Page 20 of Sully
Throughout our exchange, Sully had remained silent beside me, a solid presence radiating heat and unexpected comfort.But I felt the tension in his body, the way his muscles coiled tighter with each word exchanged between Tonio and me.He was watching, assessing, those observant eyes missing nothing.I wondered what he saw.Did he look at me like a spoiled little rich girl rejecting her father’s concern, or a woman fighting to maintain her independence?
I risked a glance at him and found his gaze not on Tonio, but on me.He was studying my face with an intensity that made something flutter in my chest.His gaze dropped to my hands, and I realized with embarrassment that I had his hand in a death grip despite the tough front I was putting up.I wasn’t scared.Not at all.One thing I knew with absolute certainty: despite letting him believe I thought he’d let those thugs abuse me, Antonio Miles would rather chew off his own arm than hurt me.So maybe I overreacted on this whole adventure.Or maybe I was afraid I might actually like the guy.Then where would I be?
“You don’t understand what I’m offering,” Tonio said, drawing my attention back to him.“Protection.Security.Family.I’d have kept your mother safe if I’d known she was pregnant.You’re my daughter, Darby.Let me be your father.”
“I’m fine on my own,” I countered, but the lie felt hollow even to my own ears.
Tonio must have sensed the crack in my armor because he took a step forward, hand outstretched as if to touch my arm.“Darby --”
The movement triggered something in Sully.In one fluid motion, he stepped between us, turning to pull me against his chest.His arms wrapped around me, careful of my injured ribs but unmistakably possessive.The suddenness of it left me breathless, my hands instinctively coming up to rest against his solid chest.
“She’s already home,” Sully declared, his voice low and firm as he addressed Tonio over my head.“She’s with me now.”
The silence that followed felt charged, electric.I could feel Sully’s heart beating steadily against my cheek, his body a wall of protection between me and the father I’d never thought I’d meet.The declaration hung in the air between us all, unexpected and absolute.Maybe I should have protested, but I didn’t want to.Not with Sully.I’d examine the why of it later.
Tonio’s eyebrows rose slightly as he looked between us, reassessing the situation with his calculating gaze.I couldn’t read his expression.Surprise maybe?Something very complex.I thought maybe he wasn’t sure how to feel about the situation.
I stayed within the circle of Sully’s arms even though I knew I needed to stand on my own.If I wanted my freedom, I was going to have to assert dominance over my own life.Instead, I leaned on Sully, letting his strength shore up my own.I let his claim stand unchallenged.It was terrifying how right it felt, how easily I could imagine belonging here, with him.
Tonio’s gaze settled on me, searching my face for confirmation or denial of Sully’s claim.I met his stare as calm settled over me.There was no defiance, only a steady reassurance that I would not be moved from the direction I was going.
Hell.Let him see it.Let him understand that I’d chosen this man, for however long it lasted.
“I see,” Tonio said finally, his voice betraying nothing of his thoughts.He picked up his glass again, swirling the amber liquid thoughtfully.“And does Kiss of Death understand what it means to stand between Antonio Miles and his daughter?”
The threat, subtle but unmistakable, made my muscles tense.I’d been avoiding exactly this.Dragging others into the complicated mess that was my life was not cool.Now Sully had placed himself directly in the crosshairs of one of the most dangerous men in Nashville, and all because of me.
But Sully didn’t flinch.His arms tightened fractionally around me, his voice steady when he replied.“I understand exactly what it means.”The simplicity of his answer, the lack of bravado or posturing, carried more weight than any threat could have.
I felt something shift between us in that moment, a realignment of power maybe.Underneath it all, a question hung unanswered.Was I truly prepared to accept what Sully was offering?Or would I run, as I always had, at the first sign of something real?
Tonio’s gaze shifted from me to Sully, his expression unreadable as he took another measured sip of his whiskey.“And what exactly are your intentions toward my daughter?”he asked, the formal phrasing somehow more menacing than any threat could have been.The question hung between them, two predators sizing each other up while I remained caught in the middle, still enveloped in Sully’s protective embrace.
“My intentions?”Sully repeated, his voice a low rumble I could feel vibrating through his chest against my cheek.I thought he might scoff or even tell Tonio it wasn’t any of his Goddamned business, but he didn’t.“I intend to keep her safe.To give her a choice about her own life and follow her wherever she wants to go.”His arms remained steady around me, his heartbeat a metronome against my ear.And my heart raced at his words.God, help me, I wanted so much to believe him.To finally have someone choose me.
I expected Tonio to bristle at the implied criticism, but he merely nodded as if Sully had confirmed something he already suspected.“And if her choices put her in danger?”
“Then I’ll be there,” Sully replied without hesitation.“Not to control her decisions, but to back her play.Whatever it is.”
My throat tightened at his words, and I looked up into his face.He was staring at Tonio intently, the truth of his words in his expression.How long had it been since anyone had offered support without strings attached?Yet here was Sully, promising not to change me but to stand with me, scars and flaws and all.And the man had spent exactly one night with me.
“Bold statements from a man who’s known her for what?A few hours?”Tonio’s tone remained even, but I caught the slight edge beneath the surface.
“When you know, you know,” Sully countered.“Sometimes a few hours is enough to know what matters.”
I should have pulled away then.Should have established my independence, made it clear I didn’t need either man fighting over me like some prize to be won.That would have been the smart play.Instead, I leaned farther into Sully’s warmth, my arms sliding around his waist in a gesture that surprised even me.His body tensed momentarily in surprise before relaxing, his thumb tracing a gentle stroke against my shoulder blade.
Tonio didn’t miss the movement.“Is this what you want, Darby?”he asked, his voice softening almost imperceptibly.“Him?This club?”
The direct question caught me off guard.I’d expected arguments, threats, perhaps even an attempt to forcibly remove me from the compound.Not this quiet request for confirmation of my own desires.
“Well, I don’t know much about the club, but they let me in with no questions and gave me privacy when I needed it.So, yes,” I said, the single syllable carrying more vulnerability than I’d intended.I cleared my throat and tried again.“Yes.This is what I want.”I didn’t fully understand the truth of it until the words were already out, hanging in the air between us like a confession.I wanted to add the obligatory “for now” qualifier but couldn’t manage it.
The funny thing was, I thought I saw approval in his gaze.For the briefest of moments.“I see.”He straightened his already immaculate suit jacket.“I won’t force you to return with me.But this doesn’t end our connection, Darby.You’re still my daughter, regardless of where you choose to sleep at night.”
“I don’t need a father,” I said, but the words lacked their earlier venom.And, Goddamn the man, he recognized it too.
“Perhaps not.But you have one nonetheless.”He turned his attention to Sully.“I’ll be checking in regularly.And should anything happen to her while in your care, you’ll answer to me personally.”
