Page 59 of Injustice and Absolution

“No, I was actually thinking maybe you don’t go back to the store. Find a new job. Come work at the club.”

My eyes go wide at the mere suggestion of becoming a stripper, and for a moment, I’m not sure I know the man sitting in front of me as well as I originally thought. Not that there is any shame in stripping, it’s just not something I would ever feel comfortable doing myself.

“As awaitress...Jesus, Delilah. I wouldneverallow you to strip.”

I don’t miss Drew’s use of the wordallow. I don’t particularly care for it, but I understand his meaning. I wouldn’t want him getting naked in front of a gaggle of rowdy women.

“I don’t know, Drew. I’m not sure I’m ready to leave my life in Gettysburg behind completely. I haven’t had a chance to be on myownyet. It’s only been a week. How pathetic... Plus, I can’t afford to break my lease.”

“It’snotpathetic, and I’ll speak to your landlord. There are enough code violations in that place to cause the city to condemn it. I’m confident I’ll be able to convince him to let you break it without penalty.”

His eyes glow with playfulness, but it’s gone quickly. Replaced by a shadow of dread.

“But after what happened last night... Delilah, I’ve never been more scared in my entire life. When I saw you lying on the floor like that, the first thought that crossed my mind was I’ve lost the only girl I ever truly loved.”

All my life, no one has ever spoken that word to me. Not genuinely in the way Drew just did. I wait to feel uncomfortable about it, unworthy of it. I wait for it to feel inauthentic, the way it did every time my father said it to me.

But Drew wraps it in a beautiful package and ties it up with a warm, yearning gaze. For the briefest of seconds, I see his own fear and insecurity slip through, and that is what finally sells it for me. Butterflies, strong like the ones I felt the morning I woke up to his note, flutter furiously within me. Just as I’m about to fall into his arms, he speaks again.

“It sounds crazy, I know. We’ve only been together a short while. But I’ve been in some terrible relationships before. Each one taught me hard lessons regarding what I want and don’t want in a partner. But the way I feel about you is different from any other woman I’ve been with.”

Unable to hold back any longer, I throw my arms around his neck and press my lips to his. He deepens the kiss, tracing my lips with his tongue as he stands up. Pulling me with him, he lifts me onto the kitchen table. Tilting me backward until I’m flat on its surface, he lays his body over mine. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I mold my body to his, never wanting to let go.

“I love you, too,” I declare.

And I do.

I fear his feelings may always be stronger than mine, but I’m not certain I have the ability to love as deeply as he can.

And though Royce is out of my life, I can’t deny he will always own a piece of my heart.

“I’ll consider your proposition...” I tell him, reluctantly pulling my lips from his. “Both of them. But I'm not quite ready to make my decision yet.”

“I understand, pretty girl. If youdochoose to move in, I promise you won’t be a kept woman. And if you come to work for me, you’ll be bringing in significantly more money than you do at Mathieu. So keep those facts in mind while you make your decision.”

I smile at his tenacity.

“And how do you know how much I make at the store?”

“I don’t,” he says, matter-of-factly as he straightens his body, “but my bartenders and waitresses generally bring home a couple hundred bucks a night. More on Fridays and Saturdays. If I was a betting man, I’d bet one weekend shift would far exceed your weekly paycheck at the store.”

As I sit up, letting my feet dangle over the edge of the table, I understand what he’s trying to do. I appreciate the fact that he wants me to be successful, but I can’t help but feel like he’s yet another person who doesn’t think the decisions I’ve made for myself are good enough.

Or are those my own insecurities that continuously eat away at me?

“Listen, you’remygirl. And as such, I have a right and an unyielding need to protect what’smine. I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again. But it’s a lot harder to do that if you’re all the way in Gettysburg.”

His promise wraps me in a coat of armor and makes me want to give into his every desire. His alpha personality reminds me of the way Royce has protected me in the past. I think I gravitate toward Drew more because of it.

“Just think about it. That’s all I ask.” He wraps his arms around me again. “And come with me to meet the fam this week. I think you’re really going to fit in with them.”

“Thefam, huh?” Drew’s referral to his employees as family shows me, even more, how compassionate he is toward those he cares about. I push my negative thoughts away and offer him a playful smile.

“Wearea family. Blood or not, we chose one another. Just like I chose you.”

The RBMC was supposed to be my family. But Royce pushing me away and Maggie failing to be supportive sure doesn’t feel like something family would do.

What the hell do you know about family anyway?

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