Ruthless Salvation

18

Once I regained a granule of sanity, I eased my grip on Storm and allowed her to face me. Her tangled, sweaty hair fell in thick waves next to her face. I swept it over her shoulder, bringing to my attention that her breasts were still exposed. Her lungs froze for a second as I swept a finger inside the cup of her bra and eased it up over her breast.

I saw her entire tattoo for the first time and realized it had been inked over a scar. Only the upper edge was normally visible, peeking out from her shirt. Three flowers in full bloom with a bee buzzing above them. I should have known it would be something simple yet feminine. That was so … her. But the scar was a surprise. It looked like it might have been a burn, though the shaded ink made it hard to discern.

“What happened?” I started to trace the area, but Storm shifted away from me and righted her shirt.

“Car accident.” She kept her eyes averted. I might have said it was the effects of the awkward aftermath of a first time, but something told me it was more. She didn’t like to talk about the scar. Why? What had happened? I wanted to know. I wanted to know every goddamn thing about her.

I’d hoped beyond hope for both our sakes that tonight would rid her from my system. That I could let her be and not darken the glow that radiated off her, but fate had other plans. As we stood and prepared to go our separate ways, the gravitational pull I felt only intensified.

We were both in so much f*****g trouble.

“Let me grab my stuff, and I’ll take you home,” I said gruffly.

“I can’t. I came with Micky, and I don’t want her to have to go home alone.”

I wanted to delay our separation as long as possible, and I sure as f**k wasn’t letting her wander the streets with Micky in this s**t part of the city. I opened the door and stuck my head into the hall while unwinding my wraps. Bishop stood at a healthy distance. Smart man.

“You seen a girl named Micky try to come back here?”

On cue, the slender woman herself stepped into view, arms crossed harshly over her chest, and a look of supreme accusation hardening her feminine features. “You gonna let me have my girl back?”

“No.” I returned my attention to Bishop. “Find someone to take Micky home.”

“Tha f**k?” Her voice followed me back into the room.

“All taken care of.” I slid on a shirt and pants from my duffel, then threw the rest of my crap in the bag. “Come on.” I took her hand in mine and led her from the room.

“Storm, honey. You okay?” Micky called from where Bishop kept her at bay.

“It’s all good, Mick. Promise.” Stormy shot over her shoulder. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

I kept us moving, not interested in Micky’s reply.

I’d owned motorcycles my entire adult life and had never felt the need to own a helmet until now. I was equally torn between having Storm unprotected on my bike and sending her home with someone else. It may have been selfish, but I trusted my skills on a bike more than turning her over to some other asshole. Tomorrow, I’d buy a goddamn helmet.

“You ever been on a bike?”

“I’ve been on a Harley, but nothing like this. Is there even room for me?”

It was technically outfitted to carry a passenger, though not comfortably. And not that I let anyone on the back of my bike. No rides outside of family or emergencies.

Until now.

That was going to be my new goddamn mantra.

Storm was shredding every ounce of structure I’d painstakingly crafted in my life. All in a matter of days.

You could end it. Walk away and let life fall back into its routine.

Fuck that.

I threw my leg over the bike and positioned my duffel across my chest. “Step here on this peg and hold my shoulders.” Once she was seated, I revved the motor to life. Storm wound her arms around my middle, overcoming her hesitancy, and Christ did it feel good.

“It’s 55th and Michigan,” she called over the rumbling pipes.

Hell, I’d almost forgotten to ask. That would have been an interesting conversation when I pulled up at her building. I chided myself to get my head out of my ass.

The drive was just long enough for reality to set in. I’d f****d Stormy.

The woman I’d been borderline obsessed with for months. My employee.

I couldn’t even imagine how complicated this could get.

I couldn’t bring myself to regret being with her, but I knew it had been a mistake. Who knew what expectations she’d have now? No matter what they were, I was bound to disappoint. My issues had issues. She’d never understand, nor would I expect her to without a glimpse into my past that she was never going to get. That was exactly why I’d always insisted I was better off alone. My fixation on Storm shouldn’t change that fact.

When we arrived, I steeled myself for her to linger at the bike or ask me upstairs. It would have played out like that with most women, but Storm wasn’t most women. I should have known that by now.

I’d barely stopped the bike when she hopped off, murmured thanks for the ride, and disappeared inside. I should have been relieved.

Spoiler alert.

I wasn’t. Not even a little.

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Past

WHERE THE HECK HAD MY PHONE GONE? I’D LOOKED EVERYWHERE. AND since we hadn’t gone out much in the two months since I’d moved in with Damyon, I was sure it had to be in the house.

I got off my knees from where I’d been searching under the bed again and made my way to Damyon’s office. We’d settled into a new normal. A two-week extension had morphed into four, then a decision to leave my return open-ended. I was glad I’d stayed, but I was starting to get a little homesick, especially now that winter had set in.

“Hey, sugar. Have you seen my phone lying around anywhere?” He took a second to respond, his eyes locked on the computer screen. “No, I haven’t,” he murmured distractedly.

“I’ve looked everywhere and can’t figure out what happened to the darn thing.”

He finally looked at me, a touch of annoyance lining his face. I’d noticed the change in the past weeks and was pretty sure it was work, though I couldn’t help but worry that I was the source of his irritation. Without any friends or a job here in Moscow, I had no social outlet besides him. He tried to balance it all but was so busy all the time.

“We’ll go in the morning and get you a new one, angel. For now, I have work to do.”