Grabbing her chin, I gently tugged until she was looking up at me. “It doesn’t matter. He’s trying to get you back any way he can. That bastard fights dirty, but you know what? So do I. And I don’t lose.”
Her eyes were gorgeous. Intense. Complicated. For the first time since I’d known her, she dropped her guard and let me see what was behind her hard exterior, and it was beautiful. Soft. Delicate. Volatile. Dangerous. I saw her teetering between who she had been and who she wanted to be, battling the bonds that held her to the past. Her strength was breathtaking.
“Everyone’s staring at us,” she whispered.
Our feet had stopped, and we were standing in the middle of the dance floor. I glanced around, glaring at anyone brave enough to meet my gaze before returning my attention to her. “I don’t give a single fuck what these people think, and you shouldn’t either. I see you, Jules, and I know who you really are. You’re better than this shit.”
She swallowed, and more tears flooded her eyes, but she blinked them away. Did she ever allow herself to cry? Not in front of this group. Maybe not ever. I’d known her for less than a week and was probably the only one who’d ever seen her this real. This breakable. Life had turned her into a bitch, but that wasn’t who she was. She was strong and beautiful and fierce.
I released her chin and she once again nestled against my chest.
“I don’t want to be better,” she muttered. “I want to kill him.” But her tone lacked its previous seriousness. She’d turned the battle around.
“I know.” I rubbed her back. “Bad idea, though.”
“Why? Too many witnesses?”
I chuckled. “Definitely a concern.”
She sucked in a deep breath and released it. Her body finally relaxed. “Thank you again for coming with me, Havoc. I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”
Despite the situation, her bare skin beneath my hands and her big round tits pressed against me were making my dick take notice. There were several ways to fight for Julia, and like I’d told her, I fought dirty. I wasn’t above fucking her senseless until she forgot all about this place and these people. “How long do we have to stick around?” I asked.
She glanced over her shoulder at the head table where Laura was busy chatting it up with the guests. “We’ll go tell her goodbye after this dance.”
Julia
“YOU’RE COLD,” HAVOC said, eyeing my bare shoulders and arms.
It was a little after six p.m., and we were sitting on a mostly-empty ferry, heading back to Seattle. We’d chosen a window booth, so we could watch the sun set behind the skyline of the city. The view was incredible, made more beautiful by the symbolism it presented. I’d survived Laura’s wedding, and before the sun disappeared completely, I’d be done with this chapter of my life. I’d never have to return to Bainbridge Island, never have to see any of those assholes again.
I was finally free.
Previously unable to focus on anything past the wedding, I hadn’t anticipated how cold the ferry would be on the way home. I should have brought a coat, and now I was paying for my shortsightedness. “I’m fine,” I insisted.
“No lies, remember?” Havoc patted the bench seat beside him. “You’re shivering. Come here.”
As I scooted around the small table to join him, he removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie. Before I sat, he stood and draped his warm jacket over my shoulders, pulling it around me. It hung almost to my knees and smelled of wood, spices, and metal. Havoc’s unique manly scent added to the warmth, making me feel safe and grounded. I snuggled into it and turned to return to my seat, but he patted the seat beside him again.
“Stay.”
Despite how improper it was, I wanted to be near him. Wanted to be touching him. I sat. He wrapped an arm around me and tucked me against his side.
“There. That’s better.”
He was so warm and strong I wanted to wrap myself around him and leech comfort like a parasite, but since we were still in public, this would have to do. People were already watching us, no doubt appalled by our display of public affection. We were coming from Bainbridge Island, after all, and the people there had standards. Moronic, lonely, stuffy standards.
“How’re you doing?” Havoc asked.
“You mean other than the fact that I screwed up and threatened to kill my ex at my sister’s wedding? Peachy. Fantastic.” I shook my head. “Still can’t believe I let him bait me like that. I gave him exactly what he wanted.” But, what bothered me the most, is what Wesley had revealed. That he’d plotted against me. Why? If he wanted to end our marriage, he should have said so. Why would he go as far as to sleep with all my old friends? It was like he wanted to push me away. But then he’d mentioned watching me. Why would he push me away only to stalk me? Why wouldn’t the asshole just leave me alone? The shiver I let out this time had nothing to do with the cold.
Havoc squeezed my shoulders. “It’s over. You did great. You held it together and we got the fuck out of there, and that’s all that matters.”
I wasn’t the only one who’d held it together. “Thank you for not grinding his face into the floor. As rewarding as it would be to watch Wesley get his cocky ass handed to him, I’m grateful that you walked away.”
He shrugged. “Like you said… too many witnesses, and I’m trying to stay out of jail.”
Giggling, I relaxed a little more. “I’m done talking about the wedding. Time for a subject change. Now that you’ve met my crazy family, tell me a little about yours.”
