Page 8 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

Then I can hear her groaning and mumbling words I can’t decipher. I see the door. He must’ve been too eager to close it. I’ve already pushed Darby out of the way, and when I run inside the room, Paisley’s on the bed and O’Brien’s on top of her, holding her down while struggling to push down her pants.

“Get your hands off her!” I roar.

O’Brien quickly turns to look at me at the perfect time. My fist meets his face, and he flies off of her and then rolls off the bed, crying and holding his nose.

Paisley squirms on the bed. She’s in an odd state of being alert while out of it. “Dad, Max, help me,” she slurs. “Mom…”

I don’t think. I sweep her up in my arms, adrenaline pumping. She’s as light as a feather.

“What did you give her?” I shout at O’Brien.

Blood streams down his lips and covers his hands. “You broke my nose!”

I won’t put Paisley down. She’s safest in my arms. And he should thank his lucky stars that my hands are occupied and not pounding the hell out of his face.

“What did you give her?” I shout louder.

I’m spitting. I’m enraged, but Paisley wraps her arms around my neck, and my anger starts to melt like butter.

“Pinkies,” O’Brien whimpers as he manages the blood flowing from his nose.

I look at Darby, who’s standing still, petrified that I’ll turn my wrath on him. Giving him what he deserves isn’t my priority at the moment. Paisley is.

“We need to get out of here without being seen. Make that happen.” I’m surprised by how much I sound like Achilles.

Darby doesn’t say anything. Head hanging, he scampers out of the room, and I know to follow him.

“I’m sorry about this, and, um…” Darby says as he anxiously rubs the back of his neck.

“You don’t need to apologize tome,” I say. His ass is grass, and he knows it.

“He wasn’t going to go all the way with her. We were just having a little—"

I don’t want to hear the rest. “You’d better be glad my hands are occupied, or they’d be beating the crap out of you right now.” Darby’s not a small guy, but neither am I.

“Where am I?” Paisley whispers. She’s groaning, and her head is bouncing against my shoulder like it’s hard for her to find a comfortable position and stick with it.

Her face is prettier up close, though, and for a moment, I’m mesmerized by her features and the sweet scent of her breath. “It’s me, Hercules. I’m going to get you some fresh air.”

Her eyes open a bit wider as Darby flicks on the light, and we turn down a long, empty service hallway. We quickly make it to the far end of the apartment, where there’s a single elevator markedGarage Level.

“You know, I have a scholarship, and so does OB.” Darby’s eyes are pleading with me to keep this all quiet as I step into the elevator.

I can’t think about how I’m going to deal with him yet as my finger stabs the down button. Paisley exhales against my neck. I narrow my eyes at him. The doors close between us, and that’s that. I’ll leave him worrying about what I’ll do next. I have to do something, though what that something is, I don’t know yet.

“Am I dreaming?” Paisley whispers.

I look into her half-open eyes. Seeing them this close makes my stomach tight. I don’t know why she incites strong feelings in me, but she does. “I’m going to get you to the hospital. Get you checked out.”

Her eyes open a little wider. “No,” she says drowsily.

“O’Brien put a drug in your drink, Paisley. You have to get checked out.”

“Am I…?” She brushes her cheek against mine, and I nearly lose it. Her skin is as soft as cotton.Damn.I grow a boner. “Is this really you?” she whispers as her eyelids flutter closed.

Then, as the doors slide open, her mouth presses against mine. Our tongues lightly brush, and our lips join the kiss. She’s the one leading us in this sensual and arousing make-out session. A grunt escapes me as I relish the taste of her sweetness. My cock throbs like it never has before. The doors close again, and that wakes me out of my stupor.

“Damn it,” I whisper, hitting the button to open the doors.