“You’re safe now,” I whisper against the top of her head.
She sniffles loudly, but she doesn’t even attempt to pull away from me.
“I want to take you back to the clubhouse. You’ll be safe there.”
Her eyes are puffy and red-rimmed when she looks up at me.
“I’ll be more comfortable at home.”
I nod in agreement, but what I don’t say is that she’s crazy if she thinks I’m going to leave her there alone.
Chapter 18
Faith
The worst thing about getting into the SUV with Ethan is that he can no longer hold me, at least safely. He does clasp my hand in his, holding it all the way back to my house. If he feels the trembles I can’t seem to stop, he doesn’t say anything about it.
Two other black SUVs follow us, but Ethan waves them off when he climbs out. I wait inside, letting him open the door for me, and it takes all my strength and reasoning not to cling to him the way I did in the parking lot fifteen minutes ago.
“Let’s get inside.”
His hand is in mine once again as we walk toward the front, and he takes the keys from my shaking hand and unlocks it.
“Maybe a cup of tea?” he offers. I guess he saw the box in the cabinet when he was here the morning after I was drugged.
I nod, but honestly, I don’t know that I could drink anything right now. Just the thought of putting anything in my stomach makes it turn.
“You’ll need to call Colton,” he says from the kitchen, and it hits me that I didn’t think of calling the police or driving there.
He was my first thought. The police are supposed to keep people safe, but I knew that Ethan could do that. I knew he’d come to me the second I needed him, and guilt for the way I treated him earlier on the phone starts to eat away at me.
This man owes me nothing. If anything, I owe him—something I hate—but he didn’t hesitate to be here when I needed him.
I ignore the steaming cup of tea he places on the coffee table and reach for him when he sits beside me. The warmth of his hand is comforting, but it’s not enough. I curl up, pressing as much of my body to his as I can manage without climbing into his lap. His arm immediately goes around my back.
The masculine scent coming from his skin combined with the clean linen smell of his clothes is soothing, but I also can’t deny how my body reacts being so close to him, especially sitting on the same sofa we did such intimate things on last night.
I try to focus on his breaths, matching mine with his, but there’s a hum inside of my body I can’t ignore.
Lifting my head, I stare at his lips, leaning a little closer to his palm when he runs it down the side of my face.
Pressing my lips to his seems like the best thing, the only thing that will make today better.
He allows it at first, our lips meeting, warm and soft, but he pulls back when I try to deepen it.
I give him a weak grin before trying again, this time pulling my arm from between us and running it down his stomach. His breath catches, muscles tensing, but he once again stops me, lightly grabbing my hand and holding it in his.
“That’s not why I’m here, Faith. You’re upset, and I have no expectations.”
“I wanted you before I got upset.” It’s not a complete lie. I’ve wanted him since before he pulled out of me last night. I wanted to have him again and again, despite what I told him on the phone.
“As much as I enjoyed last night, I don’t want to just be the guy you fuck when you’re upset and need a distraction.”
I frown, trying to pull back, but his arm around my back tightens.
“Don’t.” The word is a warning, and if I wasn’t still terrified about being followed around town earlier, I’d fight him to get away. “I’m not going anywhere, Faith. We’re not in a now-or-never situation. I want you safe. Once this asshole is tracked down, arrested, and you’re feeling safe again, I’d like nothing more than to lay you out and worship your body. I’ll schedule a vacation with the club so I can stay inside of you for days, but right now, there’s too many emotions and confusion involved.”
I remain silent because what could I possibly say to that? The guy I automatically presumed was a manwhore is soft, kind, and considerate, despite the way he originally approached me like he was God’s gift to women, and I’d be lucky to take him for a ride.
“I don’t want you to regret the time we spend together,” he continues.