Page 13 of Unhinged Cravings
“Shit. You need to send me home. Please.” Her eyes pleaded with me, but I ignored the plea, rising from the bed and smoothing out my pants.
“No.” Gathering my senses and remembering who I was and why she was here, I turned my back on her and walked toward the door.
“Please, Emerson.”
That plea seared me, and I squeezed the door handle. “No.”
I opened the door, but her words stopped me. “Did you hold me all night to soothe my nightmares?”
Teeth gritting, I glanced back at her. I couldn’t afford to get attached to her. No matter that after this brief time, I could already sense it happening. “I only did it to stop the incessant screaming. The screaming stays in the basement. If you keep it up, I’ll lock you down there where I keep my enemies until they can’t endure my torture and die.”
I ripped the door open and stomped out of the room, waves of crimson blinding me. This was who I was, the cruel bastard who everyone feared. Not some nice guy who held terrified women through the night to chase away their nightmares. Not some weak man who fell for women in a day or cared if his hostage was comfortable.
Heading to my room, I convinced myself that this had been a moment of weakness. That I would avoid her for the next two weeks. But by the time I had pounded my aggression out in my gym, she was back on my mind where she stayed until I knew there was no avoiding her.
Chapter Eight
GREYSON
Gentle fingers smoothed the tension from my shoulders before Riley’s head rested on my back.
“They’re waiting for you,” she said, her hands wrapping around my waist.
I took them in mine and brought them to my lips. Never had I held something so precious as Riley now was to me. Thinking she may have been the one in my brother’s hands and that this wasn’t the first time she’d almost ended up there made my stomach knot.
Green eyes, dark with worry, looked back at me when I glanced over my shoulder at her. Turning, I pulled her closer.
“What did he say?” she asked.
I had stepped away to take the call with Emerson, leaving her in the main room with the others. The ass had ignored every call and text, making me wait until he was ready to talk. It was a move I would have made. I was the calm one, he was the impulsive one.
“Nothing good.” I gave her a quick kiss, wishing I had the time to savor it and more of her. But with her brother and Tyson waiting, not to mention Den, who was the most unnerved I’d ever seen him, now wasn’t the time to indulge. “Come on.”
I led her out to the living room. Den’s pacing was wearing a path in the floor near the windows. Mason was on the couch, a drink in one hand, his other around his girl, and Raines was in the chair with his wife sprawled on his lap. Apparently, we all came as a package deal now. It wasn’t the life to bring a woman into, but I didn’t have a choice with Riley, and I’d found she took after her brother in ways that still surprised me. Calculating and smart, she saw things I missed, looking at situations with a critical eye that surpassed even mine. Casey had taken down a pack of Bad Omen to save Mason. And Angie…well, as obstinate as she seemed, I had a suspicion Raines didn’t have any choice but to include her.
“I have two weeks,” I said, walking into the center of the room.
Mason leaned forward, swirling his drink in his hands. “Two weeks to what?”
Rubbing my temple, I said, “To decide. Me or Ava.”
Tyson pushed Angie to the side. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I hand myself over to my brother or he kills her. He’ll call me for an answer and if I give him the wrong one, she’s dead.”
“Fuck,” Den muttered, his pacing stopping.
“Why two weeks?” Angie said, staring at her nails. “Even I can make a decision in less time than that. Do I want a French manicure or just tips? The pink shoes or the black ones?”
The muscles in my jaw tightened. “Why are you even here?”
“Because she’s a bitch and won’t satisfy me if I leave her out,” Tyson said, biting her ear and eliciting a giggle from her.
My head had ached before, but now it was becoming a migraine. “This is not shoe shopping. This is life or death. Not a fucking manicure.”
“But she has a point,” Riley said, “as much as I hate saying that.” Angie threw her a look that Riley returned withoutflinching. “Two weeks is a long time in our world.” Our world. I loved her more every day.
“I’m inclined to agree.” Mason took another swig of his drink. “These are the Omens we’re talking about. They don’t give timelines. They act swiftly and with intent. Something’s off.”
