22. Sleepover
sleepover
. . .
Davian
Fifteen minutes after Vince called, I jogged down the front steps—freshly showered and in a change of clothes—to meet the dark SUV pulling to a stop.
The back door flew open, and Sadie stumbled out—pale as a ghost and shivering in a pair of tiny pink pajamas. An instinctual need to hunt down whoever had scared her overwhelmed me.
Bear hopped down after Sadie, sticking close to her hip. I ignored him and strode straight up to her.
“Come here,” I said, trying to sound comforting, but it came out as more of a growl.
Oh well.
I lifted her until her soft body was cradled against my chest. The pajamas barely covered half her ass, but I wasn’t sure she even noticed how much skin was on display.
Sadie’s arms automatically wrapped around my neck, and her cheeks reddened.
“You don’t need to carry me,” she whispered. It grated on my nerves that her voice sounded so small. I needed to know what had happened at her apartment. “I can walk.”
I tightened my grip and started up the stairs. “Just let me. It’s my fault this happened.”
Her brow furrowed. “It’s not your fault?—”
“It is, but I’ll make it right.”
Bear must’ve sensed how upset she was, because he followed close on my heels without a single growl. Vince caught up to us at the top of the stairs and opened the hulking front door.
I lowered my voice. “Find whoever is responsible for this.”
He nodded briskly. “I called Malcolm, and he’s on it.”
Not slowing down, I crossed the foyer, with Bear following so closely he rubbed against my leg with each step.
Sadie tucked her head against my neck. Her warm breath tickled my skin.
She didn’t speak while I carried her to the master bedroom at the end of the second floor and set her on my bed. Bear immediately paced across the floor with his nose low, sniffing every inch of the room.
The large bed could swallow Sadie whole, and her bright pink pajamas stood out against the dark covers.
“Vince said it was Fessy’s friends who came to my apartment,” she said, breaking her silence and shifting to sit back against the pillows. She frowned. “Why would they do that?”
My fists clenched. I’d thought it over in the shower. Those boys wouldn’t risk crossing me just to get Bear again, but they’d seen me with Sadie and probably assumed she could be used as leverage over me.
Just like my old man had warned would happen if I ever got close to someone.
Needing to do something, I pulled a blanket over her and gathered the sides closer in around her. I’d never tucked anyone in before, and it was a poor attempt, but Sadie was too distracted to notice.
“Vince and Malcolm are looking into it,” I said. “The Skulls must’ve had eyes on us going to Bruno’s, then followed us. Or they followed Daisy.”
Sadie’s gaze shot up, filled with determination. “I won’t let them take Bear again. They can’t have him.”
Her resolve made my jaw clench. They weren’t coming for Bear, but she didn’t need to know that. She didn’t need to think about the things they might’ve done to her if Vince hadn’t been there. I didn’t want to think about it myself, and I had an iron stomach.
“They won’t. You’re both safe here,” I told her, pulling back and fixing her with the look I usually gave my men when giving orders. She blinked back at me. “Get some sleep. I’ll be downstairs dealing with this.”
“Wait!” she cried, sitting up and undoing my tuck-in job before I’d made it more than three steps.
I raised a brow. “What’s wrong?”
Her gaze dropped to the bed, and she fiddled with the edge of the comforter.
“Do you have to go?” she asked softly.
Her uneasiness made me frown. “Sadie, you’re safe now. Nobody is getting past my men or into this room.”
When she looked up again, tears had gathered in her eyes. “Please stay?”
Well… shit.
Like I could say no to that.
“If that’s what you want,” I said slowly, half-expecting her to change her mind. “I’ll put Vince in charge, then I can stay.”
She nodded eagerly before I’d even finished speaking, so I texted Vince to let him know I’d be up here. As I approached the bed, Sadie’s shoulders visibly relaxed.
Strange. Usually, my presence had the opposite effect on people.
The room must’ve passed Bear’s inspection, because he jumped onto the bed and lay next to Sadie.
Yeah, screw that.
I snapped my fingers and pointed to the floor.
“Off the bed,” I ordered, but he just closed his eyes and rested his head next to Sadie’s. Was he pretending not to hear me? “ Down , Bear.”
Again, he didn’t react. This had to be a bad joke.
My jaw clenched, and I forced the question out. “How do you get him off the bed?”
Sadie shifted under the covers and frowned at Bear. “I don’t. He was sleeping with me tonight.”
I stamped down the flash of envy, wanting to deck myself for it. I would not be jealous of a dog.
Not again .
“He’s not sleeping with us, Sadie. I won’t share my bed with a dog.”
Not to mention he was on my side.
“Why not?” She turned her big grey eyes up to me, which wasn’t fair at all. “He had a scary night, too, and there’s plenty of room for all of us.”
Plenty of room? The beast took up half the bed with the way he was spread out. But he sealed the deal by giving Sadie’s cheek a small lick, which made her smile, and I cursed under my breath.
This was happening.
So, I slipped off my shoes before drawing back the covers and sliding into the other— smaller —side next to Sadie with my clothes still on.
Gathering Sadie in my arms, I pulled her against my chest and placed a kiss on top of her head. “Close your eyes, sweetheart.”
She wiggled around, resting a timid hand against my stomach and her cheek against my chest with a sigh.
“I don’t know if I can sleep. If Vince hadn’t been there…” A shiver racked her body, and I tightened my hold. Bear whined low in his throat and inched even closer to Sadie, giving her head a nudge. She reached behind her and scratched his fur before freezing. “Wait. Why was Vince there?”
I’d been hoping she’d overlook that. “It was a precaution, and it paid off.”
Technically the truth.
Once that sank in, she let out a pained groan. “Oh no. Does that mean I’ll have to thank him for breaking down my door?”
I went still. Vince hadn’t mentioned anything about that. “He did what?”
Sadie pulled back from Bear and burrowed into my chest like she wanted to make a home there. My chest threatened to rumble with satisfaction. She could make a home wherever she wanted.
Her soft sigh broke through whatever strange reaction I was having. “I guess I didn’t answer it fast enough, but I’m not used to visitors banging on my door late at night. And I didn’t recognize his voice.”
Vince hadn’t mentioned he’d forced his way in. It had worked out well for us tonight that Sadie didn’t have a dead bolt.
But she was right. If Vince hadn’t been there and the Skulls had realized she didn’t have a dead bolt, things could’ve gone much differently.
“Try to sleep,” I told her. “If you have any nightmares, I’ll be right here. You and Bear are safe.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, then snuggled impossibly closer before sighing. “Good night, Dav.”
My arms tightened around her, and shock thrummed through me at how content I was to simply hold her for a while.
While this wasn’t how I’d imagined having Sadie in my bed—and she was wearing more clothes than I’d prefer—I wasn’t complaining.
The dog I could’ve done without, though.