XIII
MICAH
T he ends of Storm’s hair were filled with water, droplets falling down her shirt. Yet again, she was wearing one of my white shirts, with a pair of leggings underneath. The shirt reached below her thighs and that sight alone was enough for me to want to devour her.
A towel was thrown over her shoulders, the scent of my body wash filling the room. Her hips swayed with each step she took, eyes glued to mine.
If that wasn’t an invitation, I couldn’t tell what was.
I gripped the fork in my hands and sustained myself from doing anything rash.
What she desperately needed now was rest and a peace of mind. Her needs far surpassed my desires.
The moment the car arrived for the two of us, Storm fell asleep with her head on my lap. I didn’t want to wake her up; knowing how much she needed rest. She slept soundly for over ten hours, and she immediately took a shower after waking up.
Storm was home at last.
The house I’d been building over the past three years was finalized two months ago and it was just waiting for its owner to come and claim it. Everything was taken care of, and for sentimental value, I had it built deep into the woods.
Oddly enough, she didn’t ask any questions.
In her own way, she was coping and learning how to deal with the situation. There were a few things I could’ve done to help her, but if I did, she was going to rely on me at all times.
Not that I didn’t want that, because I wanted her to be solely dependent on me. However, this was a different situation. It would’ve done more harm than good.She had to learn on her own that in certain situations, death was the only solution. She needed to put the two of us first.
“Good morning, Bambi,’’ I greeted her with a warm smile, putting the bent fork on the table and walking over to her.
A part of me thought she was going to push me away or blame me for the situation she was in, but she didn’t. She smiled brightly, her eyes twinkling under the light sunshine that sneaked through the window.
“Good morning.’’
Her hoarse voice made my heart twitch in bliss. I hugged her tightly, pushing her head into my chest. Hands wrapped around me, she enjoyed the hug for a long time. Yet, it wasn’t long enough.
Eternity wasn’t enough when it came to hugging Storm and feeling the warmth of her body. I was ready to die in her embrace.
“Come on, you should eat.’’
On cue, her stomach grumbled. I didn’t miss the pink shade that coated her cheeks as I released her.
She grinned warmly and took a seat, watching all the food in front of her.
Truth be told, I was unsure of what kind of mood she was going to be in. After all, she brutally murdered a man. That was still heavily weighing on her mind.
Yet she wasn’t showing signs of being in shambles.
My brave Bambi.
The strongest woman I’d ever known.
“Did you make all of this?”
“Of course.’’
Storm locked her eyes with mine. “Thank you.’’
“Come on, eat it. We have quite a few things to deal with later.’’
“Such as?”
I barely understood her words. Her mouth was stuffed with food and she all but devoured the entire plate in one go. It was adorable seeing her eat healthily.
“As much as I hate it,’’ I grunted, folding my arms in front of my chest. “The man who helped us last night wants to meet you.’’
Her eyebrow raised. “What for?”
“He’s a fan of your books.’’
Happiness took over her face, eyes shining.
“Really?”
“Yes, really,’’ I drawled out, distaste filled my mouth.
As happy as I was that people were enjoying her work of art, I hated every single motherfucker that ever came in contact with her.
“Anything else?”
“I bought you a new phone. You can use it to call your friend and family.’’
Storm swallowed the last piece in her mouth and pushed the plate away from her. Her body was trembling slightly, but she tried her best not to show it.
All that warmth vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by a stoic expression.
“What happens now, Micah?” She sighed heavily. “Do we stay on the run until we die? Do we settle somewhere far away where no one knows our faces? Do we go to jail? There are people who are a threat to us.’’
“I will kill every single person who is a threat to you. I’ll ensure your safety, I promise, Bambi.’’
She hummed.
“What about everything else?’’
Storm needed reassurance. We both knew she deliberately sought me out. She was desperate to meet me again and I granted her the wish. Yet right now, she was acting coy. No matter which path we ended up taking, she was craving stability.
Even in this fucked-up scenario, I was determined to give her the world if she desired. Her needs were my priority. If she desired, I was prepared to give her my life.
“For now, your main focus should be resting. You need it.’’
Storm pouted angrily.
“I can’t,’’ she sighed, admitting defeat. “I’m overthinking — I know, but isn’t that a given in this situation? I can’t sit back and relax with the possibility of the cops knocking at our door.’’
Our.
She said our.
She fucking said our.
“That won’t happen. Firstly, we’re in the middle of nowhere. There’s absolutely zero chance for anyone to find us unless they knew where this house was. And secondly, I will take all the blame if they do.’’
Storm took a deep breath, her trembling finally coming to an end.
“I would still need to go home.’’
I paused, looking at her in disbelief.
“What? Why?”
She showed no reaction. If she was annoyed, angry, or confused, I couldn’t tell. The cold expression remained on her face.
“If you want me to stay with you—’’
“I do.’’
Storm glared at me. She hated being interrupted, but I could only grin in response. Seeing her start to get riled up brought me more satisfaction than I thought.
“If you want me to stay with you,’’ she repeated, “then I’ll have to go back. The last thing I need is my family filing a missing person’s report. And what about my work? I actually enjoyed teaching.’’
“You’re acting like I’m the one to blame here.’’
She blinked.
“But you are. I went to the extreme only because you couldn’t be bothered to meet me for three damned years.’’
“You’ve got to stop bringing that up.’’
Storm was annoyed.
I was starting to get pissed.
Her attitude was irritating. There was a reason I didn’t come, and she knew it. It didn’t mean I wasn’t hurting, too. Yet she was acting like it only affected her. Why couldn’t she see that I was trying my best to make up for it?
I was going to spend the rest of my life proving that she made the right choice and that choosing me was the only option for her.
“I can’t.’’ She kissed her teeth, staring right at me. “Your story just doesn’t make any sense. In three years, there had to have been at least an opportunity or two to approach me. Especially given your stalking. I have trouble seeing a man of your caliber being able to sit still and do nothing. Where did all that obsession go? Did you get tired of me? Did you get over those feelings? Was it all a damn game for you?”
Storm was hyperventilating. Her palms started to sweat, and she was furiously wiped them on her clothes. Her body trembled and her teeth clattered together. Anxiety and dread were written all over her face.
Her eyes were filled with tears, and she bit her bottom lip, trying to suppress them from slipping out.
Standing up, I walked over to her and got down on my knees, grabbing her hands in mine. She refused to look at me and all I could do was kiss the back of her palms, silently trying to soothe the ache I caused.
“Bambi, there’s no way I could ever get tired of you.’’ My voice was soft, as if not to scare her. “The moment I saw you for the first time, all of me belonged to you. And while we were apart, I thought about you day and night. For the first year, you were constantly under watch.’’
Storm froze, sniffling, and finally decided to look at me.
“What?”
As she blinked, a trail of tears coated her cheek. I wiped them with my thumb, enjoying how she leaned into my touch.
“That FBI agent you met in the hospital, Adira King, always had her people watch over you. They were watching your every move, and if I had shown up to meet with you, both of us would’ve been arrested.’’
“Then how was it possible for you to come into my apartment?”
I grinned. “I’m a man of many talents. Going in and out of your building undetected was rather easy. Almost laughable.’’
“So much for high security,’’ she grumbled under her breath, and I almost didn’t catch it.
“For the next couple of days, you will relax here. You’ll call your family and give them some sort of an excuse while I deal with everything else.’’
“Everything else?”
“Yes. I’ll wipe all evidence of you ever coming to New York. No one will be able to tie you to this place.’’
“That seems impossible. Sierra knows I’m here and all the other detectives.’’
I chuckled and kissed the top of her head.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it seem as if you were somewhere far. There will never be any physical evidence that could harm you.’’
Storm was skeptical, but nodded, nonetheless.
From the day our twisted fate had entangled us together, Storm was brave. Her facade was always perfect, and she barely allowed emotions to overwhelm her.
However, seeing her vulnerable for the first time made my heart race. Although I was aware that her main goal and priority was taming me, it seemed as though she’d completely decided against that.
And something new was born inside of me.
Primal need to never see her shed another tear. A desire so deep to keep her as mine, by me and with me at all times.
To protect her.
“I promise you, Bambi. I’ll protect you from everything. You’ll never cry in fear again.’’
“You better keep that promise, or else my next target is you.’’
With a loud laugh, I hugged her tightly and she immediately wrapped her legs around my waist. Her head rested on my shoulder, and she played with my hair while I carried her upstairs.
Softly, she started kissing then biting the crook of my neck, grinning against my skin.
“Don’t provoke me.’’
“Why not?”
“Because you need rest, and I’m not that patient to overlook this.’’
“Then don’t overlook it.’’
“You need to rest.’’ I spoke through gritted teeth when she started playing with my hair again.
“I’ll rest tonight.’’
And with that, my resolve completely disappeared.