But now as I held on to him, he wasn’t only looking terrified, he was practically shaking in my grip, so I quickly released him.
I knew I wasn’t the safest looking guy in terms of appearance, especially considering the tattoos that covered my arms, torso and back, my large build, long hair and the leather motorcycle pants I wore, but it wasn’t like I’d overtly come on to the guy or done anything that would cause him to be so fearful of me.
I expected Eli to quickly move away from me and rush into the room, but other than taking a step back, he didn’t do anything else. His eyes held mine as he tried to get control of his breathing and then he shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry,” he said again, a little louder this time, but still very low and quiet.
I had no doubt the second apology had nothing to do with running into me and I desperately wanted to ask him what he was sorry for. But then I saw it.
Longing.
My breath caught in my throat as I realized what the look meant, but before I could question Eli or even respond, he stepped past me and into the room. I heard both Matty and Tate happily greet him and there was no fear or tentativeness as Eli greeted them in return. The idea that Eli might actually be attracted to me was an unexpected distraction and it took everything in my power to keep from looking through the glass walls to see Eli and Matty interacting. My job was to focus on my surroundings and keep the little boy inside that room safe.
It was only about a half an hour later that Eli left the room and I willed myself not to look at him as he walked by, but I failed miserably when I sensed his gaze on me. Our eyes met briefly and I felt my cock harden uncomfortably in my pants. Eli was the one to tear his gaze away first, but I kept my eyes on his slim back as he hurried down the hall towards another room and it wasn’t until he disappeared inside of it that I finally managed to snap out of whatever spell I’d fallen under. Irritation flooded my system and I cursed both my own traitorous body, as well as the young man who, with just one look, had fucked with my head for those few seconds.
My shift outside Matty’s door lasted only another hour and when Hawke arrived to relieve me, I said my goodbyes to Matty and Tate and hurried towards the parking garage so I could get my Harley between my legs and use the massive bike to work off some of the tension that was still lingering in my system. It took just a few minutes to get to the garage and I automatically bypassed the elevator for the stairs that would lead to the lowest floor of the garage where I’d left my bike. But the second I opened the door, I went on high alert when I heard someone yelling, “Stay the fuck away from him, do you hear me?”
The sound of flesh striking flesh had me moving and when I heard someone let out a small cry, I leaned over the stair railing and yelled, “Hey! What’s going on down there?”
There was another distressed cry and then a door was opening and closing. I knew the assailant would be long gone by the time I reached the bottom landing, but I took the stairs as fast as I could anyway so I could make sure whoever had been struck was okay.
I saw the young man immediately before I even reached the last step. He was sitting on the concrete floor, his back to the wall and his arms over his head. I could hear him crying softly, but the flickering security light affixed to the wall above him made it difficult to see anything else.
“Hey, you okay?” I asked as I knelt on the floor in front of him. He flinched when I carefully tried to pull his arms away from his face. “You’re safe now,” I murmured as he finally relaxed his muscles enough to drop his arms. And when I put my fingers under his chin to lift his face, the light above us stopped flickering and I held my breath as I realized who it was under the bruise that was already forming along one cheek, the blood trickling from the split lip and the tears streaking down his face.
Eli.
Chapter One
Mav
“Eli,” I said as gently as I could despite the rage that was surging through my blood. “It’s me,” I added. “Mav.”
I hadn’t actually ever told Eli my name, but he clearly recognized me because he nodded.