“You’re the exception. And it was a one-time thing. Can you agree to that?”
I rubbed my chin as I thought this over. I almost asked in what context, because surely, I’d have to talk to someone if I bought a soda at a gas station or something equally mundane. But I understood what she was trying to say. “Yes. What else?”
“No matter what the situation, you listen to me. Even if your gut rebels against it, trust that there’s a reason for the decisions I have to make. Otherwise, I can’t promise to keep you safe.” The fire-filled glance she cast my way told me this was one of those non-negotiable rules she had forewarned me about. She might have been serious about talking to strangers, but her desire to burn this particular rule onto my soul beat at me.
I opened my mouth, but shut it. “How can I listen to you unequivocally, without knowing your name?”
“I need to know you’ll agree first.” She fired back, before I finished saying ‘name’.
This sounded very close to the gray area I had mentioned earlier, but the drive to stay with her and protect her was far greater than my need to find out exactly what she meant. And I craved the knowledge of her name.
“Yes, I agree.”Unless it would harm you, then I absolutely do not agree, I added silently.
Nodding, she brushed a loose curl away from her face. We had just stopped at a red light when she faced me, her gaze locking onto mine, until I couldn’t see anything except her shimmering dark eyes, made brighter under the yellow glow of a nearby street lamp.
“Vienna.” Her voice lowered as a husky note wrapped around that single beautiful word.
“Vienna,” I breathed, letting it roll around my tongue. It was perfect. My already hard dick throbbed in my pants, forcing me to pick up my ass and adjust my sweats to avoid any more tenting than it already was.
“Why did you say it like that?” Vienna shot a curious, maybe even slightly confused glance my way, as we started rolling down the street.
Shrugging, I was glad we’d left the cover of the intersection as the darkness hid my rising flush. “It’s a beautiful name. It suits you.” I coughed to clear my throat as she huffed out a small laugh. “I promise to listen to you, and not to talk to strangers,” I said with a wry smile. That still seemed funny to me. “What else do you have?”
"What you did tonight," Vienna said and I swore there was almost a sigh beneath an element of amusement. "You mustn't do that again."
"Not save you?" I scoffed. "I'm sorry, that's not something I can agree to, no matter how important the rule is." I took a deep breath, prepared to make my argument, when she set her hand against my leg. It was the lightest of touches, barely there at all, and I swore all the words froze unspoken on my tongue.
"I was never in any danger," she cautioned me, in a tone that seemed entirely too sober, without an ounce of jest. "That man..."
"The one twice your size and slamming you against a wall?" Look, I'd melted the shackles freezing the words in place. "You can't expect that of me." I wouldn't let anyone harm her that way.
Her fingers tightened against my thigh and even with all the blood pounding in my cock, I didn't dare look down at how close she was to discovering that for herself. Instead, I kept my focus on her profile.
"Listen to me," she commanded and beckoned in equal measures. "That man was no threat to me."
I frowned. "He was hurting you."
"Only because I let him. He saw what you did. He saw someone vulnerable. Someone he could take advantage of, and he planned to drag me deeper into the alley to rape me."
"Still not selling me on this concept," I informed her and yeah, maybe I was taking a risk, but I covered her hand with mine. She didn't pull away, nor did she dig her fingers in. But her skin was every bit as soft as I'd imagined it would be.
"That was the point, Merrick," she murmured. "I wanted him to think he had the upper-hand. I wanted him to enjoy a false sense of security."
"And then what?" I asked.
She cast a glance at me and the lights of a passing car illuminated her. It left one half of her face in shadow and the other gleaming like an angel.
"And then I would have killed him."
Simple. Precise. Not even an element of humor. I didn't know her well enough to presume she would deadpan such a joke, but she hadn't pulled her hand away either. Absently, I stroked my fingers against the back of her hand. It hit me. Her pulse never wavered. Nor did her breathing. She continued driving the car as if we had merely been discussing what we might want to do with the rest of our evening.
I suppose we were.
Vienna said nothing more, allowing me to turn her words over in my head. Taking into account the aspect of what she described, I pictured the alley again. The lack of her struggle. The surprise on her face. The hint of irritation.
"I'm sorry," I said finally into the quiet as I threaded my fingers through hers to give her a gentle squeeze.
She held perfectly still, her fingers limp instead of curling around mine. If she thought I would condemn her for the very thing I did to protect her, she was wrong. That would have been hypocritical of me, and a step back from all therapy had taught me.