“More careful with what?”
“You.” He looks at me, sheepishly. “After... I should've held back. Knowin' you aren't scared of me after tellin’ you what I did. I...”
“I'm alright. You didn't hurt me.” I smile at him. “It was fucking amazing. Let's do it again sometime, yeah?”
He chuckles. “Say the word, Wildflower." Then he walks off to go lock up downstairs and turn off the lights.
~ Griffin Colson ~
I’M NOT SURPRISED THATby the time I have her food made and sitting on the end table, she’s already asleep. The nightmares last night were relentless. And although she tried her best to keep from waking me, every time she curled closer to my side, I felt it. The stress, the fear, the constant worry about her shop and her safety are taking their toll on her and I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit by and let her keep pretending it’s not. I sit on the edge of the bed and brush a strand of hair back from her face.
“Hey.” Her eyes open and she stretches.
“Eat first.” The tray scrapes against the table as I pick it up and place it on her lap. “Then sleep.”
She sits up, leaning back against the headboard. A smile tugs at her lips. “You didn’t have to do this. But thank you.”
I shake my head. “It’s just a sandwich. Nothin’ special.”
“It feels unfair,” she states, taking a bite of her sandwich. “I should be making you food after mindblowing orgasms.”
I laugh, my fingers hooking under her chin. “Oh yeah?” My voice drops lower. “Trust me. You earned this sandwich.”
She pokes me playfully in the side. Taking another bite, she hums with contentment. The sight makes my chest tighten and my breath hitch. After what she’s been through these rare moments where she’s free and happy, catch me off guard.
She freezes up. I press my hand flat against her thigh.
“What?” I ask. “Tell me.”
“The cameras. In the stockroom.” She turns a deep shade of pink.
I can’t stop myself from chuckling. “Relax, Sunshine.” I gently squeeze her thigh. “I have a private server. That feed never leaves my phone and the only other person with access to it is Jax. No one else will ever see it. You’re safe.”
“But what if Jax saw it? I don’t want to be an amateur porn star. Can you delete it?” She grabs my wrist.
I lean in and press a kiss to her forehead. “Deleted it the second I stepped out of that room.” I sit back. “Jax didn’t see shit. He values breathin’ too much to go diggin’ through footage without askin’ me first.” My fingers twitch, torn between pulling her closer or letting her eat. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Thank gods.” She leans back with a sigh, the tension draining out of her. “Did you eat?”
“No.” I nudge her plate closer. “I’ll eat later. Jax and Bishop invited us out for dinner. Bishop’s pissed I haven’t introduced him yet.”
“They want me there?” She takes another bite of her sandwich before opening the bottle of water I brought her.
“Yeah.” I smirk. “Bishop’s heard about you. He wants to meet the woman who managed to wrap me around her finger. Brace yourself though, he’s a lot.”
“Oh, so you talk about me?” she teases, taking a drink.
“I didn’t have to.” I tap the side of my temple. Between wire transfers, security upgrades, and me moving her into the cabinfor two weeks, Bishop figured it out on his own. “And I may have mentioned you once or twice when he asked why I was buyin’ panic buttons instead of bullets.”
“I guess that does make it kinda obvious,” she concedes, setting the tray on the bedside table. She pulls the blanket up to her chest, getting comfortable again.
“Damn right it does.” I lean forward and adjust the pillow behind her. “Now get some rest. I’ll wake you when it’s time to get ready.” I settle back against the headboard, one arm resting on my knee.
She scoots into my space, throwing her arm across my middle, laying her head on my chest. “I’m not opening the store again today, am I?” she mumbles.
“No.” My fingers find their way into her hair. She presses into me like she belongs there. This new dynamic throws me occasionally, like if I let myself believe it’s real I’ll lose it. “Store’s closed until tomorrow. You need the rest.” I know exactly what kind of exhaustion she’s carrying underneath all that stubborn determination.
I expect her to fight me on it but instead she relaxes into my side. Normally, she would try to force her independence but it’s like something inside her shifted. She trusts me enough to make this call and that makes warmth flood my chest like never before. That she submits to me without thinking her world will fall apart around her means more to me than anything she’s done.
