Page 97 of His Greatest Muse
Fuck. A single word has never been so sharp. So deadly. I turn my cheek and kiss his pec, feeling the rapid rise and fall of it. “He called me Tiny. That nickname—it’s wrong for him to use. He shouldn’t even know it.”
“I’m going to kill him.”
It’s the most honest thing I’ve ever heard someone say. That in itself terrifies me. Not because I worry for my stalker but because I’m worried for Noah. I know without a doubt that if it ever came to it . . . fuck it all to hell, he’d do it. He’d ruin his life to protect me and not feel an ounce of regret.
I can’t let it get that far. “We have to tell someone else about this. Maybe ask for their help. If he can find my phone number, then I don’t know if this is something the police can ignore. With everything else that’s happened, maybe we’ll be able to build a strong enough case to force them to help us.”
“What did the message say?”
“That he was proud of me. And that he’d be watching the fight.”
A ragged exhale, and then he buries his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. “Cops won’t do shit unless he proves that he’s a physical threat to you. I won’t let it get that fucking far.”
I nod weakly. Having trust in his ability to protect me can only get me so far. We don’t know what this man is capable of or what he’s willing to risk in order to get whatever it is he wants with me. I won’t be able to live with the guilt of anything happening to Noah because of that. I want him safe. Far, far away from this mess.
“Okay, then maybe Reggie can help. Sparks and Hunter should know, too.”
“Hunter will tell your father.”
“Maybe that’s not the worst thing.” I fight off a grimace.
Noah’s legs press into mine, forcing them shut. He wraps himself around me, forming a shied that vibrates with fury and lethal promises.
“I won’t let Braden take you from me. I might already be a terrible person, but I’m prepared to cross every existing moral line in my attempts to keep you close. It won’t matter to me if he’s your father.”
It’s wrong to be turned on by the intensity of his claim over me, but when I begin to throb between my legs, I realize maybe I’ve always been a little wrong. A little perverse. There’s a reason the universe chose me for him, right? If I bring light to the dark corners of his soul, maybe it’s the opposite for him. Maybe he basks some of my light in shadows. We have to find our balance somehow.
“I’m not a child. He doesn’t control me. I make my own decisions.”
His thumbs tap an anxious rhythm on the tops of his hands. “What will your decision be?”
I nuzzle into the feel of his skin, so warm despite the frozen water. We’ve soaked for long enough. My toes are numb, and my teeth have begun to chatter. Yet, I can’t bring myself to step out just yet.
“You. Always you. But I’m also not going to let something happen to you. If it gets to that point—”
Water splashes violently onto the floor as Noah spins me between his legs and tugs my knees to bring me as close as possible to his body in this new position. My toes curl at his sides to avoid touching the cool steel at his back. Sitting like this feels much more intimate, with his cock nudging my centre and eyes so focused on me. I rest my palms on his shoulders and take in his expression. Layer upon layer of raw emotion fills his gaze. It’s hard to witness how heavily all of this is affecting him. How desperate he is to make it all go away.
He grabs my chin and strokes one finger along the curve of my bottom lip. “You will not make decisions on my behalf. Promise me.”
I frown, trying to shake my head despite his grip on my face. “I can’t.”
“You will not put yourself in danger for me. You will not push me away. I won’t let you. Promise me, Tinsley,” he demands.
No.
He doesn’t notice when I let my right hand drop beneath the water. And when I cross my fingers beneath the ice and lie to him, he doesn’t notice that either.
“I promise.”
37
NOAH
Tinsley doesn’t liketo admit it, but she loves her birthday. She likes to be spoiled and sung to in front of burning candles. For the past twenty-five years, she’s never wavered from that.
She’s also never gotten better with telling us what she wants for her birthday. It’s a constant guessing game every August 14. I always succeed, but the others aren’t as lucky. The days before her birthday are the busiest for me. My phone vibrates more on those days than during the rest of the year. Everyone wants to spoil my woman. That’s the only reason why I don’t ignore them all.
Braxton: On a scale of 1 to 10, how many pairs of workout leggings does Tinsley own?