And as I stare at that weapon, at the violenceandthe protection it will bring, I settle into the feeling of being home.
Because that is what I have found.
Savannah has always been that person, but with her, I’ve gained so much more.
And she’s right, walking away from it will leave me with too many regrets. I cannot live in fear anymore.
I refuse.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Iwatch Sloane dance and laugh and drink. She frees herself from her shackles, lets herself live, lets herself be in the moment, and even though her eyes cut back to me every few minutes as if to check I am still here, I know she’s having fun. She moves to the music with grace, that tight pink dress keeping my cock in the semi-hard state it put me in when I first saw her.
It was only because we had company that I didn’t fuck her on the stairs right there and then. The neckline sits low, a V between her breasts, and with the material, I can make out the outline of her nipples and the lack of a bra. It clings to her shape, tucking in at her waist, molding to the curve of her stomach before it loosens around her legs, the split teasing the creamy skin at her thigh.
My mouth practically waters when I watch her dip low on the dance floor, a smile pulling up her plump lips, the lights giving her an ethereal glow as they pulse in time with the music.
Savannah leans in and says something in her ear, and she throws her head back as she laughs with her friend.
There’s something so incredibly sexy about watching her be free. It hints at what she was like before, prior to the violence and the pain.
I want to give it to her, the safety, the bubble in which she can truly be herself. If I have to prove that the monsters that chase her will never catch her, then I will. I’ll fight her past, however way I need to make it happen.
When the song fades into a new one, the girls link arms and stumble back to the table, a fine sheen of sweat along their brows and dampening the fine hair at their temples. Savannah immediately tucks into Killian, and my brother, always the stoic, grumpy one, pulls her in, his whole body softening toward her. He deserves the happiness he has found with her, even if it was a painful path for him to walk.
I envy the easy way they are, but with time, I’ll have that too.
“I want you to take me home,” Sloane whispers as she leans in.
“Right now?”
“Mm,” She nods.
“What about–”
“Dean, take me home.” She interrupts me, and I completely forget whatever it was I was going to argue.
“We’re out,” I call to the other two, but I think they stopped listening about two minutes ago when Savannah shoved her tongue down his throat.
There are no goodbyes, just a rushed exit, my hand grasping hers as I push the crowd out of the way, clearing a path for her to follow. On the street, I flag down a cab, pulling her to my side to shield her from the chill that’s leaving ice in its wake, and when it pulls up, I bundle her inside, following behind.
And I take her home, where it’s just her and me, and for just a few hours, nothing else matters.
There are no threats, no violent pasts. There’s nothing waiting for us beyond the doors, no monsters lurking in the dark.
I love her the way she’s always meant to be loved.
And I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep it. She falls asleep tucked against me, her hair tickling my skin and her breath whispering against my throat, hand resting directly above my heart.
There are a lot of things that can go wrong in the next few days, so I take what I can now.
My shoes clip against the marble flooring of a hotel in the downtown area of the city. Crystal chandeliers hang from vaulted ceilings, and paneled walls with warm light in iron sconces give it that vintage feel that only money can buy.
Frankly, I find it gaudy and out of date.
Nothing like Olivia’s hotel, with its open spaces and modern features, something she has worked tirelessly on with her team to create. It used to be like this, ancient and stuffy. But this is where Richard picked for the meeting.
My briefcase swings in my hand as I stop at a set of large double doors, the small windows allowing only a small glimpse beyond to the dining area that appears to be deserted, though I know it’s not. In fact, the entire hotel is empty, not even a single staff member to be seen.
