Page 87 of Bound By Her

“Did you just shower?” she asked.

“Just finished a workout,” he said, pulling a black T-shirt over his head like it was an afterthought. His voice was even, unbothered, as if he hadn’t just spent the last hour pushing his body to exhaustion.

Adria crossed her arms. “You think tonight was a success?”

He smirked, rolling his shoulders. “He protected you. A little overzealously, sure. But what do you expect?”

His sharp eyes flicked to hers.

“He’s a hothead.”

“What happened to your face?” she said, getting a good look at him. There was a bruise under his left eye.

“Zameer clocked me for not warning him about the kid’s abilities,” he said. “Those guys were retired Navy Seals. I think he impressed them all.”

Adria put her hands on her hips. “I wasn’t aware he was going to be put in a position that would be impressive. He was stabbed.”

Eric shook his head, a soft smile playing on his lips. “No, he stole Will’s knife. Will was trying to keep the situation from going bad to worse.”

“Thankfully,” he continued, “no one got hurt.”

Adria stepped closer to him.

“Seth got hurt.” Her voice shook.

This whole thing was her fault. She listened to Eric instead of her gut.

“Who cares if the kid got hurt?” Eric said, waving his hands dismissively.

“I care,” she said, her voice soft.

She thought about how quickly Seth had jumped in to defend her. And about how small he had looked in Kaydon’s arms when she had tucked him in earlier today.

Thank you for taking care of him.

Kaydon thought she was taking care of him. He thought that because Seth was doing everything he was supposed to do, he deserved her protection. She had been careless with him. The blood on his shirt flooded into her mind. If things had been different. If Eric’s man had gotten his aim just a bit wrong.

“I CARE,” she shouted into the space.

Eric moved towards her, matching her energy and tone.

“Well, you better figure out a way not to care. Christ, Adria, you have to sell these three in six months. You can’t go and catch feelings.”

A laugh bubbled up in her. She felt raw and uncentered.

“What now?” he said, eyes narrowing.

“Catching feelings…” the bubbling turned into full-blown laughter, “you’re too old to say stuff like that.”

He smiled, letting out a breath.

Her laughter continued until she felt wetness on her face. Eric’s eyebrows bunched together as he pulled her into an embrace.

“It’s my fault,” she said, tears falling freely now.

“Oh, hun,” Eric said, his voice barely a whisper. “Seth’s fine. I checked the wound myself. The guys at Calhan’s are fine. Everything is fine.”

His beard brushed against her forehead as he kissed the top of her head. She leaned into it, allowing herself a moment to feel safe.

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