Chapter 6 Dillon
DILLON
I lean back in the chair, my eyes focused on London, even in the darkness.
She’s been asleep for hours. I should have gone back to my room, but I can’t force myself to get up and walk out.
I lean back in the chair and watch London’s chest rise and fall with every breath she takes. Since she went to sleep, I’ve put things into action. I let the next few events on her schedule know that she was taking some time off.
I moved around some commitments she has for her brand deals, and I did it all without talking to her first.
She’s going to be mad. Hell, she’s going to be furious, but I hope she understands why I did it.
Instead of going to my room, I lean back in the chair and close my eyes. I’m not sure how long I’ve been sitting here when I hear a noise.
Instantly I’m alert, but I don’t move. I look through hooded eyes and London is still asleep, completely unaware of any impending danger.
I hear the noise again, and this time, I’m able to locate it. There’s someone at the window. I let out a breath. An intruder.
The windows are locked with alarms, and I know it’s probably going to scare London when it goes off, but I can’t do anything about it now. I creep to the floor next to the bed and slither toward the window.
The window raises, and I’m shocked when the alarm doesn’t go off. Fuck.
I wait for the person to get halfway through the window and then I’m on them. I pull them the rest of the way into the bedroom and shove them to the floor.
He’s screaming and grunts as I put my knee into his back, holding him to the ground.
London raises up. “Dillon!”
As calmly as I can muster, I tell her, “I’m right here, darling. Do me a favor and call the police.”
She flips on the light on her nightstand and looks at me. As soon as she sees the man on the floor, she’s full of questions. “How… Who… What?”
I nod my head at her, wishing I could hold her, but I can’t risk it. I’m unarmed, kicking myself for being so far away from my gun. “Baby, I need you to calm down and call the police. Get someone out here.”
I stand up and drag the man to his feet and then out of the bedroom. I can’t even stand the thought of him in the same room as London.
I slam him into the chair at the table and hover over him. “Who are you?”
He’s looking at London’s bedroom door, but I block his view. ‘Who the fuck are you?” I ask again.
He juts his chin at me. “Fuck you. Why are you in London’s bedroom?”
I fist my hand, and without thinking about it, I punch him in the face. His head shoots backward, and blood starts to pour from his cheek.
“What the fuck was that for?” he asks.
“Don’t say her name.”
He looks at me. “London?”
I raise my arm again, and he holds his hands up. “Okay. Okay. Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“What are you doing here?”
He adjusts in his seat, sitting taller. “I was coming to see London. I saw her earlier today, and I wanted to make sure she was okay.”
I put my hands on my hips. “And you thought climbing in her bedroom window would be the way to do it?’
“Dillon,” London says from behind me.
I turn and flinch. She’s in her short pajama set. Shorts that show off her long legs and curvy thighs. A tank top that doesn’t cover her midriff. I grit my teeth. “Go put some clothes on.”
“But…”
I shake my head. “Honey, please, put some clothes on.”
She nods her head and disappears back into the bedroom. I walk over to the kitchen and yank open some drawers until I find what I’m looking for.
I walk back to the man, and he’s looking at the bedroom door again. “You’re so lucky,” he says.
“And you’re going to jail,” I tell him as I put his hands behind his back and put the zip ties on a little too tight.
“Ow, that hurts.”
“Too bad,” I mutter.
He leans back to look at me. “I wasn’t going to hurt her. I would never hurt her.”
“You cut the alarm and climbed in her window. What exactly were you planning to do?”
His face turns red, and I’m sick to my stomach because it’s obvious what his plans were.
There’s a knock at the door, and someone hollers, “Police!”
The blue lights are shining through the curtains.
I walk toward the front door and open it.
“Hey, Sheriff.”
I explain what’s happened, and they take the man out of the house. London joins us, and I convince the police that we’re not going anywhere, so they take our statements sitting in the living room.
As soon as they’re gone, I carry London back to her room.
I lay her back in the bed and am about to raise up when she grabs on to the front of my shirt. “Stay with me. Please.”
I nod toward the chair. “Baby, I’ll be right there. I won’t move all night.”
She shakes her head side to side. “No, I want you to hold me.”
I hesitate, knowing the temptation is too much for me, but I know I can’t tell her no.
“Okay.”
I go to the window and shut and lock it.
As I walk back to the bed, I turn off the light and then lie down next to London.
She leans into me, wrapping her little body into mine.
“Thank you.”
I rest my chin on the top of her head. “Don’t thank me.”
“I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t here.”
I sigh because she’s putting words to my own thoughts. If anything had happened to her, I don’t know what I would do.
“Can I take you somewhere tomorrow?”
She lifts her head and looks at me. “You want to take me somewhere?”
I nod. There’s a lot of things I want, but she’s been through a lot today, and I’m not going to add to it. “Yeah, I would like to.”
She huffs out a breath as if she’s thinking about it. “Okay. I have that photoshoot tomorrow afternoon, but then after that, I have a few hours.”
I caress her back. “Go to sleep.”
She leans into me, and it isn’t long before she falls asleep.
This is new for us. She’s comfortable with me, but I’ve never let myself hold her like I am now. I’ve told myself that even though I’ve wanted her and dreamed of this, I couldn’t give in. I know London deserves better than me. I know she says she wants me, but she doesn’t really know me.
Nerves set in. I wonder what she’s going to think when she sees the real me. And I wonder if she’s still going to want me then.