, minus the note I had left on the bed for the guys to find. I didn’t really feel like being reminded of that at the moment, so I turned to the dresser and pulled out a clean set of pajamas. When I turned toward the bathroom, Gideon was at the door with my suitcase. He hesitated and waited for my invitation.
I waved him in and he set the suitcase down near my closet. He lingered over it and I laughed uncomfortably.
“You don’t have to unpack my bag, Gideon.”
“Sorry, stellina. I’m not sure what to do.”He stepped back toward the door and crossed his thick arms across his chest.
I stood and stared at my bare feet for a long moment. Gideon’s boots came into view and his hand came up to cup my cheek, angling my face up. His eyes searched mine for a long minute, and neither of us spoke. His thumb softly caressed my cheek and I couldn’t bring myself to step away. I was caught between feeling like I didn’t deserve his comfort and wanting to climb up his body to take advantage of everything he was offering.
I noted the red scabs on his neck and vaguely remembered clawing at him at one point. Guilt suffused into me and I looked up into his eyes.
“I’m sorry I hurt you.”I motioned toward the scratches.
Gideon absently ran a finger down one of the injuries and just shrugged his shoulder.“I’d go through a lot worse for you.”
