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“When were they here?” She looks around confused.

I gently help her put the sweatshirt over her head. She complies while awaiting my answer. I grab her sweatpants next and help her put them on, kneeling down to assist her in sliding her feet inside. I take her hands and place them on her shoulders. I’m dangerously close to her pussy and it takes all my concentration not to lean forward and kiss it. God, I’ve missed her.

“Bastian?” she prods as she looks down at me. I stare up at her eyes, which are so much clearer now.

“They were here while you were still…asleep. I sent them home. Erin tried to argue with me. She wanted to stay with you. She called your parents. You should call them. They are ready to come here.”

“Shit,” she mutters.

I pull her phone out of my pocket. “I found this on the trail.”

She looks down at it and back at me. “Thank you.” She presses the call button and a frantic woman’s voice answers. I listen as she speaks to her parents and assures them that she is alright. She glosses over a lot. Meanwhile, I help her put her shoes on.

I begin brushing her hair. She winces and I realize she’s got a nice-sized bump on her head. I lean forward and kiss it.

I feel her shoulders sag a bit as I kiss down her head to her neck, pushing her hair aside so I can feel her pulse against my lips.

“Mom, I swear I’m fine. Really. I’ll follow up with my doctor this week. I was really lucky. It could have been a lot worse.

“No, Mom, I’m not leaving the city. It’s no more dangerous than anywhere else. Yes, I’ll call you tonight. Yes, Dad. Love you both, too.” She hangs up and turns to look up at me.

“You’re coming to my place,” I state.

“I think that’s a bad idea,” she whispers, her eyes glancing down at her feet.

I take a finger to her chin and lift her head up, so she’s forced to make eye contact with me.

“I’m sorry,” I say as I search her eyes. “I fucked up. I was trying to protect you, and all I ended up doing was putting you in more danger.”

She looks at me in confusion.

“I’ll explain later. In any case, I shouldn’t have let you go, Alexis. I should have kept you right by my side, where you fucking belong.”

“Where I belong?” she asks, her voice barely a whisper as her eyes gloss over with tears.

I nod. I bring my thumb up to catch a tear. I lean down and brush my lips over hers. “You do.”

“W-why?” she stammers as I lean back slightly. Her eyes are still closed and damn it if she doesn’t look like the most ethereal being I’ve ever seen. Her beauty is raw and pure. It’s almost painful to look at her. I run my thumb over her jaw and down her neck. Her eyes slowly open and I stare at the blending of unusual colors that mesmerized me during her job interview.

I take a breath before I speak. How does this woman scare me? Nothing scares me, but her. I trace her lips with my thumb as I cup her jaw.

“Because…” I trail off as I lean my forehead against her, relishing in the warmth of her skin. “I love you.”

Her eyes widen. Tears fill them and spill down her cheeks in streams too great to catch with my thumbs. “I love you too…” she replies as her lower lip trembles. “But I’m still mad at you.”

I chuckle at her feistiness as I press my lips to hers, tasting her salty tears as I kiss her. When I pull back, I take her head in my hands and wipe the trails of tears from her cheeks. “You’re allowed to be mad at me. I was a jackass.”

She nods and bites her lip before smiling. “You are a jackass, but I sort of can overlook that…” She trails off and smirks.

I raise an eyebrow. “What do I have to do for you to ‘overlook’ that?”

She blushes and now it’s me that’s smirking. “Well?” I prod.

“Take me home and I’ll show you,” she whispers as her cheeks pinken further.

“It will be your home, too.” I stare at her again, letting all my feelings that I can’t express pass to her through my gaze. She smiles slightly and reaches up to caress my cheek. I lean into her touch, letting my eyes close for a moment. How does this woman completely unarm me?

“Let’s get you home and bathed and then I’ll do whatever you need me to in order to make you feel better,” I declare as I start packing up her things. I have no idea where things are going to go between us, but I do know that I’m not letting her out of my sight again. If the brotherhood thinks they can remove her, they have another thing coming because I will destroy everything that they built in order to keep her safe.