Quiet footsteps bring Skyler back to the kitchen, muttering something to himself while he grabs the second bag from the bakery off the table.
"I'm gonna need you this weekend, Cormac," he says, stuffing keys into his pocket. "Steele says he's going to bust the club if we don't follow up on the background check he dropped off.”
"He'swhat?" I feel the frantic energy in my voice.
Skyler rolls his eyes, "He's probably all talk. He would be in way deeper shit than us if it all came to light. But just in case, we need to see what we can find.”
Cormac nods, "Fine."
"Great," Skyler says, emitting a bland smile. "Bye, Brigy."
“Uhhh, bye."
As he disappears, Cormac's gaze falls back to mine, both of us waiting and listening for the door to open and click shut before locking. The whir of the bolt sliding into place gives me permission to finally breathe.
"You're going to be okay here alone for a little bit, right?" he asks, his head tilted in genuine concern.
With a nervous, jerky nod, I assure him, hoping that if I can make him believe it, maybe I'll start to.
"I'll be fine. But I’ll probably need some clean clothes before then. I only brought enough for a day or two.”
He looks me over, "Nah. You can wear mine." He snaps, a revelation coming over him. "Or better idea, you can wearnothing."
The heat settling in my stomach is overwhelming, almost painful in its intensity, but his being like this makes me feel safe.Steady,even in the face of such instability.
His playfulness cutting through all the heavy shit we're facing is a bright light in a dark world. As terrifying as it is, I can't lie to myself and pretend it isn't the only thing keeping me afloat.
In a world where I’ve fought to maintain order and found myself swimming in a sea of uncertainty, he’s become a buoy I can rely on.
Iknowwhen he’s around, I won’t be left with room to breathe in anything but him. There won’t be a single unoccupied space in my mind; he’ll be filling all of them. There won’t be any question whether or not he’s going to press past all the walls I’ve erected between myself and the outside world.
Any lines I've tried to draw have long since faded into blurs of gray, leaving nothing but us and all the ways he's changed me in such a short amount of time.
Chapter 29
A Deviant in Suit Pants
CORMAC
I've thought about having Brigit in my house probably a million times since just seeing her photo on my hidden desk.
And the reality of it is completely overwhelming.
I feel lost. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do if I'm not following her and teasing her.
And now, I have to leave her alone in a couple of days. How backwards is that? I finally have her here, and I’m going to be gone.
She’s been holed up in the guest room since her computer and phone were delivered by Skyler, and I’m not sure if I should be going in there to pop the bubble she’s built around herself.
But she hasn’t eaten since this morning, and that’s unacceptable.
Gently tapping my knuckles against the door, I wait and see if she’ll answer it.
Instead, the only thing I hear is a sniffle and a hiccup on the other side of the door.
Fuck.
“Brigit, what’s wrong?”
