Page 50 of Ruthless Redemption

Since I wasn’t stupid about the kind of people my father consorted with, and who might consider me easy prey, I had readily agreed.

He had also referred me to a private security firm that could lend an additional layer of protection just in case. This I had not liked because at this point in my life I wanted to maintain privacy above all else, but again I agreed to it because I had a lot to learn when it came to living on my own.

My new security team was expected to arrive this afternoon to discuss my needs.

That almost made me laugh. My needs at this point were few. A safe place to live, some new comfy clothes that suited me, and a private place to nurse my broken heart. I really wasn’t stupid and could appreciate the money windfall that had fallen into my lap, but honestly, I’d give it all back to have more time with Houston.

Of course, I had no one else to blame but myself for the way things ended.

Had I been the dumbest person on the planet to insist on us separating? Was never going back to Seattle worth it?

I was beginning to doubt it all and that indecision was about to drive me insane…

Chapter Twenty

Izzy

I’d barely had time to go through the racks of clothing from the array of items the many boutiques in the Sinclair had sent up to my room, let alone pick any out before someone knocked on my door again.

I did have on the first item that had caught my eye, that being a pair of skin tight skinny jeans that were faded in the thighs and ripped at the knees. I’d paired that with a black leather bustier style sleeveless shirt that hugged all of my curves and a simple pair of black Manolo Blahnik skyscraper heels. The outfit had instantly perked up my mood and I’d decided on the spot it would be my first purchase.

There was no point in lying, I felt giddy with freedom as I went through the racks. Until now, my clothing choices had been dictated by my over conservative father or from the biker babe hand me downs that Patti had given me. Not that anything was wrong with the clothes Patti had let me choose from. I’d enjoyed many of them and decided then that I had an affinity towards leather and denim.

But this. Having the freedom to choose from virtually anything was an all new experience. If shopping for clothes made me this happy, I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel when I graduated to something bigger like cars and houses.

As I pulled the door open, ready to face whatever challenge came next, my hope both instantly died and bloomed brighter at the sight of Houston on the other side.

My body froze and my brain stuttered as I stared at the beauty of the man I had no hope of ever forgetting. Shit.

He didn’t say anything either as his gaze traveled down from my face all the way to my feet and back up again.

Although the resulting growl from his perusal curled my toes and made butterflies erupt in my stomach.

“Jesus Christ, Izzy. You are literally a biker’s wet dream come to life. Fucking A. What the hell is going on?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh, pull him into my arms or slam the door in his face. What was I supposed to say to that?

“Uhh—You don’t look so bad yourself.” And he didn’t. Actually he looked amazing. Gone were the jeans, black Henley tee and leather cut. He’d replaced them with black slacks that looked custom tailored to fit his gorgeous big body to perfection. As evidenced by the way my mouth went dry and the space between my legs tingled from looking at the way those sexy pants hugged his thighs.

There was a black button down shirt too and I think a jacket, but I had lost focus on the pants and my brain had stopped cooperating.

By the time my brain re-fired and began to work again, Houston was advancing into my suite and I was walking backward to keep pace.

“What—what are you doing here?” I quickly rounded the sofa, putting the furniture between us. It had been one thing to keep my distance when I didn’t see him in the flesh, but this…

He pointed to the small, subtle logo embroidered in black on his chest pocket that I’d failed to notice. It read Hawkins Security Group. Wasn’t that the name of—

“I’m the head of your new security team,” he said before I could even finish my thought.

“What?” I blurted, totally confused.

“Levi Hawkins, my new boss, you met him the night of the fight party. We were in the Corps together. He made me a sweet offer I couldn’t refuse. When your lawyer contacted him, he knew I’d want to be put in charge. He was right.”

I sidestepped the hand he reached out for me only to snag one of my heels in the plush carpet and nearly fall flat on my face before Houston caught me. I righted myself, but he didn’t remove his hands from my hips and I could feel the sizzle along my skin despite the clothes blocking his touch.

“I don’t—don’t understand.” I sighed. My lack of ability to string a normal sentence together was starting to agitate me. “I thought you were gone. Back to Seattle? With the club.”

He released his hold on me and took a few steps back. While I missed his touch, this gave me the opportunity to take a few deep breaths and hopefully regain my equilibrium.

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