Page 36 of Saving Saul

“He’s fine,” I mutter, shaking out my hand and flexing my fingers. “Just out cold.”

Her gaze snaps to mine, and for a moment, there’s something raw between us—something heavy and undeniable.

She reaches out, just barely brushing her fingertips against mine. “Saul…” she whispers, so quiet I almost don’t hear it.

I exhale slowly, my pulse still thrumming with adrenaline. “You’re safe now.”

She shakes her head, stepping back, putting space between us. “Thank you,” she says, voice edged with something sharp. “But I had him under control. The violence wasn’t necessary.”

I tilt my head, barely restraining the growl clawing at my throat. “Not necessary?” I echo, glancing at the man’s unconscious form. “That bastard put his hands on you.”

Her lips press into a thin line, but I see the relief flickering in her eyes, how she liked being rescued—even if she won’t admit it.

And God help me, but I liked saving her.

Selene steps over his body, shaking her head. The man she came up to VIP with is long gone. “Tessa, are you kidding me? You couldn’t control him, and if I had known he was this disrespectful, I never would have dragged you up here.”

Tears well up in her sister’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Tessa. I should have listened to you.”

Tessa sighs and embraces her. “It’s alright. You weren’t aware of how terrible he could be because I never shared how heharassed me in high school. I felt too ashamed… believed I was somehow leading him on."

High school?

A new, burning rage licks up my spine.

“This fool was harassing you in high school?” I snap, my voice darker than I intended. This man doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her.

Both women look at me like I’ve lost my damn mind. Maybe I have.

Tessa shoots me a glare sharp enough to kill a weaker man. “Chill, Tyson,” she snaps.

She turns back to the man’s unconscious body, and I’m pissed. Her eyes should be on me; he’s of no consequence. She contemplates something before shifting her gaze back to me. I hate the worry I see there. I want to smooth every crease from her brow with my lips.

"Look, Marcus,” she uses my fake name pointedly, flicking her eyes toward her sister, making it clear Selene does not know who I am.

“It’s already been a long night. We’re heading home, and you should probably get out of here before he wakes up. He’ll be pissed, and I don’t want to see you get into trouble over me.”

I frown. Trouble?

“I’m not scared of him.” I take a step closer, lowering my voice. “Didn’t you see me lay his ass out?”

She rolls her eyes. “Yes, Action Jackson, we all saw you, but do you even know who you knocked out?”

I don’t care.

I don’t give a single fuck who he is.

I step in closer, close enough to breathe her in. She smells like cherries and honey and everything I want to ruin in the best possible way.

And she doesn’t flinch like she did with him. She doesn’t shrink away.

Instead, she steps toward me.

That’s because she’s mine.

I brush the back of my knuckles over her arm, savoring how her breath catches. “No, sweetheart,” I murmur, voice rougher than I intend. “I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

Selene snorts. “You should care, Romeo, because he’s Antoine Dupree.”

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