“Hey, man,” he greets. “Sorry I couldn’t come through. I had shit to deal with at the club. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just looking forward to meeting my father face-to-face.”
“When are you making a move?”
Shaking my head, I lean against the soft cushions of the couch. “Not for a while. I need to wait for Vera to wake up. If I leave her and he has his goons find her, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“I know what you mean. Let me know when you make your move because I’ll be right beside you. Theia is capable of running the club without me for a while.”
“I can’t ask you—”
“You’re not asking,” Dax interrupts me. “I’m telling you I’ll be there because we’re friends. I consider you a brother, and I’m not letting you walk into that shithole alone. I know my men will be right behind me as well.” He is confident in his promises, and I know he’ll never let me down.
His assurance calms me somewhat. Even though I know I should refuse him; I don’t. I know I can’t ask them to walk into whatever my father has planned, but at this stage, I don’t have a choice.
“Okay,” I finally acquiesce. Something tells me if I did refute his offer, he’d be there anyway because that’s the type of man Dax is. He’s there for his friends, he doesn’t hide from danger, and he’s a violent motherfucker who will kill anyone who stands in his way.
“Good,” he tells me. “I better get back to work, but if you need anything at all, you have my number.” He hangs up without a goodbye, and I lean my head back against the couch once more. My eyes focus on the ceiling. The smooth, white paint has no marks, no scuffs, and I stare at it until I feel weariness taking over me.
28
Logan
A whole two days have passed, and Vera is still asleep. She’s been flinching, but nothing more than that. Each time she does, my heart stutters. The chair I’m sitting in overlooks my bed, where my beauty lies sleeping.
Lying in bed beside her is difficult. Especially when she’s asleep and looking so beautiful. All I want to do is touch her, to feel her body against mine. I lean in, pressing my lips to hers. My eyes close, and I revel in her warmth.
My father was right in one respect. I want her, even like this. My mind is filled with images of all the things I can do to her while she’s like this. We’re alone, we’re safe . . . for now . . . and I want to let go and lose all control. But I could hurt her, and that’s not an option.
I take in her sleeping frame, her hands crossed over her chest, and her lips slightly parted. Her body is so still. I can’t stop myself from placing my hand on her leg, feeling her warmth. I trail my fingertips up her thigh, toward her hip, and over her flat stomach. She’s soft, delicate, like a doll that is also fragile.
My cock is rock-solid against my jeans as I watch her lashes flutter along the apples of her cheeks. I wish for a moment this was a fairy tale, and my kiss could wake her because all I can think about right in this moment is fucking her senseless.
My phone buzzes, dragging me away from her and my dark thoughts. My father’s number glares at me from the bright screen. I don’t want to answer it, but I force myself to swipe my thumb along the screen.
“Haven’t you done enough?” I bite out angrily.
“Have you fallen to your natural cravings yet, son?” he chuckles into the speaker, causing my fingers to tighten around the device, squeezing it. I want nothing more than to end him, to wrap my hands around his neck and watch him struggle for breath. “Because you know you will. You want to do it. Don’t you?”
“Fuck you!”
“I thought so,” he tells me noncommittally as if I were falling right into his trap, and I must admit, I think I am as well. My gaze casts over to Vera, who looks like a vision with the silver light of the moon streaming through the window.
“I’m not a monster,” I inform my father, but deep down, I don’t believe it. He’s right. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing rather than how my blood is running hot in my veins, how the desire is taking over me, and how much I do want to fall prey to the need so clearly gripping me.
“You know, when I was your age, I went through something very similar,” he speaks, slow and steady as if he’s waiting on my shocked response. But I don’t give it to him. “Your mother stood by me. She knew I had no control over what I craved so deeply. It’s inside your DNA, Logan.”