“It’s not easy to trust people when you’ve been hurt before, is it?” Putting my arms on the counter, I lean down and get eye level with her, not quite believing I’m talking to a cat. For some reason, though, I understand her. I’m not too fond of most people either, and can definitely relate to the not-trusting part.
“I’m going to try something here, and I would really appreciate it if you didn’t scratch or bite me,” I chuckle softly. “Savi seems to love both of us, and since you two are a packaged deal, I really need us to get along because I have no plans of ever leaving her.”
I slowly hold out my hand to her face, letting her smell me first. Her tail swishes by her body, but she doesn’t hiss or scratch the hell out of me, so I take it as a good sign.
“I’m going to pet you now,” I tell her as if she can understand what I’m saying. Savi is clearly rubbing off on me, as I find myself enjoying this conversation.
My hand moves slowly to her head, and when she leans into my palm, I take it as permission to rub behind her ears. A low purring sound fills the room, causing me to smile.
“See, that’s not so bad, is it?” I stroke her fur and smile. “You really are a beautiful girl,” I murmur. Her blue eyes look soulful, as if they hold the secrets of the universe in their depths.
I hear the front door open and look up as Savi walks in. She catches the two of us together, and a bright smile lights up her face.
“Somebody has become friends,” she grins, setting her bag on the small table by the door before walking over to me. Freya hops off the counter and saunters away, deciding our moment is over.
“We are getting there,” I smile as my eyes roam over her. Her hair is in a loose bun today at the nape of her neck, and the pink scrubs that have easily become my favorite drape over that sexy body of hers.
I can’t help the way my heart speeds up whenever she’s near me, as I’m flooded with warmth when I watch the light catch her eyes when they land on me.
“You’re home early,” she smiles.
“We had a light practice today because of the game tomorrow, and I skipped the gym. I thought I would do cardio here. I know you love to run, so I thought I would join you tonight.”
“I would love that,” she says before furrowing her brows. “How did you know I love to run?”
“I know everything about you,” I smile, grabbing the string of her scrubs and pulling her to me. “I have a confession to make, and I don’t know if you are going to like it or not. It’s been bothering me these last few days, and I don’t want any secrets anymore between us.”
“Okay,” she says slowly. I can see the flash of uncertainty in her eyes, and I’m praying she understands why I did it.
“After graduation, when I left, I needed to know you were safe. I know you had your brothers, but for my own peace of mind, I had a few extra people watch you.” I hold my breath as my words sink in.
“What do you mean, you had a few people watching me?” Her brows furrow as she peers up at me.
“Just a few guys I knew. I paid them to call me if they ever spotted you at a party and to check in on you from time to time.”
“You paid them?”
“People do better if they get something in return,” I shrug. “Didn’t you ever wonder why I was at that party that night and how I knew you might be in trouble?”
“I just always assumed it was the right place, right time kind of thing.”
“You know parties aren’t my thing. I wasn’t there by accident,” I say, shaking my head. “My friend Ben called me to tell me you were there. I just happened to be home that week, so I was able to show up. I would have called Miles if I were still up in New York. God only knows what would have happened if all four of your brothers had shown up. I still to this day don’t know how you got me to stop from killing that motherfucker,” I mutter under my breath, refusing to let him enter our space again as I reel in my anger.
“I mean…” She chews on her bottom lip as she processes what I just told her. “I guess I can’t be mad at something you did that brought you to me that night. It’s not like you kept it up.”
My body tenses at her words, and she narrows her eyes at me. “How longdidyou keep paying people?”
“What day did I move back home?” I ask cautiously. I might as well lay it all on the line now.
Her eyes widen in shock before she steps out of my embrace and starts pacing.
Well, this can’t be good.
I watch her eyes flicker with fire, and I feel the flames nip at my flesh.
“Are you telling me you’ve had people spying on me for most of my life?” Her head whips toward mine in disbelief. “College? I was up in Georgia. How?”
“That was a little trickier. Turns out you can’t hire professionals unless it’s for legal reasons. I guess they classify it as stalking, which is ridiculous,” I say, rolling my eyes, “because I was just trying to keep you safe.”
