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“That’s a lot of questions for 5 a.m.,” he says as he looks at the clock beside me.
He is shirtless, which should be illegal. By the light of the small lamp, I can see the V that goes down to his briefs and the details of his tattoos covering most of his chest and arms. Yup, because he’s wearing nothing except his briefs. Why do I feel like a horny teenager right now? With everything that happened yesterday and the medication I’m taking, I shouldn’t be turned on.
“Like the view?” Damn him with his deep voice and those damn abs.
I say nothing and try to get up from the bed. I learned these past few weeks that it is pointless to fight with him. He doesn’t want me to leave the bed or walk by myself. Which is ridiculous. I’ve been walking by myself for 26 years. Well, 25 and something. I know how to walk. The pain is mild today, and Bailey said that the wound is healing nicely. Just a matter of days before I can leave this place. If he ever lets me leave.
Helping me walk towards the en suite bathroom, I turn to face him. “I’ve got it from here.” I can sense he is itching to argue, but I shut the door and exhale a sigh of relief, cutting him off before he can say anything more.
My bare feet are cold against the hardwood floors. I run my hand over the goosebumps on my arms and shiver as I go. Inside the bathroom, I flip on the light and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My curly hair is a tangled mess, and dark circles ring my eyes. I look like a woman who hasn't slept in weeks, not just one night. In a moment of weakness, I lift his T-shirt to my nose and inhale his scent.
I am completely fucked.
I shake my head and do my business as quickly as possible, not wanting to spend any more time than necessary in the cold room. I can hear him stirring in the bedroom, muttering something under his breath. When I'm done, I wash my hands and splash some water on my face, hoping it will wake me up a little.
When I emerge from the bathroom, he's sitting up in bed, his eyes fixed on me. He has put on his joggers, but he didn’t bother with a shirt. Okay, I see what he is doing here. I shake my head to signal that I can walk back to the bed, and as I see him move, I notice his jaw ticking. Sitting on the bed, I bore my eyes into his. I won’t be able to go back to sleep, so I start to speak.
“Why? Why did you wait this long to tell me the truth?”
“I don’t know. Why didn’t you tell me you were working with my da’?” Touché.
“I didn’t feel like I owed you anything. That was between your da’ and me.” Rising to his feet, he begins to pace back and forth, his hand running through his dark hair in frustration.
“Do you understand that everything I’ve done was for your safety? Maybe it wasn’t the right way to do it, but it was the only solution I had at the time. And for what? For you to end up a target anyway?” His growls. “I need you safe. You need to be safe. These people… are dangerous. They would do whatever it takes to bring us down. You were the number one target. They knew you were everything to me. They would have made me watch you get tortured, raped, and killed before ending my life.” He kneels in front of me, taking both of my hands in his.
“Why did you hide what you were doing?” I’m waiting for his answer, my hands getting sweaty by the minute.
“Because you would have stayed?” he asks me, knowing I wouldn’t have. “How did you expect me to tell you? Oh, by the way, Blakely, I had hoped my da’ would let me live my life, but now I’m working with the equivalent of the mafia and killing people for a living. Do you think you would have stayed? You’re a lawyer. A fucking lawyer. What I do goes against everything you’ve been fighting for.” His breath is ragged after his speech. I squeeze his hands because I’m exhausted from fighting him. I’m exhausted from fighting my own feelings. He is right. The old me would have run miles away knowing what he was doing.
But I’m not the same girl anymore. I’ve made my peace with that.
“I understand.” My words shock him. He didn’t expect me to agree with him. He was waiting for a fight, but what’s the point now? What is done is done.
“Excuse me, what?”
“I said, I understand. You’re right. I would have run.”
“And now you’re not even attempting to run?” His forest eyes shine with a glimmer of hope.
“I think I’ve seen enough not to run. That doesn’t mean I forgive you for your lies. Or that I’ll decide to stay in Scotland and never go back to Paris.”
“We’ll see about that.” He stands, but before he does anything else, I ask. “Was the episode with Tim yesterday necessary?” I’m still annoyed about it. You don’t shoot someone already on the ground. His nostrils flare.
“Be happy he’s still breathing. He hid an important piece of information. That doesn’t go unpunished.”
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?” I raise my eyebrow.
“No, baby. I’m not overreacting. You got attacked. They tried to rape you. If the fucker was still alive, I would have ended him. That’s a crucial part of information. Don’t get me wrong. I’m more than happy that he showed you how to defend yourself and that you found a friend in him. But he works for me. His job was to keep you safe and to report any major events. Which he failed at miserably.” He swallows hard. Taking a step closer, his hands cup my face. I feel the warmth of his body, the smell of his skin, and that woodsy scent.
“Can you imagine what I felt when I heard you telling that to your sister?” I can feel the warmth of his breath on my face now. I’m so entranced by the green of his eyes that my answer comes out as a whisper.
“Anger?”
“Helpless. I felt helpless. I couldn’t stop imagining you bleeding on the floor, crying, and half-naked. And there wasn’t a thing I could do to help you.” My breath is shallow. His response was not what I was anticipating. He has always been the type of guy who keeps his emotions to himself and never shows them. Apparently, that’s changed if it concerns me. His words shouldn’t arouse me, but they do something to me. I think I’m broken. The sincerity in them makes my pussy throb.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. Not if I can help it.”
“Why?” He’s too close. His lips calling to me. I can feel my nipples peak through my T-shirt.
