He arrived at the room quickly. “Hey,” he said cautiously.
I planted my hands on the edge of his dresser, leaning forward. “You left me,” I said. “Left me behind while you went out there like it was nothing.”
Jay’s eyes flickered, guilt or something close to it shadowing his face. “I had to. You were too vulnerable. The club needed you safe.”
“Safe?” I snapped, stepping closer, every inch of me daring him to flinch. “Safe with prospects babysitting me? I’m not a kid, Jay.”
He ran a hand through his hair, jaw tight. “I know. I... I couldn’t risk losing you too. Not again.”
I let out a bitter laugh, shoving at his chest. “So, leaving me alone is your way of keeping me safe? You think that makes it okay?”
He caught my wrists with a firm grip, but his eyes were wide, pleading. “Lucy?—”
I twisted, yanking my hands free. “Don’t touch me,” I hissed, chest heaving. “You can’t just waltz back in and expect everything to be fine.”
“I’m not trying to fix it with touch,” he said, stepping closer, careful. “I’m trying to tell you the truth. I think I’m falling for you. More than I ever thought I could.”
I froze, the words catching in my throat, but I shoved again, harder this time, letting my anger do the talking. “Falling for me?” I spat. “After leaving me behind? You think that excuses anything?”
He didn’t move away, didn’t flinch. Instead, he grabbed my shoulders lightly, grounding me. “I didn’t leave you because I didn’t care. I left you because I was scared of losing you, scared of failing you like I failed Caleb.”
I glared, chest tight. “And you think telling me that changes the fact that you left me alone to fend for myself?”
His grip didn’t tighten, but he didn’t let go. “I’m not leaving, Lucy. Not now. Not ever. You need to know how I feel.”
“Maybe you don’t get to choose the hell we’re thrown into,” I said, voice tight, brushing against him, “but you do get to choose who you stand with.”
My pulse thundered, every nerve alive. I lashed out again, shoving him back, but he caught my hands, leaning in closer. His face was inches from mine, heat and frustration and desire mingling.
He hesitated, searching my face. “Lucy, did something happen while I was gone? Did anyone?—”
My mind flitted, unwanted images of Gabby surfacing—the shove, the threat, the way my hands had tightened around her throat. I clenched my jaw, forcing it down.
“No,” I said. “Nothing happened. I was fine.”
His eyes softened, unwilling to let it go. “Are you sure? You don’t have to hide it from me.”
I shook my head, stepping back slightly, anger still thrumming through me. “I’m not telling you,” I snapped. “Not everything is yours to fix.”
That was the last straw. His grip tightened on my wrists, and his voice dropped to a low, dangerous growl. “Not mine to fix?” he asked. “Lucy, you’re mine. I made that damn clear the night I spent in your bed. Anyone even thinks about hurting you, they will pay. Do you understand me?”
I froze, heat and shock flaring. My pulse raced, his possessiveness igniting something fierce inside me. The fire between us roared higher, sharper, more consuming.
Without another word, he pressed his lips to mine, hard and deliberate. His hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, claiming me again, leaving no room for doubt or defiance. The storm outside faded, replaced by the chaos between us, fire, pushback, longing, everything we couldn’t say, everything we were too scared to admit, tangled together in the quiet dark.
Chapter 45
Reaper
Inever thought I’d find something like it, quiet and real, with Lucy. She was fire and storm wrapped up in my T-shirt, and Christ, if she didn’t get under my skin faster than anyone else ever had.
Her hands on me, tracing the lines I tried to keep hidden, made me want to drop every goddamn wall I’d built over the years. Hell, I didn’t even know how to do that. But with her, it felt like maybe I didn’t have to be so strong all the time.
I pulled her closer, breathing her in, feeling how right it was to have her in my arms.
A flicker of worry ran through me. Had something happened to her at the club? None of the prospects had mentioned anything, but I hadn’t given them time. I’d come straight to her.
“I’m yours, Jay. Always have been.”
