And the better question is, how long has he been doing it?
The waiting text message grabs my attention. I don’t need to open it to know who it’s from, and my chest tightens with anxiety.
I may be irritated at Colten for invading my privacy in such a huge way, but if he’s hurt, I need to know about it.
Unknown: He got lucky this time, but he won’t in the future. Don’t test me, Wildcat.
I’m still frowning at the screen when the elevator dings, and I barely get a chance to turn toward it before Colten steps off.
Blood runs down the side of his face, his knuckles torn from what appears to be a fight.
I’m moving before I can process the scene in front of me.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” I stop in front of him, my hands hovering around him as I assess whether it’s safe to touch him.
“Not the first beating I’ve taken and probably won’t be the last,” he replies, gathering me against his chest.
“Colten! You’ll hurt yourself!” I snap.
“I could never be in pain when you’re in my arms, Lexi,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“You need to be seen by a doctor.” I attempt to pull away, but his grip on me is iron tight. I’m not going anywhere until he sees fit.
“No doctor necessary.”
I sigh. “Fine. Head into the bathroom, and I’ll be in to help you clean up in a second.”
He holds on to me for a second longer before stiffly moving toward the bedroom.
Once he’s through the door, I head back to the desk and close down the security program.
If Colten has access to my phone, I want to know what else he has access to.
FORTY-FOUR
COLTEN
Something’s wrong, and it’s not just the fact I’m bleeding all over the bathroom.
Lexi’s on edge. Every time I reach for her, she flinches.
It could be because she’s scared. Today spooked her, and all the confirmation I needed of that was how terrified she sounded when she was on the phone.
But my gut tells me it’s more than that.
Is it because the Mafia Matchmaker called?
Maybe she’s doubting us now that our match has been called into question.
But I’m not ready to put it down to that just yet.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from years of studying my girl, it’s that the most likely option probably isn’t the correct one.
Women are complex as hell, and having never dated, I’m still learning.
Lexi’s brow dips as she gently cleans the cut in my hairline.
I still can’t believe he got the jump on me. It’s not like me to not be aware of my surroundings, and that one slip-up could have cost me my life.
