Griffin Colson
I’M NOT SURPRISED THAT by the time I have her food made and sitting on the end table, she’s already asleep.
The nightmares last night were relentless.
And although she tried her best to keep from waking me, every time she curled closer to my side, I felt it.
The stress, the fear, the constant worry about her shop and her safety are taking their toll on her and I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit by and let her keep pretending it’s not.
I sit on the edge of the bed and brush a strand of hair back from her face.
“Hey.” Her eyes open and she stretches.
“Eat first.” The tray scrapes against the table as I pick it up and place it on her lap. “Then sleep.”
She sits up, leaning back against the headboard. A smile tugs at her lips. “You didn’t have to do this. But thank you.”
I shake my head. “It’s just a sandwich. Nothin’ special.”
“It feels unfair,” she states, taking a bite of her sandwich. “I should be making you food after mindblowing orgasms.”
I laugh, my fingers hooking under her chin. “Oh yeah?” My voice drops lower. “Trust me. You earned this sandwich.”
She pokes me playfully in the side. Taking another bite, she hums with contentment. The sight makes my chest tighten and my breath hitch. After what she’s been through these rare moments where she’s free and happy, catch me off guard.
She freezes up. I press my hand flat against her thigh.
“What?” I ask. “Tell me.”
“The cameras. In the stockroom.” She turns a deep shade of pink.
I can’t stop myself from chuckling. “Relax, Sunshine.” I gently squeeze her thigh. “I have a private server. That feed never leaves my phone and the only other person with access to it is Jax. No one else will ever see it. You’re safe.”
“But what if Jax saw it? I don’t want to be an amateur porn star. Can you delete it?” She grabs my wrist.
I lean in and press a kiss to her forehead.
“Deleted it the second I stepped out of that room.” I sit back.
“Jax didn’t see shit. He values breathin’ too much to go diggin’ through footage without askin’ me first.” My fingers twitch, torn between pulling her closer or letting her eat. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Thank gods.” She leans back with a sigh, the tension draining out of her. “Did you eat?”
“No.” I nudge her plate closer. “I’ll eat later. Jax and Bishop invited us out for dinner. Bishop’s pissed I haven’t introduced him yet.”
“They want me there?” She takes another bite of her sandwich before opening the bottle of water I brought her.
“Yeah.” I smirk. “Bishop’s heard about you. He wants to meet the woman who managed to wrap me around her finger. Brace yourself though, he’s a lot.”
“Oh, so you talk about me?” she teases, taking a drink.
“I didn’t have to.” I tap the side of my temple. Between wire transfers, security upgrades, and me moving her into the cabin for two weeks, Bishop figured it out on his own. “And I may have mentioned you once or twice when he asked why I was buyin’ panic buttons instead of bullets.”
“I guess that does make it kinda obvious,” she concedes, setting the tray on the bedside table. She pulls the blanket up to her chest, getting comfortable again.
“Damn right it does.” I lean forward and adjust the pillow behind her. “Now get some rest. I’ll wake you when it’s time to get ready.” I settle back against the headboard, one arm resting on my knee.
She scoots into my space, throwing her arm across my middle, laying her head on my chest. “I’m not opening the store again today, am I?” she mumbles.
“No.” My fingers find their way into her hair.
She presses into me like she belongs there.
This new dynamic throws me occasionally, like if I let myself believe it’s real I’ll lose it.
“Store’s closed until tomorrow. You need the rest.” I know exactly what kind of exhaustion she’s carrying underneath all that stubborn determination.
I expect her to fight me on it but instead she relaxes into my side.
Normally, she would try to force her independence but it’s like something inside her shifted.
She trusts me enough to make this call and that makes warmth flood my chest like never before.
That she submits to me without thinking her world will fall apart around her means more to me than anything she’s done.
I feel the moment she falls asleep. The steady rhythm of her breathing and the lax weight of her arm over my stomach.
I stare at the ceiling for a moment, stunned by how quickly I became accustomed to having her like this.
How right it feels to have her here when I’ve spent so many years alone.
I think about it for a minute before extracting myself and rising to my feet.
I make it two steps from her bed and my phone buzzes. Jax’s name flashes across the screen. I silence it, then slide the blanket higher over her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple before heading out of the room.
The door closes behind me. I pull my phone out and answer it then head downstairs. “Talk to me.”
Jax’s voice comes through with equal parts amusement and concern. “Damn, man. You sound like you’re about to murder someone just for calling.”
I stare out the front window of her store, my jaw flexing as my eyes scan the street. “You got somethin’ on those two assholes or not?”
I want to know their names, their fucking occupations, what they care about most. They hurt her. I don’t care if it was seven years ago or twenty. They don’t get to walk away from that.
He sighs, keys clacking in the background.
“Yeah, I got plenty. First one? Still works at the same accounting firm that he did when he was with Seriph. Currently engaged to some poor woman who has no idea he’s banging his assistant on company time.
” He pauses, his voice taking on a darker note.
“Second guy? Owns a high end construction company.” The disgust in his tone is obvious.
“Good.” A storm inside me is brewing, dark and violent beneath the surface.
He hesitates, sighing dramatically into the receiver. “You gonna tell me why you wanted this info?”
I weigh my words, gritting out a response. “It’s personal.”
He scoffs, “Already figured that. Everything concerning her is personal for you.”
“This is more so.” My gaze sweeps up to the door leading to her loft. I force myself to turn away. “Is that all you found?”
“Like I wouldn’t find everything.” He makes a sound that indicates he’s offended. “You’re really not going to like this though.”
My hand tightens on the phone, already preparing for the worst. “Just spit it out, Jax.”
“The first guy, I couldn’t find much except that he’s engaged now. He’s got a decent life, seems like. No illegal activity, just doesn’t keep his dick in his pants.”
No surprise there. I ask, “And the other one?”
“That’s where things get interesting...” he says ominously.
“What do you mean by interesting?” My patience is wearing thin at his theatrics.
He exhales sharply through his teeth, the kind of gesture that precedes bad news. “Second guy’s in town. And guess who opened an office two blocks from Moonglow?”
I go utterly still, the plastic of the phone creaks in my hand. “When?”
“Moved in Monday,” he replies grimly. “And get this, he’s been asking around about Seriph. Specifically.”
The world narrows to white noise for half a second before I force air back into my lungs. “Send me everything you’ve got on him. Now.” My voice is lethally calm. “And Jax? Keep this between us.”
“Already sending through to your secure server.” He pauses. “You need me to handle this? Because I can make him disappear. Permanently. No loose ends.”
I don’t have the patience to wonder at his enthusiasm for taking this guy down, the temptation laces through me like wildfire at his offer. I glance up to the loft again. “No.” I grit the word out. “Not yet, but put a tracker on him. I want to know every move he makes.”
Jax hums his approval. “Anything for her, huh?”
I hang up without answering.