16. Chapter 16
AHREN
I’d gone too far. I’d known it the moment my name slipped from her lips. The sound of her voice cracking clawed at my insides, but the words kept flowing, each one sharper than the last, hitting their target with the precision of a well-timed shot.
I admit I hadn’t known how to respond when she snatched my glass from me. My silence was a win I’d gladly give her. The truth was, the sight of that sly smile and her lips on the rim where mine had been only moments ago had my cock hardening painfully.
This was uncharted territory for a few reasons. I’d always just taken what I wanted. Few people had the nerve to waste their breath telling me no. If I wanted something, it was as good as mine.
I didn’t have a particular vice; I loved my Wolfsbane scotch, but I could take it or leave it. Women were a delicious distraction, but I’d never found one to hold my attention beyond my orgasm. No matter how beautiful she was, by the time the sun rose, I was done.
Then there was Tierney. I wanted to fuck her—no question. But despite this thing between us—this heat simmering just beneath the surface. Something told me if I made a move on her now she would slit my throat then spit in my face for getting blood on her favorite knife.
I had enough people who wanted me dead. I didn’t need to add her to the list. Besides, my cock could wait. The most important thing was to get her to trust me.
This life we led was solitary by nature. Trust was a luxury we couldn’t afford. Certainly not something we gave away easily.
Still, she and I were two sides of the same twisted coin. We were more alike than either of us wanted to admit and as I stood pondering our similarities; I had a few ideas about how we might begin bridging that gap.
My fingers closed around the Walther sitting on my bedside table, pushing it into my waistband and grabbing the soft case I kept in the drawer.
The plush carpet absorbed my footfalls, carrying me silently toward Tierney’s room. In a flash of brilliance, I put her at the end of the long hallway—as in the complete opposite side of the house from me.
A move I regretted more with each step it took me to reach her.
Not much scared me, but to say I wasn’t a fan of the writhing pit of snakes in my stomach would be an understatement.
Our introductions earlier hadn’t gone well.
She seemed like the kind of girl who needed a week to cool off after a confrontation like that one, but that was time we didn’t have.
A deep breath in. Count to five. Release.
I knocked on the door quietly and waited .
Waiting wasn’t new to me. Hell, I’d once waited three days to take a shot. But apparently the three minutes or so it took before she answered were enough to get under my skin.
“Come in.” Came her timid reply.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside, refusing to give myself a moment to hesitate.
I swallowed the smile that threatened my lips at the sight that met me. Connor’s scrubs swallowed Tierney whole. She reminded me of a child playing dress-up in her mother’s clothes as she sat on the bed with her feet tucked under her.
“I—I wanted to apologize for earlier. I only meant for us to properly introduce ourselves. I didn’t—”
“No. No.” she started, waving me off. “You were being polite enough, I just—I don’t know. Sorta, forget how to be human sometimes.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yes. You made it personal. But I—” I jammed my hands into my pockets and let my head fall back as I blew out a harsh breath before training my gaze on her. “I don’t know how to quit. Anything.”
A small smile curved her lips. “I don’t imagine either of us likes to lose.”
Laughter bubbled up through my chest. “No. Most definitely not.”
The smiles slid from our faces, the moment of levity over, but the tension that hung between us like a sinister fog had dissipated, leaving behind a comfortable silence.
“I brought you something.” I said, clearing my throat.
Her eyes went wide as I pulled the Walther from my waistband. “I know it’s not your first choice. But she’s reliable. Never jams. Never misses.” I finished laying the weapon on the bed in front of her .
I set the case next to it. “Cleaning her helps clear my mind. Especially when I need to think. I thought you might need something to keep you busy and maybe a—a peace of mind, so you’re not unarmed.”
“Thank you.” She said, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“We need to figure out how to trust each other.”
She nodded but didn’t respond, only running her fingers over the gun as if double checking that it was real, before unzipping the case and carefully inspecting the contents.
When I had almost decided she wasn’t going to respond, her head snapped up, her brows pinched tight and her mouth set in a tight line. “I’ll take good care of her.”
“There’s more if you’re up to it.” I offered, taking a deep breath and pushing it out, a long slow stream.
“Sure.” she said, her own mask slipping into place as she flashed me a coy smile I knew worked well to get her whatever she wanted.
It seemed for now we were both still high on copium. That was Connor’s term for falling back on coping mechanisms instead of facing something head on. I smiled internally, thinking about all the shit she was going to give the two of us over this.
“There isn’t even anywhere in these damned things to put a knife. I feel naked. Larissa better bring me everything I asked for.” She gruffed in that kitten who wants to be a tiger way of hers—fucking adorable.
“Come. I have more to show you and then we really should get some food in that stomach of yours. I’m a decent cook, but if it would make you feel better, I will even allow you to prepare the food. Just—eat.”
She nodded. “My mind is still trying to process everything that’s happened since the grove. None of it makes sense.”
I nodded. It wasn’t like I hadn’t had the same thoughts.
“Maybe we can talk it out over dinner.”
Another half smile. I’d take it. “I’d like that.”