Reeve stilled, his muscles tightening.
“For what?” His voice was low enough that Rebel probably couldn’t hear it.
“For all of this.” I had to swallow the lump in my throat to continue. “If I’d seen what Jareth was sooner. Hadn’t let myself be used. You wouldn’t have had to?—”
He turned his head just enough that I felt the heat of his stare burn against my cheek, cutting off my words. “Don’t.”
The single word cut through my spiraling thoughts.
“But you?—”
“You lived.” His hand slid from my thigh to my hip, gripping me tightly. “That’s the only thing that matters.”
Warmth rushed through me, wobbly and overwhelming. I tucked myself closer, my knees angled toward him and my fingers fisted in his shirt. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and tears streamed down my cheeks again. Healing ones this time.
Feeling guilty didn’t solve anything. I hated what he and his club brothers had been forced to do to rescue me, but he was right. I’d told myself that I just needed to survive. And I had. That needed to be enough for now.
As soon as Rebel pulled up in front of the clubhouse, Reeve climbed out of the SUV and tugged me with him. He didn’t stop moving until the door to his room slammed shut behind us, keeping one arm around me like he expected someone to rip me out of his grip again. Only when the lock clicked did he finally turn me toward him. His palms slid over my body, barely-contained violence simmering beneath every breath as he made sure I wasn’t hurt.
“I’m okay,” I whispered, lifting a hand to grip his wrist. “The drugs wore off. And I was careful not to fight the restraints too hard. I knew you’d come for me.”
His jaw clenched. “Damn straight. Nobody will ever take you away from me.”
The words were a protective vow that would’ve terrified me coming from anyone else. From Reeve, it made butterflies swirl in my belly.
With his nostrils flaring, he still looked like he was one second from losing it.
“I’m so sorry I scared you,” I breathed, my voice cracking.
His head snapped up, his eyes blazing as his hands came up to cup my face. “None of this is your fault, baby.”
My throat tightened painfully as I ground myself in the steady heat of him. “I was so scared. They talked about carving the tattoo off my leg. And even though I hate it with every fiber of my being, the thought of what that meant?—”
“They’re gone.” His hands slid down to my shoulders as he pulled me into him, his lips brushing against the top of my head. “You don’t need to worry about anything they thought they’d do to you. It’ll never happen. I won’t let anyone touch you.”
“I don’t want to wait to cover it,” I blurted, pulling back to look him in the eyes so he could see how serious I was. “But instead of using one of my designs, I want you to draw it.”
Shock flickered across his face. “Me?”
“I’d trust you with anything and everything,” I whispered. “And tonight, you proved exactly how much I can. Letting you design the tattoo you’ll ink over this feels small compared to what you did for me tonight.”
He let out a low rumble as he crouched, his palms sliding down my thighs. When he reached my calf, his thumb brushed over the mark Jareth had put there. His touch was tender, as though he was promising to erase it from existence.
Reeve looked up at me, heat burning in his dark eyes. “Thank you, baby. You have no idea what this means to me.”
His thumb traced the symbol again, slower this time. This time, his touch sent sensual awareness in its wake.
I sank to my knees and twined my arms around his neck. Then I let him see everything I was feeling. My relief, desire, and trust that had rooted itself too deep to ever go away.
Reeve cupped the back of my head with one trembling hand. “Tell me you need me as much as I do you. Not because you’re scared. Because you’re mine.”
I didn’t hesitate to answer, “I want you so much.”
Straightening, he hauled me up, his mouth crashing against mine. The kiss was everything I didn’t know I needed, but it wasn’t enough.
He gave me more in a blur of breathless touches and whispered promises. We spent the next several hours cementing our bond until the world outside his arms didn’t exist at all.
18
