He opened the door for me. “Here you go, Princess.”
Since my return, the two times I’d stood here had left me in shock. This time was no different. My eyes roamed the freshly painted walls. Lavender and blue. Exact shades I had in the past. The furniture polished and arranged as it used to be. Bed across from the terrace. My old pink curtains washed and hung perfectly. Dresser in the corner. Closet next to the bathroom. He even got my old desk back and placed it against the wall on the right side from the bed.
I stepped inside and marveled at the beauty of the familiar, the picture that brought back a thousand memories, and above all, the splendor of the act itself. “You did finish it.”
“I keep my promises, Professor. That you can count on.”
I nodded and turned to look at him. He was right behind me. His deep eyes spoke to me, touched me on all the right places. “I believe you, Slasher,” I said, astonished at myself. I’d spent a good chunk of my life thinking all men couldn’t be trusted, barricading myself, protecting the pieces of my shattered heart. But now I understood not because I trusted the wrong man it meant they were all the same.
For nine years, I wasn’t shielding myself. All I had done was hurt myself some more, deny myself the simple things every person needed. Love. Family.
I’d learned my lesson.
I smiled at him, tears burning my eyes. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
“No tears, kitten.” He wiped a thumb under my eyes. “Please.”
“They’re good tears.”
“They still make me weak. I don’t like to be weak.” He swallowed. “And I didn’t do it just for you.”
“Why else?”
“I wanted something to remind me of you since you left without even saying goodbye.” He took my hand in his and sighed. “You might have hated us this much, but we didn’t. I didn’t.”
My heart throbbed. “I was confused, Slasher, but I certainly don’t hate you. None of you.”
“Are you still confused?”
“Yes. Very much. Mind…and heart.” I sighed. “But I’m grateful. You saved my brother’s life, and the boys saved mine. You took Malcolm in, and despite my conceited treatment to you and your family, you have always been there for me. I owe you an apology.”
“The best apology is you here…staying.”
“I want to stay, but I want to make sure that when I do, I never leave again. So give me some time to grasp it all? I mean, I’m still on an adrenaline rush. I haven’t even processed that I stabbed a vampire in the eye who was about to kidnap and desiccate me, and then I was about to be eaten by my student.”
He squeezed my hand. “Yeah. I get it. It’s a lot. All I’m saying is that you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here. We’ll be your family, too, if you allow us.”
“I’d love that very much.” I smiled. “I’ll stay here tonight. Call in sick tomorrow. But then I’ll have to get back to the hotel. I have this event that I need to be at this weekend. It just needs…arrangements.”
“What event?”
I pursed my lips. “A formal university party. I have to be there…with a plus one…and I still haven’t…”
“I can take you.”
Innately, my first response was to laugh and ridicule him. A biker, clean up, shove his body into a tux, drive a car?
I wouldn’t do that anymore.
“Can you?” I asked simply.
“Yes. You might be surprised by all the things I can do, Professor. One of them is the ability to rent a tux and a limo and pick up a girl for a party.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Slasher. Not this time. I was only making sure you were really free that night to make that engagement, because if you are, you’ll be doing me a huge favor.”
He bent his head down closer to me, a playful smile on his gorgeous lips. “It’d be my pleasure.” He gave my hand a final squeeze before letting it go. “Now shower. No offense, but you smell like shit.”
I chuckled. “None taken.”
