Shaking off the weird, warm, tingling feeling that had distracted him, he strode purposefully to Chloe’s bedroom. The curtains were drawn, leaving the room dark, and since he wasn’t sure of the layout, he took a second to let his eyes adjust so he didn’t trip. His hybrid vision in low light was far better than normal humans, but he was carrying precious cargo.
Lying her gently on the bed, he grabbed the blanket that was neatly folded at the foot and spread it over her. Turning away, he was about to head back to the living room when his hand was suddenly snagged in a warm grip.
“Stay,” Chloe sleepily mumbled.
“I’ll be right outside the door.”
“No. Stay with me.” The words were a bit slurred from the alcohol she’d consumed. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“All right.”
Having gotten her way, he expected her to release his hand, but she didn’t. She was still holding on even as her breathing deepened to let him know she’d fallen back to sleep. Erik could have easilyslipped his hand free, but he didn’t. He sat down on the floor by the bed to retain that small connection.
She’d been through hell, and tonight, she’d had to dredge all that shit back up. If holding on to him allowed her to sleep securely, he wouldn’t deny her the contact. And he had to admit, it was nice for him too.
He thought about what she’d said earlier, about facing her fears.“Instead of facing my fears, I ran. First, to my friend’s house, then all the way here, and now look at me. Running solved nothing.”
Those words had resonated with him. He should have faced his fears a long time ago. Instead, he’d hidden, pushed everyone away from him. How many times had the other Beasts tried to include him, and he’d rebuffed them? All to spare them from having to look at his ugly face. But the truth was, they didn’t care about that.Hedid. And now that he’d discovered his face could be fixed, instead of jumping at the chance, he was running again.
Pulling his phone from his pocket with his free hand, he unlocked it and texted Sam Isaac.
I’m on an active mission right now, but when I get back, I want the procedure.
He watched the three dots appear on the screen as Sam texted his reply.
I’ll let them know.
The decision made, a sense of peace filled him.
The bedroom door opened slightly, letting in a little slice of dim light from the muted TV in the living room as Jayla poked her head in. When she spotted him sitting on the floor by the bed, his hand in Chloe’s, her eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Her shit-eating grin spoke volumes as she pulled her head back and quietly closed the door. Erik let out a quiet chuff of laughter. Jayla was Black Bay’s gossip queen, and she was likely thrilled to have a fresh nugget she could share. Knowing the way she worked, half the base will have heard of this by morning.
Erik’s thumb stroked over the smooth, soft skin of Chloe’s hand. He still couldn’t believe she’d asked him out on a date. He’d pushed it to the back of his mind while the mission had taken precedence, but here, in these quiet moments of darkness, he could examine it. She’d askedhimon adate, scars and all. Erik knew all the major world languages, at least enough to get by if he were ever in a foreign country, but earlier, on the phone, when she’d asked him that unexpected question, he’d wondered if he even understood English. She couldn’t have possibly said what he thought she said, and he almost pinched himself to make sure he hadn’t fallen into some sort of hope-fueled dream. It was real, though. She’d confirmed it.
But there was also a very real threat hanging over her head. Erik was more determined than ever to eliminate Jackson Savoy. Especially after hearing her story. The way he’d manipulated her… Men like him didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as women like Chloe. He was a cancer on society that needed to be eradicated.
When that was done, and the air had cleared, and Chloe had the time she needed to breathe, if she still wanted to, he’d take her out for that coffee. It promised to be the best coffee he’d ever had. Because it would be with her.
Oh, ow. Chloe scrunched her eyes closed even tighter. Her head was pounding, and she had cotton mouth to end all cotton mouth. Too much scotch. Why would she do this to herself? Oh, right…
“There’s water and Advil on your nightstand.”
Chloe’s eyes had snapped open on that first word, and she winced as her headache intensified. Erik was standing by her bedroom door, and she wanted to cringe. She must look a mess. Unable to help herself, she raised a hand to smooth down the tangled mass of her hair as her eyes drifted to the nightstand. A bottle of water and a sealed packet of Advil instead of a glass from the tap and loose pills from the bottle in her medicine cabinet – as if he thought she wouldn’t trust him not to doctor the offering. After Jackson, she could see why he might think her trust was in short supply. But she’d had confirmation as to Erik and Jayla’s character straight from General Davies.
“My people are some of the best in the world. Trust them to keep you safe.”
Some of the best in the world. General Davies hadn’t just sent soldiers. He’d sent special operations forces. For her.
Reaching for the water, she cracked the cap and drank some down thirstily before reaching for the Advil, which proved stubborn to open.
“Here,” Erik offered, moving away from the door. “Let me get that for you.”
“Thank you.” Accepting the packet he’d opened, she drank the pills down. “What time is it?” She didn’t see her phone, which she usually left on the nightstand. But then again, she couldn’t remember coming to bed last night. Which meant…
Her cheeks heated with embarrassment as she realized she must have passed out, and Erik had carried her.
“Just past eight.”
Chloe nodded absently, her eyes wandering to the bathroom door. She needed a shower.
