I watch his bare ass retreat to the bathroom, then return with a damp cloth. He’s all care now, no rough edges left, no wildness in his eyes. His knee dents the mattress, and he spreads my legs, gently wiping between them.
And I’m struck with the novelty of his care not sending me into a frenzy. Whether it’s the trust I have for him or the rough sex rewiring my brain, I don’t have the urge to punch him.
“You’ll be sore tomorrow.”
“I’m already sore.” I bite back a smile. “It’ll be worse tomorrow, so you’ll have to kiss it better.”
He chuckles, peppering my inner thighs with soft kisses. “I’ll make it better before you wake up.”
“You keep promising you’ll fuck me awake and it never happens.” I close my legs when he tosses the cloth aside and settles next to me, pulling my boneless body against his chest. “I’ve given up hope you’ll make good on your words.”
He wraps me in his arms, pressing careful kisses to the top of my head. “I’m sorry about earlier. We should’ve discussed it. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that.”
“You worry too much. I had a safe word, didn’t I?” I nuzzle into his neck. “Want to tell me what brought it on? Whose blood was that?”
“Carter’s.”
I snap upright so fast the room tilts. “Carter’s? What happened?!”
“And Broadway’s.” He takes my arm, tucking me back into him. “Everything’s fine, I promise. I needed to let some steam off and they volunteered.” He breathes in deep, closing his eyes before he continues. “Ryder broke into Grey’s server... he found old footage of you with Anton. He recorded everything.”
Nausea climbs up my throat. I suspected Anton was recording me, but it didn’t seem important at the time. It’s not like I could’ve stopped him, but now...
I pull my knees to my chest. “I hate that you saw it.”
“I hate that it exists,” Koby fires back, wrapping his arms around me, lips on my shoulder. “That it fucking happened.I never want to see you so... hollow, so unseeing, so fucking lifeless. You’re never going back there.”
His behavior tonight makes sense.
I want you feral. I want the part of you Anton tried to kill.
“You wanted to see me alive,” I whisper.
“I’ll take anythingover that doll. Tears, anger, happiness. Rage. I want you tofeel, baby. I want you to fight me, kiss me, scratch my face then cuddle into me. I want you delicate, strong, and everything in between.” He breathes out, tightening his hold. “I needed a reminder that you’re better now. I needed something completely different to what I saw.”
“I’m not that girl anymore. I’myourgirl.”
“My girl,” he agrees. “Full of life.”
28
Leilani
The limo driver opens the back door and I step out into a chilly Chicago evening, my hand in Koby’s.
Dante Carrow’s mansion towers before me, the man of the house and his wife waiting on the concrete steps, both dressed like movie stars. Koby pulls me to his side while the others climb out, no one makes a move to greet Chicago’s boss until Carter’s shaken his hand.
“It’s good to see you,” Dante says, clasping Carter’s shoulder and pulling him into a strong embrace. “How was the flight?”
He sent his private jet after Koby refused to let me fly commercial. Ryder agreed that my passport getting scanned was risky to say the least.
Carter and Broadway seemed content to bribe the airport staff, but Ryder and Koby kept pulling counter arguments out of their sleeves like magicians brandishing cards.
All the while, I sat by the bar in Carter’s house, sipping yet another mojito with the girls, trying to cut in and save them the effort.
They shushed me every time.
Their argument had no point; my documents are locked in the safe in Anton’s bedroom, but they didn’t let me speak until they’d set on asking Dante for a lift.
