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I wasn’t by nature an insecure person. But we all had that little voice talking in our heads, wondering if we were reading too much into things, or if we were projecting our own feelings onto someone else.
It was probably exacerbated by the fact that I was looking like shit.
If I was back to normal, I probably wouldn’t have been questioning everything so much.
“Maybe,” I relented. “But right now, he is just trying to help me figure out who did this to me,” I said, waving at my face.
“Yo, babe,” Voss’s voice called, making me turn to find him leaning in the doorway.
“Yeah?”
“I’m heading out,” he told me.
“Okay. I’ll be here.”
“Don’t leave,” he demanded.
“Okay, boss,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I mean it. Stay here where you’re safe.”
“I have no plans to go anywhere,” I told him. “I have a lot of work to catch up on.”
“Okay. I’ll be back to scoop you up after your shift.”
“I can—“ I started to object. Just to be difficult. Because it was fun to watch his eyes narrow and hear his voice go even more grumbly than usual.
“I’m scooping you up. Stop being such a—“
“Pain in the ass,” I filled in for him with a smirk.
“Yeah. You got my number. Use it if shit feels off.”
With that, he turned and walked off, leaving me alone with a smiling Marshall again.
“Sly, hate to break it to you, but that’s your man,” he told me, nodding as he moved out of the room.
It was only about another minute or two before Russ was making his way into the room. He had on a tan and blue flannel, open in the front, and a pair of jeans. His hair was as mussed as ever, and his scruff was a bit thicker than the last time I’d seen him.
He looked tired, but then again, he always did.
He certainly didn’t look overly worse for the wear.
It shouldn’t have bothered me, knowing that I was easily replaced, albeit temporarily, but I couldn’t seem to be unbothered by it.
“Syl,” he said on a deep exhale. Like he’d been holding his breath until he got a chance to see how I was for himself.
Then, this man who’d always been perfectly appropriate for a boss, reached out, grabbed me, and pulled me into what I would have to call a gentle bear hug. It had all the markers for a normal bear hug, but he was clearly trying to be mindful of my ribs.
“Been worried sick about you,” he admitted.
“I’m okay. I mean, I’m hobbling. And deep breaths still hurt. But okay.”
Russ pulled back, looking me over with those warm eyes of his.
“Voss said someone broke into your place. Stole your stuff.”
God, I hoped he didn’t mention what, exactly, was stolen. I could live with him knowing about Irwin, but I wasn’t sure I could face my boss if he knew that my vibrator had been stolen by some creep. Who was doing… God-knows what with it.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I’ve been staying with the bikers for the time being,” I told him. “Just until I recover,” I added. “I can’t exactly defend myself when I am having trouble turning or reaching for stuff still.”
“I am not saying this to be sexist or an asshole or anything—“ Russ started.
“But I’m small and probably can’t defend myself that well even if I’m at full capacity,” I filled in for him. “I am going to work on that as soon as I’m healed. Voss said the self-defense gym in town can teach me how to use my size to my advantage to defend myself. I’m excited to start.”
“That’s good,” Russ said.
“Did, ah, did Voss threaten you?” I asked.
To that, Russ had a strange little smile tugging at his lips as he tipped his head to the side a bit.
“I wouldn’t call it a threat.”
“But it was threat adjacent,” I said.
“Something like that. I mean, it wasn’t necessary. I’m keeping a close eye on you while you’re here.”
“Russ, come on. That sort of defeats the purpose of me being here to work.”
“I’m not letting anything happen to you on my watch. I should have driven you home that night.”
“Oh, my God. What is with you men and the guilt over this?” I asked, touched, but a little frustrated that they kind of all seemed to think they had any control over my life. “I didn’t tell anyone my car didn’t start. I just started walking. There was no way you could have done anything.”
“I should be walking you to your car at night,” Russ insisted.
“I am a grown woman,” I said with a little laugh.
“And I’m a grown-ass man who knows better than not to walk a woman to her car at night.”
“I’m not your girlfriend or daughter.”
“No, but I care about you, Syl. And this isn’t a great area. And you’d already been attacked once that night.”
