Victor grasps my hand in his and begins running his index finger over the lines on the palm of my hand. He does this for several seconds like he’s trying to gather his thoughts. Finally, he looks up at me and the look in his green eyes fills me with apprehension.
“Donovan was in town today.”
Chapter twenty-six
Olivia
My body temperature rises so quickly my underarms start sweating and my vision gets blurry. The pounding of my heartbeat is loud in my ears as I’m unable to see Victor anymore. Donovan is hovering over me, his hand wrapped around my throat so tightly I’m terrified this time he’s going to strangle me to death.“You’ll never escape me. I’ll always find you. Always!”
The first time I tried to run, I was sixteen with no plan. It was impulsive, and Donovan found me within hours. Unable to breathe, the walls close in and darkness overtakes me. Standing quickly to get blood to flow and try to stop the panic that’s seizing me. “He told me I’d never escape him.” I try to suck in another breath, but nothing is working.
Strong arms wrap around me and lift me off the floor, holding me tight. Placing my hands on his chest, I push with all mymight, trying to get away, then his scent hits me and my muscles relax a little.
“Olivia, it’s me. You’re safe. I will never let him hurt you again.” Throwing my arms around Victor’s neck, I hold on to him with all my might. His hand rubs down my hair gently, causing my muscles to relax even more. “You’re safe. I promise you’re safe.” His voice soothes me and all the tension releases as I become more aware of my surroundings.
We’re no longer in the dining room. We’re sitting on a brown leather couch across from a desk. Behind the desk are windows that overlook the back of his property. Squeezing my eyes closed again and focusing on his scent, I breathe in and out. After a few moments, the pounding of my heartbeat subsides.
“That’s right. Breathe in and out.” He breathes with me and after a few more minutes, my vision clears. Exhaustion hits me as I rest in his arms. Panic attacks are the worst. I swear it’s like experiencing a heart attack. Victor’s eyes roam over my face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you so bluntly.”
I shrug one shoulder. “What other way could you tell me? My reaction would have been the same no matter what.” Inhaling and exhaling again, I lift my head off his shoulder. “I felt someone watching me today. And I knew it was him.” Thinking about Bec and her reaction makes me wonder why she felt it, but Caroline and Bailey didn’t. “Bec felt it too,” I murmur.
Victor tilts his head as he studies me. “Who’s Bec? You’ve mentioned her a couple of times. She wasn’t at lunch the day I met Ansley and Caroline.”
“She works at the gym I go to. She’s gotten really close to Bailey, who is Caroline’s sister,” I explain. He nods, trying to keep up with all the names. “So, what do Leo and the other guys coming to dinner have to do with Donovan?” Remembering they have something to do with this.
He clears his throat and rubs his hands up and down my arms. “As I explained earlier, Leo is my head of security and Arden and Lane help out when needed. I asked Leo to assign them to you. Lane will be keeping an eye on you during the day, while Arden will be keeping an eye on you at night. We’re having dinner with them so you can meet.”
He’s having his guys watch me instead of taking my independence away. “Okay. Will Arden be staying in my house?”
“No, he will not,” Victor replies before the words are barely out of my mouth. I arch an eyebrow at him, unable to stop my smile.
“He’s going to watch from his car?” I ask, not liking that idea.
Victor sighs. “I doubt it. He’ll probably walk the perimeter of your house throughout the night. He doesn’t sit still for long and he prefers to work nights. Leo says he’s a vampire.”
“A vampire? Well, I can offer him coffee, but I don’t have any blood.”
Victor’s mouth lifts in a smirk. “Making jokes already? That’s a good sign.” He wraps a hand around the back of my neck and pulls me into his chest again, holding me tight.
“The idea of him in your house doesn’t sit well with me, but you can’t resist taking care of people. So, I’ll get over that.” Victor’s doorbell rings. “It seems they’ve arrived.”
After dinner, the exhaustion from the panic attack overtakes me. I fall asleep in the sitting room while Victor, Leo, Arden, and Lane go over all the details of how they’ll protect me. The four men couldn’t be more different, but they work well together. When I wake up, I’m in a large bed that’s a lot more comfortable than my own. It’s still dark, but it looks like the sun might becoming up because the light from the window is beginning to creep in.
I roll over and inhale sharply at the sight of the man laying next to me. His back is facing me and it’s like a work of art. Scooting closer to see the details, his shoulders move as he breathes. From the top of his shoulders down to his tapered waist are angel’s wings. Along his spine is a sword with a man’s hands holding it. It takes the expanse of his entire back. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I had no idea tattoos could be so detailed.
Hesitantly, I reach out my finger to run along the details of the wings. Victor freezes underneath my touch as I gasp at the ridges I’m met with. The tattoo covers scars.“Let’s just say you’re not the only one that has scars.”His words come back to me. He’s awake, but he doesn’t tell me to stop, so I continue to trace along the wings a lump forming in my throat as my finger encounters more and more scars.
He allows me to trace the detail along one wing before he turns to face me. Placing both of my hands under my cheek, everything in me wants to comfort him, but I’m not sure he’ll let me. His eyes are sad as he takes me in.
“Who did that to you?”
He exhales as he brings his hands up to push my hair behind my ear. “Josie,” he answers.
My eyes widen at his unexpected answer. “Josie did that to you?” I never liked Josie, and neither did mom, but we tolerated her.
“Yes. I met Josie at a BDSM club. Normally, they only allow couples, but once a month, they allow singles to come in to meet others in the lifestyle. I had just gotten out of a relationship, so I attended and that’s where we met.” His finger traces along the outline of my face and the realization hits me how intimate thisis. He doesn’t have a shirt on and the blanket is covering him from the waist down.Is he wearing anything at all?
I vaguely remember him giving me a large T-shirt to sleep in. He could have easily changed my clothes for me and allowed me to continue sleeping, but he respects my boundaries. Scooting closer to him and running my finger along the tattoos on his bicep, I pause at the raised skin there too.
