“Axel?” I asked hopefully.
“You are not fuckin’ staying with Axel,” Sal interjected harshly.
“Tag? Xander?” I asked hopefully.
“You gonna go through the whole club?” Sal demanded with his hands on his hips.
I threw my hands up in exasperation. “What the fuck, Sal! You wanted to be free, you are f-r-e-e,” I emphasized.
“I’ll never be free of you. Don’t want to be,” he stated simply, effectively flooring me into silence. He turned to Cole and Mack. “You guys take off. I’ve got her. I’ll call you later.”
Cole and Mack nodded as though this was perfectly acceptable.
“What?” I demanded, feeling like I was on another planet. What the hell just happened?
“I’ll have Scarlet call you,” Cole said, his tone clipped. He was seriously pissed and not in the mood to be held up further. His anxiety to get back to Scarlet and the baby was palpable. I grumbled a “fine,” and didn’t argue further.
Then they were gone, leaving me alone with Sal. I didn’t have the energy to deal with Sal drama now. I only wanted to sleep.
“If you’re determined to stay, you can sleep on the sofa,” I grumbled as I stood up and headed toward my bed.
“No, you don’t. First, we’re going to clean you up,” he said as he nodded toward my scraped hands. “Then, we can stay here tonight, but in the morning, I want you at my place. It’s more secure,” he said decisively.
“I can clean myself up,” I argued as he started to make his way toward the bathroom.
“First aid kit?” he asked as though I hadn’t spoken.
“Under the sink,” I sighed, resigned. I knew when to give up fighting Sal. This was one of those times.
He’d taken care of me after the frightening incident when I’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time with Scarlet and had been thrown from an SUV. Yes,thrown. Her ex-boyfriend had been a bad dude, to say the least. I’d always worried Sal had felt obligated to take care of me, to stick around to make sure I was okay. I’d be damned if that happened again.
As I sat on the bathroom counter, I looked everywhere but up at him and instead focused on the motorcycle symbol on his black T-shirt as he dabbed at my cuts. I refused to wince, though it stung, and I kept my face devoid of emotion. Maybe if I convinced him I was okay, he’d just go.
He was so close, mere inches away, and I couldn’t resist breathing him in or studying the beautiful contours of his mouth. His mouth had done amazing things to me. Shit, I needed to keep my eyes elsewhere. It was so easy to lose my willpower around him.
“That should do it,” his voice rumbled, and I hopped off the counter and left the enclosed space as quickly as possible.
“Thanks,” I murmured as I headed straight for bed.
“Been seeing a lot of your back lately, babe. Good thing I like the view,” he chuckled quietly.
I couldn’t fight the blush which covered my cheeks; I rolled my eyes to try to hide my reaction.
I climbed into bed and tried not to think too much about the night to come. The idea of Sal sleeping ten feet away was daunting at best, but I was a bit relieved as well. I certainly wasn’t eager to be alone. I heard him get settled on the couch; I hadn’t even offered him a throw blanket.
“Night, Birdie,” his deep voice rumbled through the dark. I resisted the urge to tell him he had no right to call me that now, but I didn’t have the energy.
“Night,” I answered shortly.
I woke up to the oddest whimpering sound, and it took a few minutes to realize it was coming from me. I must have been dreaming. In seconds, I felt Sal’s warm body slide in behind mine. He’d taken his shirt off at some point in the night, and I shuddered at the intimacy of the contact.
“No.” I shook my head, my voice hoarse with emotion as I tried to get out of his embrace.
“Sssh, let me hold on to you. I’ve got you,” he whispered in my ear, his deep voice so familiar and soothing despite how much he’d hurt me. His arms wrapped tighter around my middle, pulling my body back against his. In the past, this position would have almost always led to sex, but there was nothing sexual about it now. He was simply trying to comfort me, and I was in such a raw, emotional state that I was going to let him.
But I could only allow it for a short time. “I’m okay now. You can go back to the couch,” I said quietly after a few minutes of soaking in the hardness of his body and breath on my neck. I couldn’t get used to this. I wouldn’t let myself get used to this.
I felt him looking at me for several moments through the dark before he moved away and got off the bed. I could see his beautiful body out of the corner of my eye as he stood in his black jeans. I remembered the first time I’d ever seen his body, I swear I’d had a mini-orgasm at the sight. He was all glorious muscle and beautiful brown skin. His gorgeous chest piece stood out against his chiseled pecs, which led down into a defined six-pack and sculpted V below. I’d wanted to lick every inch of him from that moment on and in the months we’d been together I pretty much had.