Page 58 of The Thief
He regarded me for a moment, biting his bottom lip, and I wasn’t sure what he was going to say next. But then he frowned, shook his head, and moved towards the door to leave. But as he lifted his arm to open it, he stopped and I heard him say, “Fuck it,” before turning back around and stalking towards me.
Seeing him move like a panther on the prowl, ready to devour its prey, I stepped back. The determination burning in his eyes made my stomach roll and set a million butterflies free to flutter madly inside me. His hard body pushed up against me, making me bump my back into the wall behind us. Then he rested his forehead against mine, staring right into my eyes. A stare that saw through all the bullshit, right to my very soul. A scorching stare that I couldn’t escape from. I didn’t want to escape.
“Don’t do that,” he said in a low, commanding voice.
“Do what?” I replied breathlessly, the heat from his body making me feel weak and needy.
“That. Doubt yourself. I can see it in your eyes.”
“I’m not doubting anything,” I said, knowing in that moment I was lying, but hoping he couldn’t tell.
“You can’t fool me. It’s written all over your face.”
He placed his hands flat on the wall either side of my head and lowered his face, moving even closer.
“Where is she?” he asked, and I frowned, getting a little annoyed that he was being so confusing, but feeling utterly turned on at the same time.
“Where’s who?”
“Where’s that fourteen-year-old girl who took no shit and stood up for herself? The one who stood toe-to-toe against me and told me what she thought.”
I gritted my teeth, anger beginning to bubble beneath my surface. I didn’t like that he was questioning me. It made me want to push him away. But then, when I started to breathe deeply, narrowing my eyes on him in an accusatory way, he said, “Ah! There she is. I knew she was in there somewhere.”
“Why are you doing this? Why now?” I tilted my head and glared at him, trying to understand why, after the day we’d had, he’d try to pick a fight with me.
“Because I know you heard every word I said to Ava upstairs. Because you’re jumpy and hesitant. You don’t know if you’re doing the right thing and you’re doubting yourself. But let me tell you something. The girl I knew all those years ago wouldn’t give a fuck what anyone else thought. She wouldn’t let what happened to her in that bank destroy the life she’s built for herself and her little girl. Because she’s strong. She knew back then how to put me on my fucking ass and bring me down a peg or two. And she can still do it, if you let her loose and stop overthinking everything.”
He took a moment, his eyes boring into mine.
“Jess, you’ve brought a daughter into this world... on your own. You have this house, this life, and you’ve raised Ava for three years without anyone else interfering. Your choices, the things you’ve done for her have all been right, because look atwhat an amazing little girl she is. And that’s because of you. You did that. So don’t let a blip in your story, a bunch of fucking losers in balaclavas, who aren’t worth shit, ruin any of it. I won’t let you. But I need you to feel that anger for yourself. Pull that girl, with all the balls to stand against a boy twice her size and call him a nasty thief, back out to play. You’re better than this, Jess. You’re strong. Now fucking show it. Fight. Fight for that girl upstairs. Fight against the shit that’s going on in your head. But most of all, fight for yourself. Because you deserve better than a half-life. You deserve the fucking world.”
He didn’t move, just stood with his hands against the wall, caging me in.
“That’s quite a way to say goodnight,” I gasped, and he took his hands off the wall, stepping right into my space as he cupped my face in his hands.
“If I had my way, I wouldn’t say goodnight at all,” he growled, and the predatory way he looked at me made my legs go weak.
I felt like I was standing on a cliff, contemplating whether to turn and run or jump off the edge. But before I could make that decision, Tyler made it for me.
“I don’t want to rush things, Jess. What we’re building here means too much to me. I don’t want to fuck it up.”
His thumbs stroked a gentle caress on my cheeks as he smiled down at me.
“I will fight. I am fighting,” I stated firmly, lifting my chin to stare back at him. “Don’t mistake who I am. Don’t take my kindness for weakness.”
“That’s one thing you’re definitely not, Jess. You’re not weak. I just think you’ve been thrown off track. If I can help youget back on it, I will.”
“It’s not always easy,” I said, trying to explain myself. “But I’m trying my best.”
Tyler nodded, stroking my cheek and looking at me in a way that made my insides sparkle and ignite in a way that I’d missed for so many years.
“You are,” he whispered. “But you don’t have to do everything yourself. You can ask for help. I want to help. I’m here if you need me. For anything.”
Standing with his body so close, his breath fanning my face as his lips stayed just a whisper away from mine, I wanted to ask for more. I wanted to take his hand and walk upstairs to my bedroom. Make him show me exactly how he could help ease the ache I felt in my body, my heart, and between my thighs. I was a single mum who hadn’t had sex in over three years. There were a lot of fucking ways he could help me. But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t move. I just waited.
And then, he leaned forward just a fraction, to brush his nose against mine, and I closed my eyes and sighed, savouring the smell of him. The hint of what could be was so close, I could almost taste it.
“Keep making noises like that and I won’t be able to hold back any longer,” he whispered.
