Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
R ock’s head was spinning. He couldn’t believe this was happening. An hour ago, his world had shifted on its axis, and now he was living a different life. One with Lyla in it. One with Lyla in his home.
He’d never imagined he would spend more than a few minutes with her when he headed over to her house earlier. Hell, he hadn’t been sure if she would still be there or if he would even stop and confront her at all.
He’d about lost his head when he saw the front door open and then heard her distressed voice. He’d never moved so fast in his life. He was still kicking himself for not taking off after her assailant who’d run out the back, but he’d been more worried about Lyla than catching the guy. He hadn’t been sure how injured she was.
He jogged around her rental car to help her out of the seat and took her hand as he led her into the main office. Possessive much? Yes.
Sheila was behind the desk when they stepped inside. She looked up, smiled, and then made a small gasping sound, eyes wide. “Oh, hi, Rock. I didn’t know you knew Lyla.”
“Yep. We knew each other in high school.” He was well aware it was over-the-top to be touching her so possessively. Way over-the-top and presumptuous, but he couldn’t help himself. And he had no interest in stopping, especially since she wasn’t trying to pull away.
Sheila reined in her surprise and pasted on a more professional expression. “What can I do for you?”
“Lyla is going to check out and stay with me. Someone attacked her in her home this evening, and he got away. Until the police catch him, I don’t think it’s safe for her to stay at the motel alone.”
Sheila set a hand over her heart. She shifted her attention to Lyla. “Oh my God. That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
Lyla gave her a small smile. “I’ll be okay. Thank you.”
Sheila clicked on her computer. “I’ll get you checked out right now. There will be no charge for tonight.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Lyla argued. “I can pay for the week that I booked.”
Sheila shook her head. “Not necessary. Don’t even worry about it. It’s all taken care of.” She gave a final dramatic click on the keyboard and turned back to face them. “I hope they catch him.”
“They will,” Rock growled. They most certainly would. As soon as the MC found out what had happened, every member of his club would be on the lookout. “Thank you, Sheila.”
He led Lyla out the door and over to her room. When she pulled her keycard from her pocket, he took it from her. He didn’t think anyone was lurking around the area, but he wanted to check in the room before he let her enter.
“Stay here,” he ordered as he opened the door.
Lyla nodded. At least she wasn’t arguing with him.
He stepped inside, leaving her holding the door. It was just one room and a bathroom, so it took him seconds to decide that no one had broken in, nor were they still there. “Okay.”
Lyla entered and let the door shut. She looked nervous. He couldn’t blame her. Her face was pinched, too. “Does your head hurt, Little one?”
She nodded.
“Doc will meet us at my place and look you over. Then we’ll get you some pain meds and you can sleep.” He closed the distance between them and lifted her face. Holding her gaze, he continued, “I would apologize for airing your business to Sheila, but the truth is the entire town will know about the attack before morning. Telling Sheila won’t stop that.”
Lyla nodded. “I know. I used to live here.” She smiled.
“Things haven’t changed,” he confirmed. “Shadowridge is still a small town.”
Lyla sighed. “Of course.”
“I will apologize preemptively for my dominance. We’re not the same people we were back then. I have no business dominating you the way I am, but it’s in my nature. It’s who we were together. I don’t know another way to be—not with you, and not with anyone. I do want you to know that I haven’t dated or been in a relationship for a very long time, so this side of me is rusty.”
She bit her lip. Was she fighting a grin?
He narrowed his gaze. “Don’t get me wrong. My MC is filled with Daddies and Little girls. I dominate every one of them, but I’m not their Daddy, so it’s not the same.”
“You’re not my Daddy, either,” she murmured.
He swallowed. Wasn’t he, though? He had been the last time he saw her. He’d been her Dom in every way. She’d submitted to him like a precious angel. He’d subtly dominated her for two years before that night they’d spent together, and it had easily come back as soon as they’d been alone.
In many ways, it felt like time had stood still, like nothing had changed since the last time he’d seen her. They were older and wiser, with life experiences they would need to share, but the dynamic between them had not changed. It was snapping back into place as if time had not passed.
She stared at him with wide eyes, challenging him with those last words she’d spoken.
Rock pulled her into his arms, hugged her close, and slid one hand into her hair. God, she felt good. His heart may have misbehaved a few years back, but it was ticking fine now. He hadn’t felt this alive in years.
Her hair was exactly as he remembered. Soft and thick. It was almost the same length, and it hadn’t turned gray. Sure, she was older. There were lines on her face. She was a few pounds heavier, but she’d been so young and had not finished filling out at eighteen. She was exactly perfect. And she felt so fucking good in his arms.
He couldn’t manage to let her go, and he loved the way she slowly wrapped her arms around his middle and held him, too. She even sighed as though relaxing into him.
He had questions. Millions of them. Why had she left and never looked back? He’d spent all these years thinking she hadn’t thought he was good enough for her or that someone else had convinced her he wasn’t. He hadn’t had any other explanation for her disappearance without a word.
They would get to that. They would discuss everything. But, for now, he needed to pack her up and get her home.
Home .
His home.
Suddenly, the thought of having her in it made him finally feel more relaxed. He’d been off for the past few years, pacing at night, feeling out of body and not at rest. Not at peace. He’d thought a lot about Lyla, more so since his heart attack than before.
The health scare had made him face his mortality, and he hadn’t liked it. Holding Lyla made him feel alive again.
It was far too soon to predict what might happen between them, but he was hopeful. Perhaps foolishly so.
He didn’t address her comment. No, he was not her Daddy, but he’d give just about anything to be so. They didn’t need to talk about it. He would show her, win her over. He could feel it in his bones.
It would destroy him if she hadn’t felt like he was good enough for her back then, but he would find a way to make peace with it. All that mattered was how she felt now. If she’d been judgmental or allowed others to influence her at eighteen, that didn’t mean she would feel that way now.
It had never added up because Lyla had never once given him a single indication that she’d cared about him belonging to an MC or his tattoos or his cut. In fact, if anything, she’d always seemed in awe of him. She’d looked at him longingly as though he’d hung the moon. He’d had the impression she’d felt unworthy, as if she were the one who hadn’t measured up instead of him.
He’d never been able to make sense of her disappearance, and he had no more answers now than he’d had then. Time. They needed to get to know each other all over again.
He reluctantly tipped her head back and met her gaze, staring into her eyes for a long time. They hadn’t turned the lights on yet. There was nothing more than the streetlights coming in from the parking lot. It was enough, though.
She wasn’t pulling away from him, and that hit him hard in the feels.
He set his forehead against hers. “Let’s get you packed up.” His voice was gravelly.
“Okay,” she murmured.
Rock reluctantly released her and took a step back, looking around.
Turning toward the door, she flipped on the overhead light before closing the blinds. Next, she grabbed her suitcase from the corner, set it on the bed, and opened it.
“Can I help in any way?” He felt ridiculous just watching her, but he didn’t have the right to start rummaging through her things or touching her lingerie. Yet.
If she were his… Fuck, she would not be packing at all. He would sit her down and do it for her. But that was going too far tonight. He needed to back up a step and let her fill her own suitcase.
She nodded in the direction of the bathroom. “You could grab my toiletries while I pack the suitcase.” She stepped toward the drawers.
“Got it.” He turned toward the bathroom, found her makeup bag on the shelf under the sink, and filled it with everything on the counter.
When he returned to the bedroom, she was stuffing what he assumed was the last of her things into the large suitcase. He set a hand on the bed to lean over and hand her the case.
His palm landed on something lumpy in the bed and he set her toiletry bag on the suitcase and rose to pull the sheets back.
His breath hitched, and he staggered backward.
At the same time, her breath hitched, too, and she froze.
Rock leaned against the wall, staring at her, rubbing his mouth with his hand.
“I…” She closed her mouth and pursed her lips.
They stood there staring at each other for long seconds. His heart was beating so fast it threatened to explode out of his chest. He swallowed hard, fighting the emotional overload. He was a dominant man. He’d always been this way. He could be firm and bossy. He could make the Little girls in his MC tremble with fear when he threatened to tell their Daddies about their naughty behavior.
But right now, he was feeling too emotional to utter a single word.
It was Lyla who finally broke the standoff by reaching down to pick up the teddy bear from the bed. Not the one he’d given her ten minutes ago. The one he’d given her forty years ago.
She brought the bear to her chest and held him tight. “I didn’t always sleep with him,” she whispered as though he needed an explanation. “I just… Recently… Especially when I knew I was coming here. Things… They came to the surface. Feelings. I…”
He shoved off the wall, rounded the bed, and pulled her into his arms again. This was fucking huge. She couldn’t explain it away. Any thought he’d ever had that she maybe didn’t remember him fled the room. She’d been sleeping with the bear he’d given her forty fucking years ago last night, for fuck’s sake.
He cupped the back of her head and held her gaze. The bear was smashed between them where she clutched it against her. He gave her plenty of time to turn away, but she didn’t. And he lowered his lips to hers slowly.
He could have devoured her, but instead, he kissed her sweetly, just enough to remind her of the chemistry between them. He wouldn’t take more. She was injured. He needed to get her home, let Doc look her over, and feed her. He needed to tuck her into bed with some painkillers.
He nibbled against her lips, loving the way she whimpered and leaned into him. He spread his hands on her back and enjoyed the feel of her. Peace swept over him. A peace he hadn’t known in years.
Home .
His Little girl was home. He knew in his heart he would never let her go. Did she realize that? Whatever the fuck had happened over the past forty years would be water under the bridge.
He couldn’t possibly watch her drive away from him. Not a chance.