Chapter 38 #2
I gave her thigh an affectionate squeeze. “You wouldn’t be you if you had.” A hushed laugh bled from me at her responding, unamused glare. “Mallory, I know you,” I reminded her. “You’ve always been quick to react and assume, and I’ve always loved the anger that comes with it.”
That insecurity mixed with doubt and practically bled from her, and for a second, I couldn’t understand it.
Couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see that I wanted her for who she was.
But just as quickly, I remembered I’d been the cause of all those doubts and insecurities in her head.
Every one of my actions had forced her to think I’d wanted the opposite of her for years.
A little over a week, most of which was spent with her sleeping in a hospital room, wasn’t nearly enough to make her see the truth.
But we had time. I’d show her until, eventually, she knew every reactive, hostile, beautiful part of her was all I wanted.
“If I would’ve thought you’d react any other way, I wouldn’t have told you before you ever heard what the plan was that I was glad you couldn’t punch me—which, you still tried to do,” I informed her.
“And I didn’t even get close,” she added before her eyebrows suddenly drew together in frustration as her stare snapped to me. “How am I ever going to take you down now?”
“You’ll heal from this soon enough. Our baby will be here before we know it,” I added and watched as she changed in an instant.
Her stare fell to her flat stomach instinctively as her expression transformed into a mixture of panic and wonder and something so tender that it stalled my heart and stole my next words for long seconds as I just studied her.
This Mallory . . .
Reaching for her face with my free hand, I brushed the tips of my fingers across her cheek and then down to her jaw, wanting to draw out this moment and memorize this new side of her.
When her eyes lifted to mine again, I cleared my throat and attempted to continue.
“And then . . . then, I have no doubt, you’ll try.
But, Peach, there’s no world in which you’d ever be able to take me down.
” Before the anger could fully form on her beautiful face, I tipped her chin higher and said, “That says nothing about your skill. I’ve watched you take down plenty of guys bigger and stronger than you.
Again, Rush. But it says everything about how much I’ve studied you over the years.
It says everything about how well I know you. ”
I leaned closer, holding her stare, but stopped just before my mouth met hers. “You can’t take me down because I’ve spent so long loving you and needing to know everything about you, that I already know every move you’ll make.”
Just as I started brushing my lips across hers, a firm, unmistakable knock sounded on the door, causing both of us to still.
For a second, I wondered if we could get away with not responding.
But we knew that knock—not just who it belonged to, but what it meant.
Mallory sighed and dropped her forehead to mine before leaning back and sucking in a sharp breath as she did.
Before my stare could even dart over her stiff form, she muttered, “Do I have to apologize to him too?” in an attempt to ignore her pain.
I gave a long, sweeping glance over every part of her that betrayed her casual tone—her too tense shoulders, the slight furrow of her brow, and her fisted hands in her lap—wishing there was something I could do. Something she would let me do.
“I don’t think he’d expect it from you,” I finally answered, then looked over my shoulder and called louder, “Yeah?”
If the familiar sound of Briggs banging the side of his fist against the door in quick succession hadn’t already alerted us that something was going on, the way he forced open the door the second I called out to him would’ve.
I was off the bed and reaching for Mallory to help her do the same as soon as I saw him.
Jaw twitching like he was putting so much pressure on it, it might shatter. Eyes all fury and agitation. Hand gripping the doorknob like he wanted to crush something.
Briggs drew in a breath and released it just as slowly as he glared at some unseen spot in the room.
“We . . .” He released a breath that might’ve been considered a laugh, but it was too rough to be sure.
Dragging his free hand through his hair, he muttered, “We have company,” and shoved the door the rest of the way open.
The hand I’d been holding out for Mallory instinctively gripped her arm and pulled her closer against me as soon as her feet touched the floor. “Wrecker company?” I asked at the same time Mallory scoffed, “Wow, you’d already called them?”
Briggs’ stare snapped her way. “If you’re referring to the shadows, that still hasn’t been decided on.”
“Are we talking about Wreckers?” I asked more firmly as my mind raced, trying to figure out how to keep my wife out of a fight she wasn’t recovered enough for, when I knew she wouldn’t let me.
Briggs just released another slow exhale before looking at me and mumbling, “No,” as he turned and left, expecting us to follow.
When I took a step with Mallory at my side, she whispered, “Are you going to keep me from whatever we’re about to walk in on?”
My mouth twitched. “Depends on what it is.”
Instead of arguing the way I expected her to, she surprised me by saying, “If you do, I’ll try to remember why. I’ll try to remember that you’ve always been right here”—she nudged my side—“every other time.”
I slid my hand down to hers, teasing her palm and savoring that quick intake of breath before I weaved my fingers through hers. “Thank you.”