“I’ll do anything for you,” I whispered into her hair but wasn’t sure if she heard me over the sound of the water. Pulling away, I set a towel down on the toilet and stepped out. “Just let me know if you need anything else.”
“Wait!” she shouted, some of her fear returning. “Um, do you think you could stay in here with me? I just don’t want to be alone yet. The memories flood me more when I am.” She bit her lip, her hard-won confidence earlier leaving as shame took root.
“Absolutely, but you’ll be, um, you know.” My cheeks heated.
“Don’t tell me boobs scare the big badass Mad Dog. Which is a stupid road name. I always wanted to tell you that,” she quipped, the shaking slowing in her body. She reached down to turn off the water, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to check her out in this state.
“I’m not scared of boobs,” I gritted out. “And you have told me every day since I was given Mad Dog that it’s dumb.” I reminded her, squeezing my eyes closed.
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” I heard some of her brightness returning and decided if it was at my expense, then I’d deal with it.
“What would be a better road name for me? Not that it matters. I’m no longer in a club.” I didn’t mean to sound sad about it. I’d gladly run away with her any day, but the Mavericks had been my family, and I was sad to leave them behind.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said as she slipped under the water. “Fuck.” I heard her suck in a breath as she lowered herself more, but I kept still, not wanting to violate her any more than she’d already been today. I heard the curtain close, and I peeked out, seeing she’d pulled it. “There. It’s now Maddox-decency appropriate.” She giggled, lighting my heart on fire.
“You laugh, but you know your father would kill me if he found out.”
“Yeah,” she said, and I wish I could take back mentioning her dad. Sitting down on the floor, I spread my legs out the length of the tub. “I think your name should’ve been something to do with shadows or stealth.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” I asked, shifting myself. Now was not the time to get hard, dick. Get it together.
“You’ve always been my shadow; it just seems fitting. Though, you’re full of light when you choose to show it, so maybe not. I’ll think about it and rename you. We can make our own club.”
I smiled, liking the sound of that. “The Darcie and Maddox club, huh?”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
It was quiet after that, the only sound was the water shifting at times. I laid my head back against the wall, the warmth of the room lulling me to sleep.
“What do you think my father’s letter says?” she whispered.
I jerked, realizing she’d asked a question. “I don’t know. He’s been cagey these past few weeks. Something was going on he hadn’t told me about.”
“I’m nervous to read it. What if I don’t like what it says, and it changes who my father is to me?”
“Avoiding hard things doesn’t make them untrue, Princess.”
It was quiet again for a moment, but she voiced the question I’d been wanting. “Why do you call me that?” she asked, her voice soft again.
“Because you are. You’re my princess.” She sucked in a breath, pulling the curtain back, her face peeking out.
“What does that mean? Because I think I know what it means, but I don’t know if that’s just me wanting it to mean that. So, explain.”
Our faces were close, and I knew this wasn’t the right time, but the man who’d been in love with her didn’t care. Cupping her jaw, I peered into her eyes, looking for any sign of hesitancy. I couldn’t show her everything, but I could show her this.
Placing my lips on hers, I held them there, not wanting to push too far. I wasn’t an idiot, but I didn’t want to miss another moment with her. Pulling back, I held her gaze, searching for any sign she wasn’t okay.
“Does that clear it up for you?”
She nodded, her eyes tracking mine. “I… I…”
I placed my finger over her lips. “I’m not expecting anything. I know that what occurred tonight won’t go away with the bathwater, but I’m here. I’ve been waiting for years already; longer isn’t going to kill me. I just couldn’t go any longer without you knowing. I didn’t want to waste another opportunity. You don’t know how much I’m already beating myself up for not kissing you earlier.” I paused, grinding my teeth. “Maybe if I had, then this wouldn’t have happened.” I clenched my jaw, looking away. I couldn’t look into her eyes and see the truth of that statement.
This was my fault. I’d been a coward and let him walk in and scar her.
“Hey.” She patted my cheek, pulling my eyes to her. “The only one to blame is Agonizer. No matter the actions any of us took, it wouldn’t have stopped him. I,” she shook her head, “I don’t blame you. I’m mad at my father, but I know deep down he’s not responsible either. Let’s just get through this and figure out the rest later.”
I caressed her check. “Deal. You’re starting to turn into a prune. Let’s get you out of that water. I need some sleep before we can ride some more.”