Page 82 of Attraction (Mobsters + Billionaires 3)
He starts to nod and push up against me when…fuck.
Before I have a chance to clock it, something changes.
He slides away from me onto the floor and begins to shake.
Fuck, he isnotokay.
“Ford?”
In a panic, he pulls the duvet down on top of himself, covering his body.
I grab a pillow, covering myself. “Ford?”
He holds up his hands, and his voice is thin. “Bad memory. Glitch in the matrix. I’ll be fine.”
I pull up my sleep pants, reach into my suitcase, and drag a long-sleeved cotton shirt over my head.
“What can I do? Do you need me to leave you alone?” I ask, handing him his robe.
Tears start falling down his cheeks. “God no. Don’t leave me by myself.”
“Do you want me to hold you?”
He nods, taking my hand, fighting some God-awful emotion as I gently pull his robe around him before taking him into my arms.
Safe, safe, safe,he murmurs, tapping his chest. I bring my hand over his, tapping with him.Home, home, home.
As soon as he starts to look more at peace, exhaustion pulls him down like a wave. He slumps against my body, listless, save for the way he grips my T-shirt. I pick him up and carry him to the overstuffed chair by the bed, sitting with him in my arms.
Ford tucks into me the way he did earlier on the patio. “It’s okay if you don’t want to deal with this.”
A jagged knife to my gut would hurt less than those words, and my chest hitches as I bite back a sob. Tightening my arms, I reassure him, “I already told you, little bird. I’m notdealingwith it. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from this moment with you.”
He whimpers in response, burrowing his face in my neck.
As he drifts off, he whispers, “I don’t regret doing this with you. I promise.”
I’m relieved that Ford can easily fall asleep in my arms like this, but I am heartbroken for him. Heartbroken and enraged. If whoever did this still walks this earth, they better be making some fucking arrangements.
I’d bet money on it being that motherfucker, Fallon. So, with Ford asleep in my arms, I stretch for my phone on the bedside table and send a text to Ryder.
Me:Give me everything on Fallon O’Shea.
Ryder:You got it.
Thirty minutes later, Ryder sends over the preliminary information on Fallon Gerald O’Shea, including links to his social media and his family’s business. His entire life is a perfect checklist for creating a narcissistic asshole.
Ryder:Ford and Fallon dated while they were both sophomores in college.
Ryder:Around the time of their split, Ford was treated for a cheekbone fracture. He refused to press charges and never named an assailant.
I ball my fists. I am going to kill this motherfucker.
Ryder:Look, I know you only asked me to look into Fallon O’Shea, but that took all of three minutes, and I had some time on my hands.
Me:Do I want to know?
Ryder:The whole thing with his mom and dad is juicy AF.
