Page 61 of Creed

“The fuck?!” Creed shouts as he shoots to his feet and begins pacing. “Have you told anyone else about this?”

I shake my head, “Like who? The police? Guy is a rich man who thrives on the corruption of the world and he’s got plenty of law enforcement in his pocket to keep the cops quiet. Trust me, I’ve tried that before. Besides, they don’t do shit for the girls who work in the club, so I doubt they’ll listen to me or do a damned thing over getting crude anonymous texts, Creed.”

“Let me see.” He demands, pausing his pacing long enough to look at me.

“See what?” I ask.

“The fucking texts, Collins. I want to see what the fuck this guy is saying to you.”

“I delete the messages as soon as I block the numbers. Nothing has ever come of it, though. He’s thousands of miles away, and I don’t think he really knows where I am. They’re just empty threats. But I don’t want to put any of this burden on you if he decides to come looking.” I try to explain, but he’s staring at me like none of what I’m saying is registering with him. “I appreciate you offering to help me, but I can handle it on my own.”

Lies. It’s all lies coming out of my mouth when I say I can take care of myself, and based on both Riley and Creed’s expressions, neither of them believe me anyway.

“That doesn’t mean you should.” Creed says with a surprising softness. “You’ve been on your own for too long, Stardust. Fighting like hell to keep your spark alive.” I silently watch him as he approaches me and crouches down again. He takes my hand in his and squeezes firmly. His bright eyes darken, his intense gaze holding me captive. “You’ve been reduced to ashes when you deserve to be the fire that sets the world aflame.”

“Creed…” I rasp, emotion clogging my throat and my breathing picking up as his words play on repeat in my head. I don’t know what else to say anyway because, fuck, I should not be getting turned on by his words that just came from his mouth but, shit. Here I am. Hot. Bothered. Wet for a whole other reason that has nothing to do with the pool.

“Is all of that why you were saying no to the idea of traveling with us on tour?” He asks, but his eyes widen, as if he figured out the answer for himself. “You didn’t want to risk anyone coming after us.”

“I would never, ever, knowingly put you in a difficult situation or bring danger to your doorstep. You’re too important to get tangled up in all my bullshit, Creed.” I rasp, a rogue tear I didn’t realize had built up falls down my cheek.

In two long strides, Creed is standing before me, a quiet yelp passes my lips when he yanks me out of my seat. The next thing I know, I’m being lifted up, his arms banding around me in a tight hug. Our height difference has my feet dangling nearly a foot off the ground and it takes monumental effort on my part to not wrap my legs around him and cling to him like my life depends on it. I feel like that would send the wrong message when he just drew a new line in the sand after we crossed it last night.

I feel him smile against my skin as he buries his face into my neck and breathes, “You stupid, self-sacrificing, beautiful girl. You’re not alone anymore, so don’t go be a hero and try to save me.” A shiver shoots up my spine when he nuzzles his face closer for a fraction of a moment before he pulls back, his brilliant blue eyes shining when he sets me back on my feet. He doesn’t let me go as he gives me a crooked smile. “You could wound a man’s ego like that.”

His light-hearted joke makes me smile and I feel some of the heaviness that was looming over me lift a bit. I take a much-needed step back and sit when my calves hit the lounge again.

I glance at Riley as Creed takes a seat next to him again and the corners of his mouth are tipped up in a sweet smile, but his eyes…that soulful gaze holds an unspoken promise that he doesn’t voice but I understand anyway.

Creed pulls my attention once more when he reaches forward and takes my hands in his, his expression soft but serious. “You know, I made a promise a long time ago to always help to take care of you. I fucked up by not choosing you back then,” he says solemnly and I open my mouth, wanting to say something, but he keeps going, not giving me the chance, “but I have the chance to fix that if you’ll let me. We may have lost one another in life for a while, but I’ve fucking found you again and my protecting you doesn’t stop—won’t stop—at adulthood. It’s a lifelong promise that I intend to keep, Stardust.”

I close my eyes and let the meaning of his words wash over me. But does Creed leave that tender moment the way it is?

Of course not.

“By the way,” he continues, running his hand back and forth across his sharp jawline. “Your boss, Tank, is a nasty motherfucker—and I mean that in the grossest sense of the term. But he doesn’t scare me, and neither does that prick, Guy. I can handle them, and more than that, we have a top rate security team. So I’ll tell you this one more time, and I hope my words really fucking stick in that big brain of yours. I’m. Taking. Care. Of. You. Riley and me? We will protect you. Fuck, even Bear, too, because I know he recognized you last night and asked about you this morning in the band meeting. The guys and I won’t let a damn person so much as blink in your direction if you don’t want them to, okay?” he says softly, a secret smile playing across his lips and it has me smiling back at him.

I squeeze his hands in mine as more tears cascade down my cheeks, before I can let go and wipe them away, Riley’s hand sweeps out and I feel the back of his forefinger swipe gently across my cheekbone. He then surprises me when he cups the side of my face, his thumb moving in a reassuring back and forth motion.

“He’s right,” Riley starts, his hand still cupping my face. My eyes flicker to Creed for a flash of a second but dart back to Riley when I see he’s unaffected by his best friend touching me in such an intimate way. Why would he, though? After he told me we couldn’t be more than friends? My heart sinks a little at the memory. Riley continues, pulling me from my thoughts. “I know we don’t really know one another, yet.” He says and he gives me a playful grin that promises nothing but fucking shenanigans. “But you’re important to Creed, and therefore, important to me. He’s my only family, and I’ll help him to protect his family, and that includes you, Snow.” He grinning brightly at me, his dimples each popping out when he does and it feels like a hundred butterflies take flight in my belly at the beauty of his smile.

I wouldn’t know how to describe how unique his smile is, but it’s fucking amazing. Perfectly straight, white teeth, with slightly elongated canines, making him look like some kind of fae prince who decided to become a drummer in a rock band.

His whole face is beautiful, really. His perfectly imperfect auburn curls that are shaved down short on the sides and left longer and mussed on top. His sweet freckles that smatter across his face and the slight golden hue to his skin from performing outdoors. His deep brown eyes, so dark they almost seem black, but they’re certainly not emotionless.

Ugh. How can he be simultaneously adorable and sexy as sin at the same time? His looks, his personality, and empathetic nature combined with his unexpected touch sparks through me like an electric current. The feeling of both of these men touching me in such an innocent way, it’s igniting a confusing feeling deep within me that I have to force down.

I need to control myself. It’s completely wrong of me to be looking at Riley this way when I was just in Creed’s lap last night. It makes me feel like a shameless hussy.

Christ.

I force myself back to reality and I study their handsome faces, really seeing the sincerity of their promises. “You really mean all of that?” I ask, my voice nearly hoarse with the amount of emotion clogging my throat, hindering my speech even more than it already is. Something is clawing at me on the inside, just begging either of them to assuage my trepidation.

I’m certain that they each just told me the truth of what they felt, but I always find it hard to believe the sincerity of others because of how I was raised after the boys left. My heart held out so much hope that I would find a family that would care for me the way I deserved until I could see Creed and Asher again, but time and time again, I was failed. My social worker gave me pretty words and promises, only for them to be broken by the next family I was stuck with.

“Of course,”

“Yes,”

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