Page 33 of Beyond Repair, Part One (Damaged Duet #1)

Ridge

M y phone hasn't stopped buzzing since I ran out of the hotel suite, but I couldn’t care less about the others right now. All that matters is the woman in my arms looking at me like I could be the answer to all her problems. Fuck do I wish to be.

"Ridge," Nina whispers, her blue-grey eyes mere inches from mine. The way she's waiting for me to do something has my cock twitching in my pants, but thankfully she's seated just above so she can't feel what she does to me.

Too soon. I fucking hate that reminder, but it's true. Not to mention I sped my way over here because Nina's scared. Not because she asked me to eat her hot cunt.

"Mmm. Okay, Nina girl." I pat her ass with my hand and plop her on the bed in the far side of her room. "Stay here for a second while I go grab a few things."

Like the little minx Nina's proving to be, she scurries to her knees and crawls toward me as I start walking away. "You'll come back?"

My fucking heart. Nina's confused frown and tilted head are so adorable I'm unable to resist going back to her. "Always," I confirm and press a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

I turn on my heel when she sucks in a surprised breath because if I don't walk away now I'm liable to tackle her and figure out what other noises she will make for me.

My phone buzzes in rapid succession, propelling me down the stairs. I don't have to check the messages to know all three of them are outside of Nina's house right now. I barely have the door unlocked before Trevor is barreling into me like a fucking caveman and demanding answers.

Shoving him back a step, I glance up the stairs to make sure Nina isn't watching. "Be quiet, man. For fuck’s sake."

I watch Kai lock the door once again. Honestly, I have no idea what I expected when I caused a ruckus getting out of the hotel, but having them here pulls me back from the feral edge a little.

"Is she alright?" Henry asks, looking like he's about to go check on Nina himself.

Sighing, I rub the back of my neck. "She's scared of the dark. Of nighttime, really. Then she was telling me about...about her time in that basement. There's some really fucked up shit to unpack there. The only solution I could think of was to watch over her so she could sleep."

The three of them stare at me for a moment before they kick off their shoes. I'm not about to tell them everything she unloaded tonight, not when my girl is upstairs waiting for me.

Trev's gaze is probing when he stands back up from untying his tennis shoes. "Did something happen between the two of you?"

I meet his stare head on and ignore the smirk on Kai's face. "I held her, she didn't panic. She actually pushed my glasses back up my face with her nose. There was definite tension. Oh, and I kissed her."

"You what?! Ridge, she's not ready for that!" Trevor hisses, advancing on me.

I stand my ground. In no way does he have a say in how I pursue Nina.

"Calm down Trevor. Nina doesn't need this kind of energy right now.

And I kissed the corner of her lips. But honestly, Trev, I read her cues accurately and knew not to push further than I did.

If this is going to work with all of us, we need to trust one another. "

"Ridge?"

Fuck. Turning around, I see Nina halfway down the stairs clutching a blanket to her chest. "Nina, I told you to stay."

To my surprise, she glowers at me and retorts, "I'm not a dog."

"Definitely not a dog," I agree, unable to hold back my grin. Henry steals her attention with a wave and a soft hello.

"I want to know what you meant," Nina says, her voice wavering slightly after she greets Henry and Kai.

Why did she have to fucking hear that?

Thankfully, my cousin steps in before I spill my guts. "Tomorrow, baby. For now, Ridge is going to keep you company so you can sleep and the three of us will keep watch down here, okay?"

"But why?" She genuinely seems confused why we would stay. "I mean, like...why do you care if I sleep or not?"

Well, fuck. How many times can one person break my damn heart?

Trevor's face falls, then turns to stone. "Come here, Nina."

"So demanding," Kai mumbles, making Henry laugh under his breath.

Henry's response is so fucking accurate. "But she's so beautiful when she obeys him."

That's putting it mildly . With a blush on her cheeks and her fingers digging into her blanket, she pads down the stairs and stops about a foot away from us.

Kai beats Trev by stepping into Nina's space and tucking a stand of hair behind her ear. "We care about you because we love you, Nina."

Her brown eyebrows furrow again, making me want to slam my head into the wall. It feels like we're messing this up and completely failing at communicating. Clearly, our casual fucking answers only add to her confusion.

"We'll talk about it in the morning," I interrupt before she gives herself a headache overthinking Kai's statement. I grab her bicep and immediately feel like an ass when she flinches. "Shit, I'm sorry."

"It-it's okay," she appeases and takes a steadying breath. "Just maybe go slow when you grab me?" The urge to encourage her to truly state her needs is strong, but that's a goal for later.

I nod and apologize once again, but I don't linger on the moment. Turning her back toward the stairs, I place my hand on her lower back and nudge her to get moving. "You need to sleep. Come on."

She doesn't fight me as she climbs the stairs after saying thank you to the others.

In a daze, she crawls back into her bed and snuggles down into her pillows looking absolutely exhausted.

I wonder if this happens every night where she stays awake scared until her body finally gives out and forces her to sleep.

It's not the time to ask questions, though. Instead I check her closet, ensuite bathroom, and under her bed. "All clear, Neen," I report and settle onto the window bench seat to keep an eye on her.

All she does is nod and curl into the fetal position. I hold her gaze until her eyelids take over and force her under. "Good night," I whisper and swallow down the emotion that threatens my composure. "I missed you," I can't resist from adding just as I can't stop a tear from slipping free.

I missed her so much.