Page 95 of Damaged Protector
“But he didn’t?”
Mike shook his head with a rueful smile. “No, he called me a dumbass for trying to be all sneaky and shit, but he wasn’t mad. He asked me to take care of her.”
My friend’s lips formed a slashing line across his lower face before his voice dropped to almost a whisper. “And then he died.” With his eyes on the ceiling, Mike was silent for a long while before speaking again. “Those were the last words he spoke. ‘You’re the best thing for her, Mike. Take care of her for me.’”
“And you did,” I told him. “You treated Savvy like a queen.”
“She was a queen,” he said fondly before pushing away from the ring and crossing to me. “Sorry to bend your ear with all my shit, but I thought it might give your friend some perspective. Tell him if he’s just looking for a warm place to stick his dick, I’m sure he can find plenty of willing women. Breaking up a friendship for nothing more than a piece of tail would be a mistake. Friends are the family we choose, and that means a lot in my book.”
“Agreed,” I said, feeling more dejected by his words than I should have.
Then he added, “Unless this friend of yours actually has feelings for the woman. Tell him to look inside himself. He might be surprised at what he finds.”
Mike patted me on the shoulder and headed toward the short hall that led to his office. Just before turning the corner, he said, “One more thing. If your friend is struggling this much about it, maybe he isn’t as much of a dickface as he thinks.”
I returned home late to find Mallori sleeping on the couch. She was beautiful even with puffy eyes that appeared to have been crying. Because of me. Fuck.
A small white furball rounded the couch and looked up at me with accusing eyes that seemed to say, See? You’re no good for her.
“I know, Nut,” I told her, stroking her fur from head to tail as she elongated her body into a stretch. Then I picked up Mal and cradled her to my chest. She made a little smacking noise with her lips and then settled her head against my shoulder. I liked her head there. I liked when she leaned into me on the couch, using me like her own personal pillow.
After placing her on her bed and pulling the covers up around her, I stood in the darkness and stared at her, trying to do what Mike had suggested. I searched within myself.
Did I have feelings for Mal? My mind was a blur. I simply didn’t have the capacity to process feelings like other people could. That night all those years ago had changed me, shined a huge fucking spotlight on the darkness inside me.
All I knew for sure was that Cam would never accept me. He was aware of how I was. He knew my fucked up soul.
Mallori made a snorty little noise and turned onto her side, a thick lock of blonde hair flopping over her face. I was careful not to wake her as I brushed it away. Though I knew I should just go to my room, I sat on the edge of her bed and stroked her hair, adoring the sensation of silk between my fingers.
Okay, fuck it. I like her, I admitted to myself. I want to sleep with her, but I also enjoy her company.
It felt good to admit those simple words, even if they were only inside my head. But I also knew you couldn’t build any kind of relationship based on sex and Chuck Norris movies.
And Mallori deserved a man that could give her a real relationship and all the things I wasn’t capable of providing.
The furball interrupted my thoughts with a nudge against my ankle, and I picked her up and placed her near the sleeping woman. Mal reached instinctively for her and pulled the kitten against her face.
Standing, I watched as Coconut’s eyes grew dreamy and then closed. The two of them looked so content together, so I turned to leave. As I reached the threshold of the door, I stalled and looked over my shoulder one more time.
“Sweet dreams, my Little Bee.”
Chapter 29
Bee stormed into the kitchen Tuesday morning full of piss and vinegar. My grandma used to say that, and I never realized exactly what it meant until I experienced Mallori’s stormy glare as she stomped past me on her way to the coffee pot.
Lots of cream and one sugar in her sparkly pink and aqua cup with a retractable lid. That’s how she made her coffee every day.
“Want some coffee with that cream?” I asked, attempting to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. She shot daggers at me before marching back out of the room without a word. “That went well, don’t cha think?” I asked the kitten who was curled up beneath a barstool. She opened one impassive eyelid before closing it again.
The drive to the office was made without conversation. I had a sister and knew better than to speak to a woman in a rage of this magnitude, though I wasn’t going to allow it to go on for long. A plan began to form in my head.
“All right,” Shark said, standing from his chair at the head of the conference table later that morning. “Everyone go get some lunch and be ready for this afternoon.”
The sounds of shuffling papers and rolling chairs filled the room as Shark added, “Except Hawk. He’s going to work through lunch on the logistics for the book convention this weekend. Mallori, do you mind assisting? I’ve had lunch ordered for you both.”
She stalled about halfway out of her seat, eyes shooting instantly toward me. I swear the woman could give a fuck you look that would curl your toes. Unfortunately, it also made my cock twitch in my khakis. What was it about seeing this woman fired up that turned me on?
Mal turned her attention back to the boss and smiled professionally as she rose. “Of course, Shark. I’d be more than happy to.” The edge in her voice was almost imperceptible, but I caught it.