Page 60 of Vipers & Roses

“I promised to go at your pace, so this is me going at your pace,” he says. But as soon as you change your mind, let me know.”

“Okay,” I whisper and lean over and kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”

“Sleep well, beautiful,” he yawns. “Like I said, I’ll be up early at five, so hopefully, I won’t wake you.”

I find solace in his gentle breath, which deepens into a slow, melodic rhythm. I drift off to sleep and sink into the comforts of the mattress, but I don’t wake again until he climbs out of bed.

“Where are you going?” I ask him.

“Training,” he whispers. “Go back to sleep, Rae.”

The rustling of clothes is followed by the unzipping of a bag. Soft lips press against my forehead, and moments later, he’s gone. I roll over, trying to get back to sleep, but the more I try, the more awake I feel.

It’s still dark, so I climb out of bed to get a glass of water from the kitchen to quench my dry throat. The living room smells of stale beer and pizza, and crumb-covered plates are stacked on the kitchen bench, waiting for someone to wash them.

“Well, that’s a sight for sore eyes,” Blake’s husky voice croons, and I startle in fright.

“It’s early. I thought you’d be asleep,” I say, peering behind the table to find Blake stretched out on the couch with a single blanket draped over his lower half, arms resting behind his head, chest bare with a slight strip of dark hair from his belly button disappearing under the blanket.

“Yeah, well, lil’ big bro woke me up,” he grunts, “by flicking the light on. Did you sleep alright?”

“Yes,” I answer, becoming aware of my lack of clothing as all I’m wearing is a T-shirt that stops at my lower abdomen and a pair of white panties. I step behind the table to block his view of my bare legs and try not to perv at his body, but it’s hard having a conversation with someone without looking at them. “Did you sleep okay on the couch?”

“Nah, I prefer my bed, but I thought it might be too crowded in there,” he states, which makes me smile.

“We didn’t do anything if you’re worried about your sheets being marred or something,” I don’t know why I felt the need to say that.

“I figured that,” he replies, watching me closely with those dark eyes. “The walls are thin.”

“He’ll likely lose interest in me before I come around to doing it,” I confess.

Blake snorts. “Somehow, I doubt that. That boy is like a limp dog over you.”

“I feel like I’m disappointing him,” I add, swallowing over a lump in my throat.

“Rae, he’s not dumb. It’s obvious that you’re hurting deep down inside and need a patient hand,” Blake explains, “not a feckless fool.”

I nod and sip my water. “Does he know what you do in the depth of the night and who you work for?”

“Yeah,” his voice is husky and so damn sexy, “he knows.”

“Wow, I didn’t you expect to say that considering who Cormac’s father is,” I argue.

“Mr. Bernardi works for the Sex Crimes Unit, so he’s not gonna care about a petty thief like me,” he argues.

I snort in laughter at his faux innocence. “Yeah, but you work for-”

“The same man you work for,” he interrupts. “You know right now, Rae, with the light dim like it is, you look like one of those movie stars straight out of the nineteen-fifties. All natural beauty and class.”

“Is that come on?” I challenge the charmer.

“No, it’s an observation,” he answers swiftly, roughing his raven hair with his hand. “What are you afraid of?”

His question chills me, and I hesitate before answering, “Men sometimes scare me.”

“Like those two men who jumped you last night?” he enquires, and I suspect this line of question comes from a place of distrust, not of me, but the lies I have told.

“Yeah, just how men are so much physically stronger, and sometimes there seems to be a thin line between the protector and the aggressor.” I lick my lower lip and sip from my glass again while he waits silently for me to add to my confession. “So much damage can be done in a single moment. And they walk away scot-free while their victim suffers for years.”

---