Page 18 of Her Chocolate His Bar

But I trusted him more than anyone else, and if he said he was taking care of that slime, then he was.

I turned back to Delani. She met my gaze, then ducked her head and stepped away from me. I hated that. She was rubbing her arms, and I knew she was still upset.

Fuck.

I felt like such a complete asshole, and I wasn’t sure what to do.

Bending down, I started cleaning up the mess that prick had made. Anger had me vibrating out of my skin. That asshole had touched my girl.

He knocked her stuff on the floor. Tiny, wrapped packages of chocolates. A stack of business cards. Her purse.

It wasn’t until I smelled the sweet, spicy, chocolatey fragrance that clung to her that I knew she was standing right beside me.

“It’s okay. I can do this, Sonny.”

“I got it, Baby,” I said, noticing her tension. “Hey, you okay, Del?” I asked, eyes flicking over her in case I missed some injury or other.

“C-could you hold me for a moment?” she whispered, and the vulnerability on her face just tore at my heart.

I stood up slowly, not wanting to frighten her.

I waited, allowing her to make the first move, and I was not disappointed when she stepped into my body.

Delani wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest. Fuck. I wished that asshole was there so I could hit him again.

But all thoughts of that loser fled once I closed my arms around her. She was everything I wanted. All I could wish for.

Holding her was pure heaven, and I dipped my head to where her neck and her shoulder met, just breathing in her scent, and thanking God she was alright and that I could be there for her.

That she trusted me to be there for her was everything.

She was everything.

CHAPTER SEVEN—DELANI

Normally, I prided myself on being a strong, capable, independent woman.

Normally.

But there was a moment when that weasel of an inspector had me trapped between him and the counter that I panicked. And that panic left me shaken.

I wouldn’t apologize for leaning on Sonny right then. Truth was, I was so damn happy he’d shown up when he did.

After a week of craziness, I needed someone to hold me right then.

I’d been dealing with upturned garbage pails, trash dumped everywhere outside the shop for which I’d received a citation, my mail being tampered with, and lewd messages on the phone—the classic heavy-breathing ones.

I thought Sonny Delgado not only hated me but was exacting revenge in the usual frat boy style. Like a total asshole.

But it wasn’t him. Somewhere deep inside, I already knew that. I was just stubborn and angry and hurt by our last encounter.

Even so, I’d never been so fucking happy to see anyone in my life as I was when he came busting through the doors. Like some sort of superhero just to rescue me.

My cheeks burned just thinking about it. The rage on his face was palpable, and when he punched that jerk, I just about forgave him for all his prior idiocy.

This past week I’d been avoiding him, and it was the longest seven days I’d ever had to get through.

I’d never played the damsel in distress, and yeah, I’d have likely gotten that creep out of there one way or the other. But I couldn’t know for sure.

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