Tonight was brutal, and it tied us together in another way, though we have barely spoken.
The hot water envelops us, her head and back resting against my chest. There’s a messy knot of dark blonde on her head, her fingers swirling the glass of Chardonnay I’ve filled twice since we got in. She lifts her arm out of the water to bring it to her lips. Suds drip off her elbow and back into the soapy water as she spits an ice cube back into the glass. I can’t see her eyes, but with the way her body is tensed, her gaze is probably far off in thought.
The angry red slices on her wrists have me gritting my teeth when she reaches and places her wineglass on the rock ledge of the tub.
As if she can sense the tension pulling at my muscles, she murmurs, “Are you okay?”
Shock pulls at my features. “I should be asking you that.”
“Your dad had his gun pointed at your head.”
“And my dad had you drugged, bound, and sitting in that cold room for God knows how long.”
She shifts uncomfortably, her soft ass gliding against my half-mast cock. Blood rushes to my groin as Kate’s naked body molds perfectly to mine. Can you blame me?
I know now’s not the time, so I ignore it as best I can.
“I’m sorry about all of this. He could’ve killed you because of me.” I hear the tears strung with her tone.
As I move my body, I gently turn her around to sit sideways on my lap, so she can hear and feel my words. “Don’t. Don’t apologize. You are not responsible for my father’s actions.”
“I know I’m not the one who’s involved with this war you’re in, but I should’ve never found those tunnels. I feel like I’ve made things worse, and I understand if you want me to leave.” Her lower lip trembles, and I want to stop it with my teeth.
The thought of what my life would be like if I didn’t find her under the park makes me physically ill. I don’t want to return to the darkness that once plagued my life. Sure, I might have been cautious about her, but in a way, I think I always knew she was telling the truth.
My eyes hold hers. “I immediately came to find you tonight when I got home. When I saw your chain on your nightstand, I thought you ran.” Emotion is laced in my admission. “I was furious.”
Her focus falls to her fingers gliding over the bubbles. “Because you still didn’t trust me?”
I raise my hand out of the water, pressing my wet finger under her jaw to lift her gaze back to mine. “No, darling. BecauseI had a question.” She waits with bated breath, those green orbs slicing between mine. “I was going to ask you to stay.”
The soft column of her throat moves, the expanse of her chest looking empty without her chain.I’ll need to fix that.
“Stay?” she repeats.
“Yes.”
“Like…live here?”
My voice doesn’t waver. “Yes.”
“Oh.” She nods, a thoughtful look pulling at her features when her lips twist to the side. “That’s how you felt before everything happened tonight?”
My palm cups the side of her neck, droplets of water falling over her breasts like the sweetest temptation. “And how I feel now.”
She blinks, a suppressed laugh escaping her lips. “Preston, I’m the reason your dad held a gun to your head.”
“And it probably won't be the last. We are the mafia, darling. He may be my dad, but he’s also my boss.” Arden has never held a gun to my head, but I didn’t expect him to pull the trigger, despite how scared I was. He knows exactly what moves to make to get the answers he wants. He made the right move. I was just a pawn in his game. “I lied to him about something that broke us both a long time ago. It’s one of the reasons I brought you here. I should’ve told him about why I was keeping you here, but I knew how he would react. Tonight validated that.”
I know Arden, and I need to have a conversation about it. Preferably over a scotch. Or two. But I know he needs space, and I know without a doubt he is going to give me mine.
She swallows, knowing what I’m talking about now. For some reason, I want to tell her the whole story about my past. About my mom and Tayla. A memory I’ve never spoken out loud to anyone because, even five years later, it still fucking hurts.
“Why are you validating his actions?” She says it so softly.
“I’m not. But he’s a man in pain with nothing to numb it. I wasn’t so different when you found me.”
She suppresses a sad laugh that has my arms snaking around her back to pull her on top of me to straddle my legs. “I think it was the other way around, Captain. You found me.”
