Page 68 of Damaged Protector
“A bit mortified actually.” Speaking to the floor, I said, “I’ll let you two get back to your… knives and stuff. I’m going to locate a bridge to jump off.”
“No,” Hawk said sharply, and my lowered head snapped up. “Come with me.” His big hand wrapped around mine, and I followed him meekly out the door and into his bedroom. I was struck by the contrast between the muted colors in here and the dark furnishings in the room we’d just left.
Hawk stopped and turned to face me, though he didn’t meet my eyes for a long moment. He stared off to the side as if trying to determine what to say. Probably looking for a polite way to say, Get the fuck out of my house and don’t come back.
“Are you scared of me?” he asked when his dark eyes finally found me again.
“No,” I told him. “I’m not.”
He exhaled a long sigh and nodded. “Wait here for me, Bee. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
And with that, he walked back into the Den of fucking Sin and closed the door.
Chapter 20
“Well Hawk, you certainly know how to keep things interesting,” Katya said as I walked her to the front door. In the short time I was in my bedroom, she’d dressed, fixed her makeup a bit, and ordered a ride service.
I flashed her a weak smile, my mind still on Mallori. “Sorry about all that. I thought she would be out longer.”
“She’s a really sweet girl. Don’t be too hard on her, okay?”
It took me a second to figure out what she was implying, and I frowned as I opened the door for us. “It’s not like that with her. We’re just friends.”
We stepped out onto the porch, and Katya turned to face me, her head tilted in contemplation. “Do you want it like that with her?”
Stuffing my hands into the pockets of my shorts, I stared at the street, relieved when I saw headlights rounding the corner. “I think your car is here.”
I could sense her amusement at my deflection. Hell, I had no idea why I was even deflecting. The answer should have been a simple and emphatic no.
As a white Prius pulled to the curb, Katya placed a hand on my chest and stood on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “Go take care of your Little Bee, Hawk.” Then she patted me twice and strolled down the steps without looking back.
Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, I guzzled it in one go, trying to ease the burn that was still stinging my throat. I couldn’t believe Mallori fucking pepper sprayed me.
I was pissed at first. Until I realized why she did it. It was a pretty fucking gutsy thing to do, and a grudging admiration quickly overtook the anger.
Making my way back to my room with a couple beers in my hand, I found Mallori pacing back and forth, mumbling to herself as she chewed on the tip of her thumb. I leaned my shoulder against the doorframe and watched her for a while.
When she finally noticed me, her feet halted, and she dropped her hands to her sides. “I am so, so sorry, Hawk.” She swallowed hard. “I interrupted your… thing. And then I sprayed you. I… I don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry.”
I fixed her with a stare, holding my position in the doorway with my eyebrows lifted. “I understand why you did it. What I don’t understand is how you think I would be capable of something like that. Help me out here, Bee, because that part pissed me off a lot worse than the pepper spray.”
Mal dropped her gaze and nodded at the floor. “You’re right. That wasn’t fair to you. Can I… Is it okay if I get my stuff out tomorrow, or do you want me to leave tonight?”
A short time ago, I had been waiting for the day Mallori Fitz was out of my house so I could have my precious privacy and solitude back. So why did the thought of her leaving now cause a lump to rise up and wedge in my throat?
Pushing away from the door, I crossed to her and set the bottles on the nightstand. “Bee, when did I say you have to leave?”
She peeped up at me from beneath her lashes. “I just assumed…”
“You know what they say about assumptions,” I said, jerking one eyebrow upward.
Her lips rolled inward. “It makes an ass out of you and -umption?”
I was unable to hold back my laugh. “Something like that.” Reaching forward slowly so I didn’t startle her, I pushed one of her long braids behind her shoulder. “I’d like it if you’d stay.”
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Why?”
“Who else is going to make me eat salad and tell me dumb Chuck Norris jokes?”