Chapter 29 – Alexis
29
Elevation Matters
Alexis
I’M LEANED BACK in my office chair, bare feet kicked up on the top of my desk as I scroll through posts on my phone, sipping the tea I brewed up, when the door opens. I’m expecting Gavin, so I immediately straighten, my belly doing a little flip while I try to control the smile plastering itself across my face.
But instead of a giant hunk of rugby-playing man meat walking in, it’s Dillon, and that smile I was fighting gets hella easy to smother. “What are you doing here?” The question comes out snarky. I’m fine with that.
My coworker’s eyes drift around the darkened office as he tucks his keys into the front pocket of his expensive slacks. “I forgot my jacket.” His gaze comes to me, lingering in a way that makes me want to squirm in my seat. “What are you doing here?”
I slide my phone and my tea onto the desk as I stuff both feet into my pumps. “My car wouldn’t start, so I’m waiting for someone to come get me.” I stand, the added three inches still only brings me to Dillon’s chin, but at least it gets us closer to a level playing field.
Dillon’s narrowed gaze hardens. “You mean you’re waiting for Gavin to come pick you up.” His lip curls into a sneer. “You know you’re just wasting your time with him, right?” Dillon begins to slowly stalk my way. “He’s nothing but a fucking manwhore and he’s just using you. When you get boring, he’ll ditch you the same way he has every other woman he’s fucked.”
There was a time where I would have believed what he was saying. Easily. Now all Dillon’s bullshit only pisses me off. Makes me want to defend Gavin in a violent and vicious way.
I know what Gavin was. But I also know why he was that way. I know there were probably plenty of girls who crossed his path that he wanted more from, but he avoided them, sure letting them close would only bring out the worst in him.
Just like Dillon is about to bring out the worst in me.
“And I still picked him over you, so what does that tell you?” I’ve never been good at diffusing a situation, and apparently I have no plans to start now. “So get your jacket and take your bitter, jealous ass home.”
What the fuck did I ever see in this guy? How could I have possibly believed there was anything redeeming about him? Even his fashionable wardrobe and over-the-top grooming doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Could I appreciate some other man in a well-tailored, expensive suit? Probably.
But it still wouldn’t be nearly as mouthwatering as Gavin in worn jeans and a broken-in T-shirt.
Dillon snorts. “Is that what you think? That I’m jealous?” His brows lift. “Of him ?” He continues coming my way, each step looking more predatory than the last. “If anything, I’m grateful.” There’s a mean glint in his eyes now. “He’s going to show you how fucking stupid you are and how big of a mistake you made.”
I back up as he closes in, not liking the threatening vibe he’s giving off. “Pretty sure only one of us is making mistakes, Dill-hole.” I can’t stop the little laugh that sneaks out over the way I’ve come full-circle. From hating Gavin’s nicknames to loving—and using—them.
Dillon’s expression turns murderous. “What the fuck are you laughing at?”
“You.” Shit. My mouth is starting to be as big of a problem as my face.
He’s coming at me before I can blink, the weight of his body hitting me hard enough to send me stepping backward in an attempt to stay on my feet. When Dillon’s hand grips my throat, shoving me into the wall behind my desk, my whole body goes cold and my stomach drops.
I might have underestimated this guy. Definitely gave him more credit than he deserved by thinking he was just a twat.
“Don’t fucking laugh at me, Alexis.” His words come out through clenched teeth. “You won’t like what happens next.”
Already there asshole. “I’m gonna give you two seconds to let me go, motherfucker.”
This time it’s Dillon laughing. “Or what?”
I don’t know what, but it’s gonna be messy. “One.”
Dillon leans in until we’re almost nose to nose. “Say it. I dare you.”
“Two.” Gavin’s deep voice does the hard work for me as his big hand clamps around the wrist of the hand Dillon has on my neck. In the blink of an eye he wrenches it away from my body, twisting it hard enough something lets out a sickening pop.
Dillon’s scream of pain cuts off abruptly when Gavin slams him into the wall beside me, using his hold on Dillon’s arm to pin him in place, face smashed so hard he’s got duck lips.
Gavin leans into Dillon’s ear. “Apologize to her.”
“I’m sorry.” Dill-hole doesn’t hesitate to squeak out the words.
But Gavin’s not done yet.
“Now apologize to me.” There’s a downright deadly edge to his demand. One I don’t doubt he’s capable of backing up.
“To you?” Dillon’s eyes are wide and filled with panic. “For what?”
Gavin’s attention flicks to me for a split second, scanning my frame from head to toe before going back to Dillon. “For thinking you can put your hands on something that belongs to me.”
I should be outraged by that claim, right? Pissed Gavin is acting like I’m nothing more than something he possesses.
But…
Gavin doesn’t treat me like a possession. He doesn’t act like he owns me. Gavin treats me like I’m a fucking gift. Like I’m the best thing in his life.
Like I’m what matters most to him in the world.
Dillon hesitates to give Gavin what he wants. Right up until my hero twists his already injured arm, making him squeal like the pig he is.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Dillon starts to cry a little. “I shouldn’t have touched her.”
“And you won’t touch her again.” Gavin’s voice drops lower. “If I find out you so much as breathe on her, I’m going to rip this arm off and shove it so far up your ass you’ll be able to tickle your tonsils, got it?”
“Got it.” Dillon’s nodding along, head bobbing against the drywall.
“Good.” Gavin hauls him away from the wall and away from me. “Get out before I decide to do it now.”
Dillon doesn’t look back. Doesn’t get the coat he came for. Just scurries away, clutching his arm to his chest.
As soon as the door closes behind him, Gavin swings my way, hard expression gone completely and replaced with concern as his hands gently brush against my skin. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head as an odd sensation trickles down my limbs. “No.”
Gavin lowers his head, bringing our eyes level. “I need you to breathe, Al.” He sucks in air. “In.” He slowly sets it free. “And out.”
“I am breathing.” Dots start to swim in front of my eyes and I try to blink them away, fighting to keep my body still as an aggressive trembling takes over.
“You aren’t.” A warm palm settles against my cheek. “You’re freaking the fuck out and I don’t have time to go find that piece of shit and murder him, so I need you to get some air into those lungs for me.”
I try to stare at him, but he’s all blurry. “I don’t freak out.” It’s why my friends like me. I’m a little bitchy and a little boring, but I’m great in the clutch. I don’t get wound up and I don’t lose my cool.
“Then humor me so I don’t freak out.” Gavin’s tone is soft but steady. “Breathe in.” Another loud inhale.
And to humor him, I go along with it.
“Good girl.” He blows warm air across my face. “And out.”
I follow along as he continues, and the dots dancing around his face start to dissipate. Unfortunately, the shaking in my limbs only intensifies. “Why can’t I hold still?”
“Probably adrenaline.” Gavin grabs my phone and shoves it into my purse before slinging the bag over one shoulder. “Keep breathing, Al.” He leans forward, and suddenly I’m off the floor, swept into his arms like a bride being carried across the threshold.
“You don’t have to carry me. I can walk.” It’s weird, but I don’t sound snarky at all. I actually sound a little wobbly.
“I’m not carrying you for you.” Gavin easily bears my weight with one hand, using the other to open the door. “I’m carrying you for me.” He pauses in the hall then swings my purse onto my lap. “Keys to lock the door.”
My fingers don’t want to work so it takes a few tries to fish them out. Once he has them, Gavin flips the deadbolt into place and then we’re moving toward the elevator. He holds me the whole ride down to the parking garage, then all the way to his Hummer. After settling me into the passenger’s seat, he buckles me in but remains close, once again checking me over. Like he needs to know I’m okay.
The tips of his fingers slide over the sensitive skin of my neck, gently inspecting the area Dillon manhandled. “I’m sorry for the way I acted, Al. When I walked in and saw his hands on you, I lost it.”
My brows pinch together in confusion. “Why would you be sorry? You protected me from him.”
Gavin’s pale brown eyes lift to mine. “I said you belonged to me.” His lips thin. “I should probably take it back, but I don’t know if I can.” His gaze falls, face tight with regret. “I knew this would happen. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep it together.” He swallows, Adam’s apple bobbing with the motion. “I understand if this changes shit between us.”
I mean. It kinda did. Just not in the way I think he’s expecting. “Can I ask you something?”
Gavin goes still, his whole body filled with tension as he brings his eyes to mine and offers a single nod.
I hate seeing him like this. Hate what his father’s done to him. Hate the fear he carries from all the years of manipulation and bullshit. Hopefully I can help him start to pack a little of it up and ship it off.
“Do you belong to me?”
Gavin’s eyes move over mine as he slowly says, “Every inch of me is yours, Al.”
I’m still shaking and my stomach is starting to feel a little queasy, but it’s remarkably easy to smile. “Good.” I lean into him, breathing in the smell of his skin as I tuck my face into the crook of his neck. “Because I would probably also try to break a bitch’s arm if I saw someone grabbing you the way Dillon was grabbing me.”
Gavin seems to relax a little. “Are you calling Dill-hole a bitch?”
“Oh, for sure.” I try to wiggle even closer, but the seatbelt keeps me in place. “He’s a world class bitch.”
“He’s going to be an unemployed world class bitch once I tell Grant what happened.” Gavin sighs, leaning back. His hand slides along my hair, smoothing out the tangles I collected during my altercation with Dillon. “We should probably make a police report too.”
I groan, letting my head fall back against the seat. “Can’t we just go home and have dinner and cuddle?”
A little more of the tension bleeds from Gavin’s body as he continues petting me. “We can absolutely go home and eat and cuddle.” But his expression turns serious. “As soon as we go to the station and report that fucker.”