41. Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Blake
I felt his absence before opening my eyes and seeing the empty space beside me. Not bothering to cover my mouth, I stretched like a cat and released a very unladylike yawn. Take that Cilla . Remembering AJ comparing her to a wicked step-mother brought a smile to my lips.
I regretted waiting so long to get to know him. But I was too caught up in my fear and anger to try.
My bladder complained, so I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed instead of reliving the night before. After my brief visit to the bathroom, I padded into the hallway. When I heard grunts coming from AJ’s room, I stopped.
It’d be rude to spy on him . I turned away, but my curiosity won. I peeked around the doorframe.
My brain shut down the instant it registered the image my eyes sent.
AJ, in nothing but boxer briefs, doing pushups. The grunts were his count coming out in huffs each time his thick, corded, sweaty arms lifted him off the floor.
He was focused on the floor in front of him, so I allowed myself to gawk like a wanton woman. The light reflected off his glistening back, highlighting his dragon tattoo, as he lifted himself up and lowered himself back down.
I let my eyes drift down his back, to his ass. His snug black boxers outlined every muscle leading down to his thick thighs, covered in dark hair. A scar on the side of his left thigh, just above the knee, stopped my appraisal.
“Is that a bullet hole?” Shit. My hand shot to my mouth.
AJ turned his head, his dimple deepening as he grinned.
“Morning. Like what you see?” he asked, his voice raspy as he stood and faced me.
He knew I was watching.
Heat flooded my cheeks, and I forgot to breathe. But I didn’t look away. I couldn’t. He was magnificent. I didn’t even bother telling myself I wasn’t attracted to his giant muscles or gorgeous looks.
“Yeah, I, um,” w as just drooling over your hot body, “I just noticed the scar on your leg.” I pointed, like maybe he didn’t remember where it was.
My brain no longer functioned.
He glanced down. “Yes, it’s from a bullet.” He turned his leg so I could see it better, flexing his thigh as he did. I think he did it just to see how deep my blush could get.
The answer was very deep. Embarrassingly deep. “Did it hurt?”
Did it hurt? Could I sound any dumber?
He laughed. “It did, though we were in the middle of a gunfight, so it wasn’t too bad until the adrenaline wore off.”
Sadness filled his eyes as they lost focus on the room.
“Andrew?” I wanted to ask why he looked so sad, but his head snapped up.
Anger replaced the sadness in his eyes for a split second before softening. “Sorry. It’s been a long time since anyone has called me that and I’m still adjusting.”
That didn’t really explain anything, so I pushed. “Why?”
He sat with a sigh and invited me to join him with a pat on the bed. Heat radiated off his body, his rugged leather scent filling my nose. I forced my attention back to the subject.
“It was my father’s name; he made me hate it.”
I struggled to imagine hating a parent enough to change my name, but then I’d never had a parent hit me. I wanted to hug him, but he had more to say.
“When he left us, I wanted to destroy the connection to him.”
“I’m so sorry you went through all that.”
He turned and looked into my eyes, searching for something.
“Say it again,” he said.
I don’t know how, but I knew he meant his name. Staring deep into his eyes, I whispered, “Andrew.”
His dark eyes bore into my soul as his head tilted ever so slightly to the side. I’d never held such intense eye contact with anyone before—it was unsettling.
I was about to look away when he said, “Thank you.” I didn’t do anything . “For giving me my name back,” he whispered.
I didn’t understand how I’d done it, but it didn’t matter. The look in his eyes told me it meant the world to him.
Emotions whirled around in my head like I’d hit puree on a blender. Everything I’d believed about AJ, Andrew, was wrong.
He was kind, intelligent, protective, and complex.
AJ wasn’t the opposite of what I wanted, he was everything I needed.