I looked at this man who was a heady concoction of ferocity and vulnerability, who didn’t share a whole lot but was opening himself to me, and I realized that I wanted to be the woman who made him feel safe to do that, to give his heart to me. Because in that moment, I realized with striking clarity that I loved the hell out of him. And that heart? I wasn’t ever giving it back.
I reached over and put my hand over his. “Well, she missed out on a hell of a man,” I murmured. “But I don’t want to.”
His eyes widened with cautious hope. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned over, brushing his mouth over mine before pulling back and gently cupping my face with his palm. “I’m gonna make you so fucking happy.”
“I know.” And I did. Somehow, in that moment with us both laid bare, I knew that.
“As soon as you’re up and around, I’m taking you on a real date,” he vowed. “But for now, I’ll hang here with you.”
I looked at him skeptically. “You want to hang out with this grungy-ass girl who can barely move, all with a hostile father downstairs?”
I expected him to laugh or maybe roll his eyes. Instead I was met with an expression so full of determination it rendered me speechless. “Every day. Wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
“You’re a glutton for punishment,” I accused gently.
“And you’re mine,” he replied, as if that explained everything. And hell, in Max’s world, it pretty much did.
Chapter 16
MAX
“We’ve got an issue, man,” Tank, enforcer for the Blue Devils, told me the next morning. I’d just pulled up in front of Wren’s, intent on spending the day with her.
I immediately stiffened, the phone pressed that much harder to my ear. “What’s the issue?” I asked gruffly as I leaned against my bike, eyes on Wren’s house.
“Went by your girl’s old place to give it a final onceover since we moved all their shit out, and fuck, man, there was some pretty weird shit waiting on the front porch.”
My blood chilled at his words, and I braced. “Like what?”
“Flowers with a note that says, ‘I’m sorry.’ A framed picture of your girl that looks like it was taken at a distance, and then a box of dead roses with a note that says, ‘Betrayed.’ Looks like he got progressively more pissed since my guess is this shit wasn’t all delivered at the same time. He probably didn’t know she’d left town until recently.”
“Fuck,” I swore. I could barely hear through the whirring in my ears as rage blurred my vision. “He ran her off the fucking road,” I growled.
“That would be my guess,” Tank agreed. “Whoever delivered that shit is pretty twisted.”
“And fucking dead,” I clipped. “Thanks for the update. I’ll be in touch if we need anything, but my guess is that this has moved into Knight’s territory.” Despite not wanting danger anywhere near Wren, I relished the opportunity to handle this myself. It didn’t sit well to have another man, or another club, fight what I considered to be my battle.
“You got it, man,” he replied in parting before the line went dead.
For a moment, I sat staring at Wren’s house, fighting the urge to drag her back to my place and never let her go. I didn’t doubt Sal could keep her safe. Hell, he had the place more secure than a maximum-security prison, but that didn’t change the instinct. He and I would be having words, and soon.
I took a deep breath, knowing I needed to calm the hell down as I made my way up their front walk. It was Kat who opened the door, her eyes warm as she gestured me inside.
“How is she today?” I asked, my voice low.
“Better I think,” she replied. “Getting out for a short walk would do her good. The doctor wants her to move around a bit. Plus, she’s already cranky at being cooped up.” She gave me a pointed look as though to say I’d have my hands full. I was more than happy to take on the challenge. “She’s upstairs.” She gestured toward the staircase.
I nodded and headed that way, anxious to set eyes on my girl after the news from Portland. I tapped on the door lightly before pushing it open, finding Wren half inside a sweatshirt.
I cocked my head to the side, not entirely sure what was going on. “Babe?”
Her body turned toward me in surprise before her shoulders visibly slumped inside the material.
“Are you stuck?” I asked in concern, grateful she couldn’t see my lip twitching toward a smile.
“If you laugh, I’ll kill you,” she grumbled.
“I won’t laugh,” I promised as I stepped closer. “Let me slide this off,” I coaxed as I slid the material up over her head. I crouched low to drop a gentle kiss to her lips. “How about something that zips up the front?”
The deep blush on her cheeks from my kiss was gorgeous as she nodded. “Should have thought of that. What are you doing here anyway?” she asked as I rummaged in her closet, pulling out a soft sweatshirt I’d seen her wear.
“I told you I’d be here every day,” I replied, as though it should be obvious.
Her eyes popped wide as I zipped her up. “I didn’t think you meant literally.”
I cupped her cheek, staring down into her gorgeous eyes. “Well, I did.”
“Okay,” she breathed. I’d never tire of seeing how obviously I affected her.
“You up for a short walk?” We’d stay close to the house and I’d be armed, a fact I’d keep to myself for now. Wren needed to focus on her recovery, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be sharing with her the need to be cautious. I’d also have to explain why I planned to be that much more overprotective until this situation was dealt with.
“Yeah,” she agreed readily. “A couple of days in the house, and I’m getting squirrely.”
Damn, she was cute.
She took the stairs slowly as I followed closely behind.
“Okay, honey?” Kat asked when we entered the kitchen, finding both her parents sipping coffee. Sal’s jaw clenched as his gaze locked on the grasp I had on Wren’s hand, but he remained silent.
“Better I think,” Wren replied. “We’re just gonna go on a short walk.”
“All right, honey.” Kat nodded as I guided Wren toward the door.
****
“Even Corey Harris?” Wren demanded in disbelief as we walked side by side, making slow progress around her block.
“He was a moron, babe,” I scoffed.
“So that’s a yes,” she confirmed incredulously. She’d been listing off every guy she’d had a crush on in school that, as it turned out, I’d chased away at one point or another.
At the time, it hadn’t been necessarily intentional, but now that we were going down the list, the evidence was pretty damning.
“You had terrible taste, present company excluded of course.” I grinned.
“I was twelve when I liked Corey!” She laughed, smacking my arm.
“Still.” I shrugged, dodging her.
“I wish I could have chased off your fan club,” she muttered, the sudden sadness in her tone stopping me in my tracks.