He gently looks at the area, holding my foot, which seems to be swelling, in his hand. “I’m sure you just sprained it in those damned heels.”
He glances at Tanner, who has subdued my brother easily while waiting for the cops. “I was going to remind Tanner not to beat the shit out of him, but if the bastard gives him a hard time,I’m not saying a damn word,” Jason mutters, then turns his gaze back to me.
Acting on impulse, I scramble forward and throw my arms around his neck, holding on tight. “Thank you.” Trembling, I feel better when he wraps his strong arms around me and doesn’t let go.
“I hated seeing him touch you. And that knife.” Jason utters a curse. “It was small, but if it’d slipped because he was shaking so hard…” He buries his face in my neck, his breath warm against my skin.
“It’s over,” I say, tears finally coming to my eyes. “It’s all over.” So much more than I am ready for.
Pulling away, Jason meets my gaze. “Faith, I—”
Before he can say what’s on his mind, the police rush into the hallway, separating me from Jason and taking over from where Tanner all but sits on the yelling, shaking Colton.
***
Jason
I pace thekitchen in my apartment, my head pounding, my heart a mess. First the police questioned us for hours, taking statements about what transpired in the club. Faith’s history with her brother took forever to explain, but, in addition to tonight’s attempted kidnapping, the incidents she documented with the Manhattan police, plus the information she told the on-scene cops that her lawyer had on Colton—photographs of her bruised neck, the judge’s willingness to seal her name change to prevent her from being found—meant things looked bad for her pathetic excuse for a sibling.
After calming all of my family down, seeing them out, escorting Charlotte and Lola to their limousines safely, I leftTanner and Landon to handle closing up the club. Given the swelling of Faith’s ankle, I wanted to stop at the emergency room, but we agreed it wasn’t worth the hours we’d sit waiting to be seen.
I wanted to ice it, but she insisted she needed a shower, wanting to rid herself of Colton’s stench, and I can’t deny her. I gave her the time alone she requested, knowing she needs to come to terms with what happened with her sibling.
Hell, I’ll give her anything she wants from now until the end of time. Although I already put my past behind me enough to move on, I didn’t realize just how much I love her until the second I heard her scream. Coming around the corner and seeing Colton holding a knife to her throat shocked me into complete acceptance.
I love her completely and absolutely.
If anything happens to her, if I lost her, I wouldn’t want to go on. Why in God’s name did I believe what we have is short-term and meant to end? She is a part of me, and I don’t want to let her go.
I pick up the ice I put into a zipped bag and head back into the bedroom only to find her wearing a pair of sweat pants and a shirt, hobbling between my closet and the suitcase she’s opened on the bed. The ice in my hands spreads through my veins.
“What are you doing?” I ask as I place the bag of ice onto the dresser by the bed.
She turns her head and meets my gaze, her green eyes sad. “We agreed when Colton was caught, our time together would come to an end. I’m not going to stay here and prolong the inevitable.” She runs her tongue over her lips and I want nothing more but to kiss her, but we need to talk first.
“Faith—”
“Wait.” She places a stack of work tee shirts into the luggage. “I need to tell you something first. I want you to know that this isn’t whatIwant.”
Thank God for that, I think, but she continues talking.
“If it were up to me, we’d stay together and see where things led. But you made it clear we had an expiration date, and because I love you, I’m giving you what you want.”
Jesus, my head is spinning. Even if I thought things between us should end—eventually—I never wanted her to leave so quickly. But at this point, I don’t want her to go at all.
“Let me get this straight. You love me but you’re leaving,” I say, summarizing her words, my heart thumping hard in my chest at the words she so casually tosses out. But I’ll get tothatlater.
She blinks. “Yes. Because it’s what you want.”
“No.” I stride over, zip up the suitcase, and throw it onto the floor.
“Jason!”
“You’re not going anywhere. First, you’re going to lay that cute ass down and ice that ankle because I can see it swelling more with every minute you stand on it.”
She narrows her gaze at my rude command but it works. She sits on the mattress and stretches out her legs. “Give it to me,” she mutters, opening her hand for the ice pack.
I hand her the bag and she gingerly places it on her swollen ankle.
