“It’s okay,” I murmur, my lips brushing his thumb as I partly ignore his unnecessary apology. “But I knew about the PI. The paperwork. The photos. I saw them in your office. I’m sorry for snooping.”
“Don’t be. You can go through my office any time, little moon.” His voice doesn’t shake, sounding honest as always. “So, yes. My PI provided all of that. The times I stalked you myself aren’t documented anywhere. They’re in my head. Pressed to my ribs. Always.”
“Okay. Let me fill in the blanks then,” I whisper. “I missed you every hour of every day. It hurt to be away from you. And when?—”
“Jesus, I’m so sorry.” His expression twists with guilt. “So sorry.”
“Let me finish.”
That silences him. A sign for me to go on.
“You think I chose Barclay just because. That I don’t notice him calling me names or bullying me. I do.” I draw in a shaky breath. “But I’m indebted to him. After hearing about one of the worst nights of my life, you’d understand why.”
His eyes warm. “The night your mom died?”
“No.” I snap my eyes shut. Shake my head. Look at Duncan again. “Four years ago, a man broke into our home.”
“What man?” A vein pulses on Duncan’s forehead. Fury rolls off him in waves. “What. Man?”
“An intruder. A stranger.” I shiver at the memory, and Duncan pulls me closer. “My mother’s jewelry, Dad’s watches, and Barclay’s last gambling winnings were all in his van when he broke into my room. It was the last on his list, apparently, and I-I didn’t hear him until it was too late. He had my hair in his fist and a knife pinned to my throat when I woke up. He was going to hurt me.”
“Where?” Duncan chokes out, his face reddening. “Where is he?”
His protectiveness makes my heart beat faster. Makes the memories fade, as if they were nothing but a bad dream.
“Buried in our backyard.” Releasing his neck, I slide my hands lower, flattening them over his hard chest, rubbing it. Soothing him. “Barclay saved me. He was back from a night out drinking with his friends and heard me screaming. My attacker tore my panties off by the time he stormed into my bedroom.”
Duncan’s breathing hard, his teeth grinding so loud I hear it. “Barclay bashed his head into the wall, didn’t he?”
No wonder he guessed it. After all, he was my brother’s best friend. He’d been to every one of Barclay’s fights for years.
“He did.”
“You were right.” Duncan squeezes my hip tighter. “I do understand.”
Shame floods my body, heating my face.
What I must’ve looked like to him up until now.
A pushover. A meek, pathetic girl.
“It ends here.” Duncan scoops me up in his arms and heads out of the gallery. His gait is determined, jaw pulled tight. Nothing in his voice or face says he thinks any less of me. “As I said, Barclay will get the rest of the money. I won’t fire the nurses or the on-call doctor either. I owe him that much for saving you when I couldn’t. But he won’t get a cent more. Not your time or attention either. And I hope it goes without saying that from here on out, I take care of you. I protect you. Only me.”
The fall morning sun is as warm as Duncan’s arms are around me. As his words are. So warm that my eyelids grow heavy. As if I didn’t just wake up less than an hour ago, my body demands I fall back asleep.
Soon.
“Duncan?”
“Yeah, little moon?”
“Don’t forget that I didn’t choose Barclay over you. Not the money or security, or anything like that.” I cling to him, grasping the collar of his T-shirt. “Even when it wounded me, I always did what I thought was best for you.”
My eyes are closed by the time we reach his bedroom. He doesn’t have to say it is; I recognize it from his scent. From the ease with which he walks through his space.
“I know that now,” he says.
“Good.” It’s barely a breath. I open my eyes, catching the a glimpse of him as he tucks me under the covers. “Always remember the good.”
