Page 40 of Mending Hearts

“You know what I mean.”

She resettled against me, her small hand resting over my heart, and she was quiet for so long I wondered if she had givenin to sleep.

“Should I quit the tour?” she whispered.

It took a moment to follow her logic. “Because of what happened tonight? With the bleeding?”

“Do you think he’ll tell me I need to quit?”

“I don’t know. If he does, are you okay with that?”

She let out a long breath. “I had a really bad day.” Her voice was thick with tears. “Maybe it’s a sign to take a break. Cade was never like that before. I don’t know—why would he act like that?”

“You two used to date?”

“A PR stunt, mostly. But yeah. I mean…we’ve slept together before. Today wouldn’t have been the first time. Which he so kindly pointed out while trying to slide his hand between my thighs.”

Tension shot through me, causing all my muscles to tighten. “I’m not a violent guy, Mia. But seeing you like that, knowing what he tried to do? I wanted to beat him, maybe even kill him. I’ve never felt that,” I searched for the right word, “intensity before.”

“You hid it very well.” There was an edge to her voice.

“I didn’t want to scare you.” I huffed out a breath. “He’d just attacked you, and thenIget violent?” I rubbed her arm. “But Laura coming in with the useless comments about PR and the nightclub was the pinnacle of stupidity. I know she’s your mom, but…like, what the hell was that?”

“I didn’t tell her what happened.”

“Doesn’t matter. You were clearly upset. The room looked like there’d been a fight. Pasha had to escort him out. Making the leap isn’t rocket science.” I bit off the next comment I wanted to say about how terrible Laura was as a mother. Maybe these things made her a good manager for Mia’s career, but they made her a nightmare as a parent. But I had friendswith bad parents, and I learned family lines couldn’t be crossed, even if the family member was awful.

“That’s just my mom.”

Talking about Laura more might cause a rift, and I liked having her tucked into my side, her breath drifting across my chest. I’d have to let it go. “I’m glad you called me.”

She rose onto her elbow, and I could sense more than see her looking down. Her hand slid up my chest and cupped my cheek. Her hair fell around my face as her lips brushed my cheek. “Thank you for coming.”

“Pretty Boy didn’t have much choice once you called me an Uber.” A grin spread across my face, and I pushed her hair back gently. “We need to chat about that nickname.”

“You don’t like it?” Her voice was breathy in the darkness. “You call me Mini sometimes instead of Mia.”

“That’s because you said you were my dictator.”

She muffled her laugh in my neck, and goose bumps rose across my arms. Barely clothed, in bed, in a pitch-black room with one of the sexiest women I’d ever met who happened to be carrying my child, and I was determined I wasn’t going to make any moves. I wasn’t going to be an assertive asshole who read too much into her affection.

“I remember. I can be such a bitch.”

“I’d never call you that.”

“You don’t know me that well yet.” Her lips grazed my ear.

Tonight, I was going to die in this bed and God would make me a saint. St. Tyler, patron saint of sexual frustration.

Nope. Not even that was working as a suitable distraction.

“Do you want me to know you?” My voice was rough with desire, but I couldn’t conceal it any longer. “You can’t seem to decide.”

“Are you calling me a tease?” She pulled back as though I’d sloshed cold water over her.

“No.” I reached for her when she tried to move away. “I’m saying you seem confused sometimes. Or unsure. Or indecisive. That doesn’t make you a tease. Do you know what you want? I know you thought you did. But is that still what you want?”

Silence stretched in the dark, my hand on her stomach, keeping her within arm’s reach, as it rose and fell with her breathing.

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