He doesn’t pull out right away. He leans over me, trailing kisses along every inch of my bare skin.
Eventually, he pulls free, making me hiss. I don’t say anything out loud, but I already miss the connection. He turns me around so he can look at me. His eyes lock on mine, making it impossible to look away. He swallows, and I see the question on his lips before it’s even formed.
“I don’t regret it. I don’t regret you. I regret not bringing a change of clothes, though.”
He grins at that. “Might find Legs left something upstairs. If not, I can have a prospect grab something for you.”
I slap his chest. “We’re not sending a prospect to pick upI’ve just had sex clothes.If Legs left something, great. If not, I’ll have to make do until we get home. It’s not like anyone is going to see me, anyway.”
He pulls his jeans up and slips the condom off before tucking his cock away. The condom gets thrown in the trash, which I make a mental note to empty before we leave. Spotting a box of tissues on one of the bookcases, I shuffle over to them and use them to pat myself dry before throwing them in the trash too. I move to grab my shorts and underwear, but then Kruger is there on his knees in front of me, holding them out so I can step in.
“I swear there is something even sexier about you helping me dress instead of undressing,” I whisper, holding his shoulders for balance.
“It’s because I gain nothing from it. It’s all about you. Most men are concerned with what they find once they rip the underwear away, but I already knew I’d find perfection.”
“I’m far from perfect, Kruger.”
“Maybe, but you’re perfect for me.”
I swallow as he stands up, pulling the material up my legs and over my ass before fastening my button.
He looks around for my sandals, which I must have lost somewhere along the way, and helps me slip them back on. Staring at my top, he grins unrepentantly at the torn buttons that make the V of my shirt more pronounced and show a large expanse of the pink bra I’m wearing underneath.
“Standing beside me, people might think we got attacked by the same bear.”
I roll my eyes at him before lifting onto my tiptoes and giving him a soft kiss filled with gratitude. I wait for the panic to invade, but it doesn’t come. I know things aren’t magically fixed between us, but for now, at least I’m not spinning aimlessly with no idea what direction I should head in. Even if I’m heading toward my downfall, there’s comfort in knowing the way.
His cell phone rings, pulling him out of the moment. He pulls it out and sees it’s Nathan.
“Answer it. I’m going to freshen up and look for a spare top. Do you have the key to the apartment?”
“No, but it wasn’t locked last time I was here. Don’t worry, nobody can access it without keys to the building, and only you and Midas have those.”
I nod, though I’m pretty sure I’m going to be asking Midas for the key. Or maybe he can give it to Legs so she can come and go as she pleases.
I head upstairs as he takes the call, marveling that I forgot all about this apartment. I could have stayed here instead of the motel, but then they’d have probably found me sooner.
I turn the knob when I get up there, and sure enough, it’s open. I close it behind me to give Kruger some privacy and take in the space. I’ve never been here before, but it appears to have been recently renovated. I chuckle when I spot some discarded soda cans and water bottles on the table, along with a knife and a half-empty jar of peanut butter.
That has to be Legs. Midas is somewhat of a neat freak, but as Legs’s pregnancy has progressed, she’s become the snack queen, not caring what time of day or night it is. And as she’s not a neat freak, you might not see her snacking, but there’ll be signs.
I head to the room I assume is the bedroom and push the door open, pausing when I see the blankets askew. There’s a bunch of stuff on the bedside dresser, too, but as it’s on the far side of the bed, I can’t make out what it is.
I get a weird feeling and the hairs on my arms stand on end. I take a step closer and swallow when I notice what looks like blood on the bedcovers. I reach for my phone, then curse when I remember that Kruger has it.
“Fuck this.” I move to the closet to see if there is a shirt in there before coming face-to-face with a handgun.
I freeze. Hell, I don’t think I even breathe as a man steps out of the closet, the gun aimed at me, as he covers his lips with his finger in a shhh gesture. I take a step back, and when I do, I suck in a breath as I take him in.
I don’t recognize him, but that doesn’t mean much. I can see that he’s hurt, though. His eye is swollen, the white parts are completely bloodshot, and his whole jaw is covered in a fading yellow-green bruise.
I take in his tattered clothes. His arms are thin and bruised, and his T-shirt is torn and bloody in places. The gun shakes from him holding his arm straight out, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s busted his ribs, too.
It isn’t until I concentrate on his face again that I realize he’s not a man at all, but a boy. At most, I’d put him at seventeen, but something tells me he might be younger than that.
“My name is Delphi. I’m sort of owner of this place now. I say sort of because I’m still not sure what I want to do after my last place got burned to the ground and I almost died. And then I almost died again, but that time it was my fault. I mean, what kind of sane person steals a grenade off a biker at gunpoint? Yeah, I said gunpoint, but this isn’t my first rodeo. Last time, I was on the other side of the gun. Not that I liked that much better because I didn’t actually want to hurt anyone. I was just scared, you know?”
He swallows, his arm shaking a little more, and I feel like, yeah, he does know.
