Those idiots broke the lock on the door handle. Luckily, we have a deadbolt that I secure behind me. One of my knuckles has opened up again and is dripping blood. I grab one of my scarfs from the closet and quickly wrap it up.
Eliza stands in the center of the room, looking up at me like I’m her savior. But I realize she’s shaking, and after what happened to her at the club, I can’t imagine what seeing Tony again has done to her.
I take her hands in mine and lift them to my lips, kissing both tenderly. “It’s okay, baby,” I say softly. “He’s gone. No one’s going to hurt you.”
She lets her face fall into my chest. I hold her close for a long time, swaying gently like a slow dance. “You didn’t leave…”
“Of course not,” I reply.
“And you fought for me…again.”
Gently, I lift her chin and bring her eyes to mine. Such trust. Such vulnerability. “And I always will, baby.” A single tear falls from her eye. I brush it away with my thumb and kiss her. “Come on, why don’t we get you something to eat. Are you still into that ramen you used to love?”
She looks shocked as I take her by the hand and lead her into the kitchen. “You remember that?”
I laugh. “Of course I do. How could I forget? You used to eat it like every day. Twice every day.” I reach up over the fridge and pull one of the microwavable cups from the box. “Yup. Still got some left. Take a seat, I’ll make it for you.”
If the guys on the crew saw me doing this, they’d probably call me a sucker—making food for a girl? Who does that, right? Well, I do. And if they met a girl as amazing as Eliza, they would too.
I peel the top off the cup, fill it up to the line with water, then stick it in the microwave. “Three minutes,” I tell her, pulling some spring onions from the fridge. I grab a knife and start chopping them. Nice and thin. Just the way she likes.
About halfway through, I hear a giggle and look back to see her smiling. “I never realized how…nice your butt is.” She smirks. “But watching you cook with no clothes on…”
I chuckle and go back to my cutting. “Well, Ialwaysrealized how nice yours was. Why do you think I kept my distance?” I shouldn’t have said that, and I regret it the instant the words leave my mouth. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up—”
“It’s okay,” she replies, shaking her head. “Just promise me you’ll never do it again.”
Leaving the onions, I go over to her and drop to my knees. “You think I’meverwalking away from you again? That’sneverhappening.”
It takes her a second to look at me, but when she does, I see acceptance. I see joy. She nods, and I kiss her on both knees. Warmth begins to pool in my core…unfinished business. But just then, the microwave dings.
“Soup’s ready!”
I hop up and take the cup to the counter, then top the noodles with the finely cut scallions. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, I bring the soup over and set it in front of her.
“Thank you,” she whispers, running her pinky under the bracelet she gave me for my birthday. “You’re sweet.”
“I know,” I tease, winking back at her. She peels back the paper and gets ready to take her first bite, but that’s when I see them—blue and red lights flashing across her beautiful face.
“Shit,” I growl.
“What?”
“That son of a bitch, Tony. He called the cops.”
8
ELIZA
The blue andlights flashing across Caleb’s muscles send a shiver through me. His tenderness and the soup he prepared had me starting to come down from the adrenaline of the fight, but now it’s spiking again.
He fought for me. He put his life on the line against a man with a knife. And now what if they arrest him for it? They’ll take him away, and after all that’s happened, we won’t be together.
“Christ, I have to put some clothes on,” he says, quickly getting to his feet. He races upstairs as I look out the window and see a police cruiser pull up. My heart is pounding. Seconds later, Caleb comes back down, now wearing a pair of jeans and a white Henley.
“What are we gonna do!?” I hiss, throwing myself into his arms. “This wasn’t your fault. They can’t arrest you—”
“It’ll be okay,” he tells me, kissing me on the head. I want to believe him, but he did a number on those guys.
