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“Max,” he deadpanned.
Max shut the door, leaving us alone.
“Can I come over there, angel?” Win asked, voice gentle.
I nodded.
He moved slowly like he was afraid rapid movement would scare me. When he was finally close, he reached out to tug my aching hand off the edge of the counter. “I didn’t mean to yell. It just… It makes me crazy you think you did something wrong. ThatImade you think that.”
“You didn’t—”
“Don’t make excuses for me, angel. Don’t ever. If I’m wrong, tell me I’m wrong. If I hurt you, tell me I hurt you. Don’t ever let me off the hook for anything that makes you unhappy.”
“You don’t make me unhappy,” I whispered.
Still holding my hand, he reached out with the other to palm the back of my neck. The hold was reassuring, grounding me in place.
“I hate your injuries, Lars, but that’s not why I told you to get dressed. I told you to get dressed because I’m a territorial bastard and I don’t want anyone seeing what’s mine.”
“I thought maybe they embarrassed you,” I confessed.
He made a sound as if my words pained him. “Embarrass me? Oh, angel, no. Nothing about you willeverembarrass me.”
With his gentle tug at my neck, I stepped into his body, exhaling when my cheek met his chest. Both arms wrapped around me, and his chin rested on top of my head.
“Not even because I’m so weak?”
His body rippled, but his hold remained gentle and supportive. I felt his throat vibrate with the humming sound he made.
“Is that what you believe? That you’re weak? You are the furthest thing from weak. I looked into that animal’s eyes today. The little soul he has feeds off violence and control. I could see it right there in the vacancy of his stare. He tried to break you so many times, didn’t he? He did things to you a lesser man would not have survived.”
My arms found their way around his waist, the pads of my fingers digging into the small of his back. “He didn’t try to break me, Win. He did. More than once.”
“I’m sure that’s how it feels, baby. And I’ll never tell you what you feel is wrong. So if you say you’re in pieces, then I’ll tell you you’re my favorite puzzle. I’ll love every single one of your fragments, even the ones that might be missing. To me, though, you’re unbreakable. The strongest person I’ve ever met. Maybe you feel weak because your heart has been so heavy. You can rest now, angel. I’ll carry it for a while. I’ll carry it as long as you let me.”
“My heart’s not heavy when I’m with you.”
“It’s because I’m the man.”
I laughed, the lightness of it familiar. “There’s the Win I know.”
“I’m the whole package, baby. You hit the jackpot with me.”
“I know.” He was joking, but I was not.
“Look up here.” He beckoned, and the second I did, he kissed me, his tongue licking into my mouth. He tasted of coffee and sweetness, the sweet not from the caramel but his words.
“I love you.” The words brushed against my lips.
“Jag älskar dig,” I answered.
“C’mon, put some clothes on. I can’t be having people ogling my man,” he said, grabbing the duffle bag to pull out some clothes.
“I’m literally a giant bruise.”
“You underestimate the power of your sexiness.” He gently tugged a T-shirt over my head. “Watch your arm,” he instructed, gingerly pulling the fabric over my injuries.
When my torso was covered, he knelt at my feet and helped me dress in a pair of black sweatpants and socks.
