Unaware that I was working myself into a panic, Zander continued to bathe me, taking his time to wash my neck and down the length of my arms. I wanted to focus on his touch, but it was just too hard. I couldn’t push the thoughts out of my head, and I started thinking about that moment when Danny pulled out his gun and shot him. Every muscle in my body tensed as I remembered the bullet piercing my father’s chest and the look on his face when he realized he’d been shot. It was at that moment, Zander whispered, “Delilah ... are you okay?”
I fought back my tears as I turned to look at him and said, “No, but I will be.”
“I love you, Delilah, and I’m here for you in any way that you need me. I hope you know that.”
While he’d shown me in so many ways how he felt about me, he’d never actually said the words to me. Hearing them now only confirmed what I already knew. “I do know that, and I love you too, Zander. So very much.”
He leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to mine, and as he kissed me, I’d never felt so loved and adored. We sat there for several more minutes, talking about our versions of the night. I told him about the conversation my father and I had and all the threats he’d made, and how scared I was for Danny. I could hear the misery in his voice as he talked about watching my father and me coming down the fire escape. When he mentioned how he’d called the brothers, it brought back a thought I wanted to share with him.
“You know, when the guys showed and I realized they were there for me, I finally got what you’ve been talking about. I was starting to understand your draw to the club, especially after their visit with Mr. McClanahan, but tonight ... there was something really powerful about having your brothers come to my rescue like they did.”
“I meant it when I said they’d do anything to protect you.”
“I see that now.”
I thought back to my conversation with my father and the anger I’d felt when he told me about the drugs. At the time, I didn’t understand why I hadn’t felt the same anger towards Hawk and his brothers. Now, I finally got it. Yes, the Ruthless Sinners did bad things. They sold drugs, ran strip clubs, and even killed bad people, but at the same time, they were good men. They had each other’s backs at every turn and even risked their lives to keep their family safe. Zander was right when he told me his brothers weren’t anything like my father. They’d proven that when they came to my rescue. It was that thought that had me wondering about the moment they loaded my father into the trunk of his car. Even though I knew it was doubtful he’d answer, I asked, “By the way, what will they do with my father?”
“You know I can’t answer that. Just know it’s been handled.”
“By Billy?”
“Delilah,” he warned.
“Okay, I’ll leave it.”
He helped me out of the tub and carefully dried me off, then he slipped one of his t-shirts over my head and led me into the bedroom. As he pulled the covers back, I looked around the room, noting once again the lack of furniture, and I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “What’s with the big house? You have three empty bedrooms, and just a few pieces of furniture in the rest of the house. Why haven’t you done more with it?”
“Guess you could say I was waiting for you.” He lifted his hands up to my face, brushing my cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I want you to make this house our home. Fill it with whatever you like.”
My heart swelled with emotion as I looked up at him and saw the love in his eyes. I couldn’t stop myself from lifting up on my tiptoes and kissing him once again. What started off as soft and tender, quickly became heated. I felt a warm rush of heat course through my body when his arms wrapped around me, pulling me close. Unfortunately, just as I was about to get lost in his touch, his arm pressed against my bruised ribs, causing me to whimper in pain. He quickly released me from our embrace, looking down at me with concern. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s fine. I’m okay.”
I went to reach for him but stopped when he shook his head. “You need your rest, Delilah. We have plenty of time for that once you’ve recovered.”
“Zander, I’m—”
“This isn’t up for debate.”
With a determined look in his eye, he reached for the covers and lifted them, beckoning me to get into bed. As much as I wanted to protest, I gave in to his demands, and just as I’d hoped, he quickly removed his clothes and crawled in next to me. Even though I wanted to him to make love to me, it was comforting to have him nestled up close behind me. As I lay there listening to the soothing sound of his breath, my entire body started to relax, and it wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.