“Fuck, babe. You’re okay. I got you.”
Mimi’s whole body shook as she gripped the back of my tee. I lifted my gaze as an older version of Mimi stepped through the doors before Wolf closed them with him still inside. His gaze hard, his jaw clenched. My guess, he’d be having more words with his father.
“I t-tried to get him to understand.” She sobbed into my chest. With a hand to her waist, I rested my other one at the back of her head, gently holding her to me.
“Understand what?”
“T-That the man h-he bargained me with sold his women to other men to use. T-That he b-beat them.”
Christ. Motherfucking Christ. The fucker still didn’t listen to reason about why she ran, even after knowing what would have happened to his own daughter if they went ahead with the trade.
Anger boiled my blood. My body twitched. I wanted to go in there and end his life for him, in a bloody mess.
“Musume,” the mum uttered, resting her hands on Mimi’s shoulders. Mimi turned abruptly and pushed her face into her mum’s shoulder. “My sweet girl, let’s go to your room.” I caught Mimi nod into her shoulder. “Ryo?”
“Your guards will follow. I’ll inform Wolf when he’s out.”
“Mimi?” I asked, not sure if I followed or not.
Mimi lifted her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’ll see you soon?”
It meant she wanted time with her mum, and I completely understood. I nodded. “You got it.”
They started down the hall, and I faced Ryo. With a snarl, I asked, “There a gym in here?”
“Botan will show you.”
Good. I needed to work off some of this aggression, or I would go in that room and kill the cunt. I didn’t give a shit that he was dying already. Not when he was breaking Mimi’s heart all over again.
My gut grumbled again. I rubbed at it as I walked into the kitchen, having missed breakfast. I was happy to help myself, because I’d needed that workout and a shower more than food.
Botan stepped into the kitchen when I got to the refrigerator and opened it.
“Want anythin’?”
“No.”
It was fine with me, since the guy annoyed me for even being there in the first place. Guess I could stop being polite. I pulled out leftovers and found a plate after searching through too many damn cupboards, all without the help of Botan. I didn’t have a clue what the foods were, but they smelled fantastic, and as soon as I got it heated and in my mouth, my gut thanked me.
I stood at the sink, eyes out the window to the overcast day, and wondered if Mimi could use a day out instead of sticking around here. I knew I could, and I’d been meaning to go to the Caroline Springs charter since arriving.
I’d been in contact with brothers from the charter, and all kept asking when I was going to drop in. Could be a good distraction for Mimi this afternoon.
Hands at my waist had me dropping the plate to the counter with a clatter, jumping around, and hitting my arse against the counter. Wolf’s eyes lit with humour as he took a step forward. I glanced over his shoulder as my gut twisted.
“I sent him away,” Wolf said softly, and before I could react, his body heat rested against my front, his hands back on my waist, and his lips moved to my neck where he kissed.
I froze.
Fucking froze except for my eyes shooting wide. “What are you doin’?”
I felt his lips smile against my skin. “Giving you a good morning kiss.”
Pressing my hands to his shoulders, I shoved him back. “Fuck off,” I clipped, screwing my nose up.
Wolf straightened, lips thinned, and he took a step back while he studied me. I knew he’d see my chest rising and falling rapidly, but it was because he’d scared the hell out of me—the silent ninja prick.
It had nothing to do with my skin still burning where his lips had been.
Nothing.
Wolf’s expression blanked, and he walked to the coffee machine. “Relax, Ruin. I was messing with you.”
I didn’t know what to say, because now I felt like a prick for telling him to fuck off. The blank expression didn’t sit well with me, which was strange. Why did I care? I didn’t know the guy. Yet even when it didn’t sit well, I couldn’t bring myself to say or do anything for his coldness to stop.
He didn’t say anything more either. I picked up my plate, finished the food on it, and watched as he made his coffee. He then walked out of the room without saying another word.
Botan stood in the kitchen doorway in the next moment, and there was an extra edge to his glare at me.
I returned it because I hadn’t done anything wrong. Wolf had scared me, I’d reacted, but who gave the guy the right to do that in the first place? I’d said I wasn’t into guys, yet there was Wolf all up in my grill, touching me, kissing my skin, like I was something to him.
That was… wrong.
I wasn’t anything to him.
I didn’t want to be anything to him.
So why did I feel like I’d disappointed him somehow?
Snorting to myself, I rinsed the plate and placed it in the dishwasher. It didn’t matter if I disappointed Wolf or not. I didn’t care.
My gut twisted again as I rubbed at my neck, my gaze lifting to the window just as the rain started pouring. Suddenly, I wasn’t in the mood to go see the brothers.
The sooner I got out of this place, though, the better. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I left the kitchen and made my way to Mimi’s room. I knocked once. If her mum was still in there, I would leave.
The door opened, and Mimi gave me a small smile. “Hi.” She opened the door further, and I walked in. When she closed the door, I pulled her into a hug and caught her drawing in a shuddering breath.
“Hey.” I yelped when she pinched my side. “What was that for?”
“Why couldn’t you have been like this back when we—”
“Because I was a dickhead.”
“And because we aren’t it for each other.”
Sighing, I rested my chin on the top of her head. “Yeah.”
Mimi hugged me tightly. “I’m glad you’re here though.”
“So am I.” Because if I wasn’t here, I wouldn’t have had the chance to get to know Mimi for who she actually was, and even though she wasn’t my one, I wanted to have her in my life. “You doin’ okay?”
With a shrug, she moved over to the bed, sitting in the middle of it, crossing her legs. She patted a spot, and I sat near her, leaning back against the headboard.
Mimi’s gaze stayed on her crossed legs while she played with the hem of her oversized tee. “It’s hard being here,” she admitted.
“It would be. Your dad’s a dick.”
She gave me a small giggle, exactly what I was trying for. “He is.”
“What do you wanna do, babe? No pressure. I’m here for you, to have your back. I’ll go when you do.”
Her hand shot out and clasped mine. “Thank you.”
“No need for thanks, honey.”
She shrugged with a smile. “I… I need to think about what I want to do.”
“Take all the time you need, Mimi.”
She nodded. “Taro’s throwing a party for Ryo’s birthday soon. He’s asked me to go.”