Page 52 of Little Bird

And didn’t that make me feel like a fucking man. “Go with Andy. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

Hanging up the phone, I let out a deep breath, then got to work.

* * *

It wasa little after midnight when I finally got away from the club. Andy met me at the curb outside, the heat of the day still lingering in the air.

“How is she?”

“Pissed off, sir,” he replied.

“Did she give you any trouble?”

He shook his head and opened the rear door. “No, she came quietly, but I’ve known women like her before. She’s keeping all that rage pent up just for you.”

“Don’t I fucking know it,” I replied, unable to keep the smile from my face. Wren could be angry at me all she liked. In fact, that anger would make the sex fucking mind-blowing. I got into the car, and a few moments later, we were off.

“Did you see anything in the apartment that set the alarm bells ringing?” I asked.

“Nothing that I could see, but I don’t live there normally. You get a sense of when things are right or not in the place where you sleep.”

Such a military reply.

“Did she pack a lot?”

“Just one set of clothes and her toothbrush.”

Which meant she wasn’t intending on staying long. My smile intensified. I was so going to enjoy breaking her.

By the time we arrived back at my building, I barely greeted the doorman as I strode to the bank of elevators. Punching in the passcode on the keypad, the elevator rose quickly to the penthouse level. Stepping out into my marble foyer, I looked around. The place was dark except for the lights from the buildings around me seeping in through the wall of glass. Turning my head, I saw the faint glow of buttery yellow light coming out from under my closed bedroom door.

I slipped out of my jacket, draping it on the couch as I passed. When I got to the door, I paused. Listening. “Shit,” I muttered, pushing into the room and surprising Wren, who was curled up on my bed crying. She sat up, wiping the tears from her face.

“Bane.”

Fuck, seeing her upset was like getting a fucking shard of glass pushed through my still-beating heart. I went over and wrapped myself around her. It hit me then that I’d never felt this strongly about a woman before. Bianca was my blood, so she automatically received this kind of love from me, but Wren…

“I’ve got you, Little Bird,” I said into her hair. “I’ve got you.”

She sobbed a little harder, but all I could do was let her get these feelings out. I rubbed circles on her back, holding her tightly against me.

“I don’t know why I called you,” she whispered against my neck. “I don’t know why I felt the need to have you rescue me.”

I did. “You trust me to keep you safe.”

She reared away. “Yes, but when the fuck have I called a man to rescue me?” Her cheeks were stained red, matching her puffy eyes. She saw her needing me as a weakness when, in fact, it was the bravest fucking thing she could’ve done. I pulled her back into my arms, burying my face in her hair.

“You don’t need me,” I crooned. “You wanted me. There’s a difference.”

She froze in my arms. “Fuck.”

I chuckled. “Come on, baby, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I like that you wanted me to make you feel safe. Do you know how much of a turn-on that is?”

Shoving weakly against my chest to let her go, she sat back, running her sleeve under her nose. She had a frown on her face, one that I wanted to erase. “I shouldn’t want you to come to my rescue, either.”

“You don’t have to fight through life on your own anymore, Wren.” I reached for her again, but she slid away and off the bed. I groaned when I saw she was wearing short shorts and a tight tank.

“I don’t want to come to rely on you. What we have, it has an expiration date.”

---