Page 32 of Ruthless Angel

Cash pulled me against his large body, enveloping me in his muscular arms. “I know. I’m sorry we dragged you into this shit with Brady. You deserve better.”

“It’s too late now.” I sniffed, pulling back to look up into his captivating blue eyes. “You guys wanted to keep me, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

“No,” Cash agreed. “I don’t either. Do you want it to change?”

I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. Sometimes I felt like the Angels had turned my life upside down. Other times it felt like they’d given me so much that I’d been missing.

There was no denying or forgetting that I hadn’t asked for any of this. The Angels had forced themselves on me. Cash had basically admitted that they had no plan to change that. Theyweren’t good guys. Still, I couldn’t convince myself to hate them. Not really. Not anymore. They’d really done a number on me.

Turning back to the kettle, I got busy fixing tea. “Honestly, Cash, I have no damn idea. My head is a mess these days.”

Cash filled a glass with water, hesitating on his way out of the kitchen. “I know this might not mean shit to you, Clover, but you’re good for us. You make us better.”

He left the room before I could respond, not that I knew what to say. After making a mug of chamomile tea for both Blaze and myself, I fixed him a plate of food and took it upstairs. His bedroom was filled with a cloud of weed smoke. Cash sat on the end of the bed playing a video game on the TV while Daire sprawled on the bed next to Blaze sharing a joint.

At my arrival, Cash turned off the game, motioning for Daire to follow him. I didn’t expect the two of them to leave me alone with Blaze. It was nice though to have this time. I hadn’t been alone with him in weeks. Since before I sold them out to the Gods. That felt like eons ago.

I set the tray of dishes I carried on the dresser. Then I placed a mug of tea on the bedside table next to Blaze before arranging the plate of food on his lap.

“I hope this is okay. Let me know if you need anything else.” I sat carefully on the edge of the bed beside him.

The way his tousled hair flopped onto his forehead brought a smile to my face. Blaze had this way of being totally endearing without even trying. Even when he was being a threatening asshole. Although I didn’t seen him doing that any time soon.

He dug into the food, taking a bite of chicken. Closing his eyes as he savored the taste, he said, “Goddamn this is good, Clover. The only thing I’d rather eat right now is your pussy.”

“Blaze!” Caught off guard by his bold remark, I burst into laughter.

“What?” His eyes opened and he hit me with a flirtatious grin. “It’s true. Getting my ass beat for days didn’t affect my desire to taste that sweetness between your legs. Maybe you can ride my face for dessert.”

“I’m glad your sexual appetite hasn’t been ruined, but I think it might be too soon for that kind of thing. You need to heal.” Relief helped ease some of the tension from my body.

Blaze’s ability to crack jokes and flirt made me feel so much better. He was still himself despite everything that had happened. Deep down I knew he had to have some trauma from what he’d endured. Thankfully, he wasn’t a mere broken shell of himself. He was still in there.

“I’ll heal a lot faster if I can taste that pussy. I could use a solid blow job too.” He winked as he shoveled a forkful of potatoes into his mouth.

I shook my head, patting his leg through the blanket. “I see that your pain pill has kicked in. Don’t get carried away and try to do more than you’re able. Take it easy, okay? I want you to heal properly.”

Blaze took a few more bites, wincing when even chewing proved painful. He was so not ready for sexual escapades.

“How has everything been around here?” he asked, glancing at the doorway. “How was Daire?”

I followed his stare through the open door. Daire and Cash were downstairs eating the rest of the food I’d made. Their voices carried up the stairs as they talked about finding Brady.

“He was pretty uptight. A little over the top, but what else is new?” The ache between my legs spoke volumes about how Daire had been feeling. The bloody scratches on his back and the bruised bite on his neck proved that I’d been a little chaotic myself.

“I hate to say it but I was afraid he would give you to Brady.” Blaze’s voice dropped in volume. “I wasn’t sure if I could trust him to protect you.”

“He was a stress case, no doubt. He mentioned handing me over to them. When it came down to it, he kept me safe. I just wish this hadn’t happened to you.” I didn’t mean to bring down the mood. It was so damn hard to see Blaze in pain.

Blaze popped a piece of broccoli into his mouth. His gaze went to the scarf around my neck. “What are you hiding under there?”

Since we were at home now, I pulled off the scarf to reveal the marks on my neck. “Like I said, Daire was a stress case.”

Blaze studied the bite and finger marks I bore. “So were you, I guess. I saw what you did to Daire. I didn’t know you had that kind of aggression in you.”

“Neither did I.”

“I guess that means you really care about me, huh? Even after what happened? I kind of thought maybe I didn’t mean that much to you.” The light in Blaze’s eyes faded as he awaited my response.

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