Elsie blew out a breath.“I should go talk to him.”
Like hell was she doing anything alone with him.That ship had sailed.He hadn’t gotten on, and now it was no longer available to board.It had a new captain.One with no navigational skills at all, but here we were.
When I had arrived and been told she was on a picnic with Calvin, what little control I’d had left snapped.I stormed to the gym, ripped off my shirt, and beat the hell out of the punching bag for over half an hour.That shit hadn’t calmed me down, so I took one of the cigarettes Oz kept hidden under the bar and went outside, hoping the nicotine eased the ferocity building inside me.I was seconds away from going to find them when they rounded that corner.He was too damn close to her, and all I could see was her leaving with me.I didn’t care about consequences.I didn’t think about what it meant.The animal pacing the cage inside me had just acted.Locked down what he considered his.
She moved then, and my hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
“No.If you care about his safety, right now, you need to stay with me.”
Her eyes widened.I wasn’t sure if it was fear or surprise.Maybe both.
“Okay,” she replied.
“Do you want to watch that video?”I asked her.
Because the look in her eyes outside when he’d announced it told me she did not.She wasn’t ready.
She winced, then dropped her gaze to my fingers wrapped around her wrist.“No,” she said softly.“But I should.”
He was going to force her to.That was what I’d thought.
“Then we aren’t gonna watch it, Pickles.You get to decide what you are ready for and when.No one tells you.Understood?”
She lifted her gaze slowly to meet mine.The relief in them had me ready to put my fist in my cousin’s face.“Yes.But Calvin—”
“Do you think he is really going to push me?”I asked her.
The corner of her lips quirked, and she pressed her lips together, then shook her head.“Most likely not.”She scrunched her nose then.“You were a little scary.”
I leaned closer to her, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.“Did I scare you?”
A small sigh escaped her lips.“No.”
“Good,” I told her, pleased.“And you forgive me for the other night?”
She nodded.“I was never mad.There is nothing to forgive.”
I cupped her chin, wanting to take her mouth so bad and forget all the shit, but we had an audience.I didn’t have to look through the glass doors to know those in the great room were watching us.
“But you were hurt, and I fucking hate that.”
A sad smile touched her lips.“You were hurting more, and I understood that.”
Damn.Whatever I was feeling, this foreign emotion wasn’t bad.It felt good.Lightened the heaviness.
“You’re staying with me,” I said, needing to hear her say it.
“If you really want me to.”
That wasn’t enough.
“Do you want to?”
Her eyes searched my face.“I-I don’t want to leave … you.”
Fuck, that felt good.
“Do you have any idea how bad I want to haul you up to my room right now?”
