Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
I reached for her slowly. When she didn’t try to get free, I pulled her against me, wrapping my arms around her in an embrace. Her towel and my clothes were the only things between us, and it felt damned good.
She didn’t resist but didn’t return the affection either. Just stiffened in my arms. This close, with my body surrounding hers, I could feel Apple shaking. Fine tremors racked her and she held her breath, letting it out slowly only to quickly suck in another one. I thought she might be fighting off tears. When I pulled back to look down at her, searching her face for any signs of what she was thinking, I saw she hadn’t been as successful at holding back the offending drops as she might have liked.
“I really do hate you,” she whispered as tears continued to leak from her eyes and drip down her cheeks.
“I know, baby. I deserve it too. But I’m going to make you a promise right here. Right now.” I cupped her face with my palms, swiping under her eyes with my thumbs. “I want you to listen to me. Really listen.” When she continued to stare up at me with her big blue eyes glistening I nearly groaned in defeat. This woman owned me! “I’m never leaving you again. Understand?”
“You said that before,” she whispered, shaking her head. “How am I supposed to believe you?”
“Faith, baby. Give me your faith and I swear to you, I’ll never hurt you again.”
She studied me for a long time. So long I was tempted to continue arguing my case. It wouldn’t be a good idea, which was the only way I held my tongue and just let her come to her own conclusions. I stroked her cheek with small movements of my thumb. It was a compulsion I couldn’t ignore. Any time she was near, I needed to touch her and knew I always would.
Then she did something I didn’t expect. Her expression crumbled and she threw herself into my arms, wrapping her arms and legs around me. “You hurt me so bad, Deacon. I was so lost. I tried to find someone else. I asked Falcon to come here because I wanted to hurt you as bad as you hurt me.”
“I know, baby. You had every right to lash out. What I did was inexcusable. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just want another chance to prove to you I can be the protector you need.”
She pushed back then, not unwrapping her legs from my waist, just leaned back so she could really see me. “I don’t need a protector, Deacon. I have all kinds of people here willing to protect me, and they’d do a brilliant job of it. I need a man who loves me. Like Rocket loves Lemon. I want what they have together.”
“Well, I ain’t lettin’ you be an officer in the club so don’t even ask.”
She gave me an exasperated look. “Do you even have that kind of pull with Iron Tzars? How long have you even been a patched member?”
I had to chuckle. My girl was hurting, still crying, and she was still giving me shit.
“Christ, I love you, Applejack.” The words just slipped out, but they felt right. Like I’d been waiting all my life to tell her that again. I had the feeling every single time I told her I loved her it would always feel like that. This woman was my one. No one else would ever do for me. “I have from the first day I met you.” I grinned down at her shell-shocked expression. “Shoulda known then I needed to treat you differently than anyone else in my life. You’re not a woman to sit by and watch while her man takes care of business. Just like your sister. Only… softer.”
I expected her to scowl and tell me she was exactly like her sister and fuck me for saying she wasn’t or something similar, but she just gave me a sheepish grin. “Lemon’s always been the warrior. I’m the nurturer. I like taking care of people.”
“I know, baby. It’s part of why I wanted to protect you. Even from myself. If anything had happened to you because of me, I’d never forgive myself. I tried to keep you safe by making sure you were sent away somewhere no one would find you, but you got hurt anyway.”
“And you came the second Lemon called you. I’ve been trying to hold on to my anger because of what you said that day, but the truth is, Lemon would have done the same thing for me. No matter how much it hurt. She might not have taken it as far as you did, but she’d have sent me wherever she thought I’d be the safest. And it kind of hurts to admit everyone in my life thinks I’m not strong enough to fight my own battles or to have their backs when they need it.” She turned away as she said that last bit.