Ace huffed a quiet sound.Almost a laugh.Zero amusement.
“Sweetheart.”His thumb brushed my cheek.“You think I’m leaving you alone?”
I didn’t.I needed him here too much.
“I’m not a burden?”I whispered.
“No.You’re under protection.”His hand slid to cradle the back of my head, guiding my forehead to rest against his chest.“There’s a difference.”
My breath shook against his shirt.
He held me until tremors eased, until my breathing matched his steady rhythm.Warmth seeped into bone, pushing fear out inch by inch.When he finally spoke again, his voice stayed quiet but sharp enough to cut steel.
“If anyone watched your place today, I’ll find him.”A pause.“And he’ll regret stepping near you.”
Emotion surged -- half terror at the promise, half fierce gratitude that someone finally fought on my side.
I tilted my head back enough to meet his gaze.“Why are you helping me?”
His jaw ticked once.His hand slid down to my shoulder, fingers tracing a line that felt like a brand.
“Because I don’t like the idea of you hurting.Because you didn’t deserve what happened before.”His breath brushed my hair.“And because someone needs to fucking protect you until you can breathe without fear.”
I wanted to argue.But words jammed in my throat.
Ace stepped back only long enough to guide me toward the bedroom.
“You’ll sleep here tonight.I’ll take the chair.”His tone brooked zero disagreement.
I knew better than to waste breath arguing when safety wrapped itself in the form of a biker built from fury and loyalty.
I eased onto the couch.The cushions embraced my tired body.He grabbed a blanket from a nearby shelf and draped it over me -- gently, like I might shatter.His fingers brushed my wrist.Electricity shot through nerves still frayed from fear.
“Close your eyes,” he murmured.
“But it’s morning.”
“And you’re tired.So, sleep.”
I did.
Not because I felt brave.Because for the first time in forever, I felt safe enough to try.
Sleep didn’t come right away.My gaze found him in the morning light -- his big frame in the chair beside me, sitting forward, elbows on knees, eyes locked on the door.
Guarding me.
A man like him didn’t make promises lightly.
I believed every one.
Chapter Five
Ace
Afternoon sunlight cut through the windows ofThe Broken Spokein amber slants, turning dust motes into floating gold and staining the barroom the color of whiskey.My hands kept busy pouring drinks and wiping counters, but my attention stayed locked on Marci as she worked.After that first day on the couch, I’d convinced her to take my room.Three nights of her stretched out in my bed while I took the couch without a second thought.After that first night, she’d opened up more about her past, and now I at least knew the name of the asshole she’d dated.Still had a lot of missing information, but I’d keep her safe somehow.
Somewhere inside those seventy-two hours, something shifted.Not loud.Not dramatic.More like a pull under the skin, aclickof gears falling into place.Each coordinated movement behind the bar only sharpened the sense of connection forming between us, a quiet awareness neither of us spoke aloud but both of us felt.
