Chapter 11 #2
My hand cups the side of her face, and I brush my thumb along the warm skin of her cheek.
“Cece, I’m here for me as much as you. There is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do to help you feel like you have your life—your power—back.
Yes, I hate that you’re walking in there, but men like him deserve to feel even a fraction of what you felt so many times over.
If this helps you, then that’s all I really care about. ”
She looks at me with so much appreciation in her soft blue gaze.
I’d rather take her out of here and to our spot, where I would be content holding her and kissing her, hearing the little gasps she lets out when I trail my lips across hers.
I haven’t even had her in my bed yet, but I’m completely addicted to her.
That wouldn’t be enough for her though, and so I’m going to help her find what she needs here.
“Okay,” she says, blowing out a long breath. “I’m going in.”
“If at any point you feel unsafe, text me immediately,” I tell her for the twentieth time since we left the house.
“I won’t. Knowing you’re out here, I’ve never felt safer.”
She smiles and opens the truck door, crossing the street and heading into the bar and out of my sight.
Forty minutes pass, and if anyone noticed me here, they’d probably have called the cops by now.
I don’t think I’ve moved an inch since she walked into that bar.
Shit, I don’t think I’ve blinked. The only movement I’ve made is my eyes checking the clock on the dash for half a second before staring at the door again.
Finally, it opens, and that asshole walks out, holding Cece’s hand. He leans down and whispers something in her ear, and she tosses her head back in laughter.
Fuck, I really hate this.
When they disappear around the corner, I get out of my truck and follow.
Just as I turn the corner, they dip behind the building into the alleyway I checked earlier today.
I reach the edge of the building and see Cece leaning against the wall with that asshole pressed against her.
My body tenses, but Cece turns her head and gives me a small nod, telling me that she’s okay.
This is part of the plan—my least favorite part—but she’s still in control.
“A friend of mine told me that she knew you when I talked to her yesterday,” Cece says as the asshole kisses her shoulder, his hand grabbing her waist.
“I’m not really interested in talking about your friends right now, baby.”
How a punk like this would think Cece could ever really be interested in him is beyond me. I suppose this proves that she really is a good little actress.
She lets out a deceptively light giggle. “I’m sure, but she had a lot to say.”
“Still don’t care,” he mumbles.
“No? What if I told you her name was Leandra? Said you used to date her cousin, Thea.”
Danny stops pawing at her and stands straight. “What?”
“You remember Thea, right? You are the one who put her in the hospital a few weeks ago. The surgery to fix her orbital bone went well, by the way.”
He takes a step back. “Who the hell are you?”
Cece pushes off the wall, and that’s when I see it. The shift into something different. Someone different. It’s as though the carefully guarded rage that is always simmering just below the surface is seeping out of her.
Cece smiles, but it isn’t kind or sweet—not like the ones she gives me. This one is vicious. “Me? I’m her revenge.”
And it explodes.
Cece punches Danny in the face, clocking him in the corner of the jaw. Even from here, I can see that it’s out of place now.
“Fucking bitch,” he yells and takes a swing. She ducks in time and he punches the brick wall behind her. She throws her leg and kicks him in the side, nailing the perfect kidney shot. His hand immediately clutches his side.
“You’re going to fucking get it, bitch.”
He hurls himself toward her and tries to tackle her to the ground.
Cece is quick, though, and she uses his momentum to push him headfirst into the dumpster.
I hear his head crack against the metal, and he groans.
But he isn’t finished yet. He rights himself and comes at her again, swinging wide.
Cece ducks and punches him twice in quick succession on his already injured side.
There’s no way that man isn’t going to be pissing blood.
When he grabs her hair, she sweeps his legs out from under him and they both fall to the ground, Cece landing on top.
She throws another punch while he has her by her blonde locks, breaking his nose.
He uses his hips to dislodge her, and she tumbles forward, landing in a low crouch.
Danny rolls over, ready to go after her again, but I step out from behind the corner.
“What’s going on here?” I ask casually, though I don’t need his answer. I just need his attention off Cece for a moment.
Danny looks at me, but Cece never takes her eyes off him.
“What the fuck are you doing here? What is this?” he asks, his eyes darting between the both of us.
“Like the lady said,” I say, walking closer. “Revenge.”
He tries to stand, but before he can, my long strides eat up the distance between us, and I kick him in the chest. He falls back, moaning in pain. Pretty sure something in there is cracked now. Grabbing him by the front of the shirt, I twist, tightening the material around his throat.
“I hear you like to beat on women,” I say.
“Fuck you,” he spits at me.
A low chuckle escapes my throat. “You’re the one who looks fucked, asshole.”
My fist connects with the side of his face. Over and over again, I punch him. His mouth is bloody, and it looks like Cece’s friend isn’t the only one who is going to be having some reconstructive surgery.
When I stop, Danny is barely struggling anymore.
“Look at me, asshole,” I say, shaking him a bit. “Look at my face.”
He tries to focus, but it won’t be long before he loses consciousness.
“If you go near Thea again, I’ll find you. If you even think about hurting another woman, I’ll find you. I’ll have eyes on you until you take your last breath, and if anything happens to another woman at your hands, I’ll be there when you take it. You get me, buddy?”
Danny coughs and mumbles, “Yeah, I get you.”
“I didn’t hear you, asshole,” I say, giving him another rough shake.
“Yes,” he says as clearly as he can. “I understand.”
“Good. Night night, fucker,” I say and punch him in the side of his head so hard I knock him out.
Tossing his body to the ground, I lift myself from the dirty pavement, and Cece is standing in front of me in the next heartbeat.
Both of us are breathing hard as I turn toward her. “Listen, I know I said I would only get involved if you were in danger of getting hurt, but—”
Cece throws her arms around my neck and smashes her mouth to mine.
On instinct, I open, and her tongue invades, dueling with mine in a deliciously erotic dance.
This is the complete opposite of the sweet kisses we’ve shared up until this moment.
My fingers tunnel along the back of her head, tangling in her hair, and she winces.
“Shit,” I say, pulling away, remembering that he had used her hair to try to take her down. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She shakes her head. “It’s okay. Just a little tender right now.”
My hands cup her beautiful face, and the blood on my knuckles looks bright red against her pale skin as I stare into her sparkling blue eyes.
It’s almost as though I’m seeing someone different staring back at me.
But no, she’s the same amazing girl she’s always been; I’m just getting to see this other side of her.
And it’s done nothing to quell the emotions building inside me for months, hell, years.
If anything, it’s made me see clearly for the first time that there was no escaping this, escaping her. I never stood a chance.
“We should get out of here before he comes to,” I say and let my hands drop before I take one of hers in mine, pulling her toward the street.
When we make it to my truck, I open her door and she hops in before I jog around to the driver’s side. I start the engine and pull away from the curb, heading toward the highway that will take us back to Shine.
“I’m not mad,” she starts, and I quickly look at her with a question in my eyes before refocusing on the road.
“Back there, you apologized for stepping in. I’m not mad about it. I mean, I had a handle on the situation and didn’t need your help, but I’m not mad that you beat the shit out of him.”
“You were amazing. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to watch was him trying to hurt you.” I exhale a harsh breath. “I couldn’t stand by anymore.”
“It’s okay. I don’t know if I ever really expected you to,” she says with a light chuckle. “We should go back to the house so I can fix up your hand.” She nods at my rapidly swelling fist that’s gripping the steering wheel. “Do you think anything’s broken?”
I flex my fingers a few times and shake my hand. “Nah, it’ll be fine.”
We get back to my house, and when I open the door, I head upstairs to the hallway bathroom to grab the first aid kit. When I turn around, Cece is standing behind me.
“Here,” she says, holding out her hand, and I pass her the kit.
She sets it on the counter next to the sink and turns the water on.
Grabbing my hand, she examines my knuckles then places it under the running water.
The warm water stings at first, but her touch is the only thing I can really concentrate on.
Cece grabs a couple paper towels from the roll sitting next to her and dabs them on my knuckles.
I’ve never been tended to like this. In the clubhouse, we’re expected to deal with our own scrapes and bruises, which is perfectly fine with me.
I can’t really see any of my brothers playing nursemaid.
But with Cece, it’s more than just a quick wash and a Band-Aid.
The way she carefully examines each cut makes me feel cared for, cherished even.
“Not too bad,” she says, reexamining my wounds. She grabs a small package of alcohol wipes and rips it open, pressing the cold wipe against my skin. I hiss, and her lips tip up in a smirk.
“What? I don’t care how tough you are, that shit stings,” I tell her.
She chuckles and grabs the antibiotic ointment, spreading a decent amount across my skin before grabbing a few Band-Aids and covering her work.
“There, all better,” she says and brings my hand to her mouth, kissing the back of it.
My uninjured hand reaches for the side of her face, and my fingers sweep her blonde hair away, tucking it behind her ear.
“Thank you,” I say.
She leans up, taking my mouth in a kiss. It’s not as frenzied as the one in the alley, but it’s hardly sweet and innocent, either. She opens her mouth, and I swipe my tongue inside, slowly and gently playing with hers.
When she pulls away, her eyes are glowing with desire. I have to say it looks damn good on her.
“Cash,” she whispers, looking away for a moment then back to me. “I’m done taking it slow.”