Page 35 of Rock

Suddenly, the thought of having her in it made him finally feel more relaxed. He’d been off for the past few years, pacingat night, feeling out of body and not at rest. Not at peace. He’d thought a lot about Lyla, more so since his heart attack than before.

The health scare had made him face his mortality, and he hadn’t liked it. Holding Lyla made him feel alive again.

It was far too soon to predict what might happen between them, but he was hopeful. Perhaps foolishly so.

He didn’t address her comment. No, he was not her Daddy, but he’d give just about anything to be so. They didn’t need to talk about it. He would show her, win her over. He could feel it in his bones.

It would destroy him if she hadn’t felt like he was good enough for her back then, but he would find a way to make peace with it. All that mattered was how she felt now. If she’d been judgmental or allowed others to influence her at eighteen, that didn’t mean she would feel that way now.

It had never added up because Lyla had never once given him a single indication that she’d cared about him belonging to an MC or his tattoos or his cut. In fact, if anything, she’d always seemed in awe of him. She’d looked at him longingly as though he’d hung the moon. He’d had the impression she’d felt unworthy, as ifshewere the one who hadn’t measured up instead of him.

He’d never been able to make sense of her disappearance, and he had no more answers now than he’d had then. Time. They needed to get to know each other all over again.

He reluctantly tipped her head back and met her gaze, staring into her eyes for a long time. They hadn’t turned the lights on yet. There was nothing more than the streetlights coming in from the parking lot. It was enough, though.

She wasn’t pulling away from him, and that hit him hard in the feels.

He set his forehead against hers. “Let’s get you packed up.” His voice was gravelly.

“Okay,” she murmured.

Rock reluctantly released her and took a step back, looking around.

Turning toward the door, she flipped on the overhead light before closing the blinds. Next, she grabbed her suitcase from the corner, set it on the bed, and opened it.

“Can I help in any way?” He felt ridiculous just watching her, but he didn’t have the right to start rummaging through her things or touching her lingerie. Yet.

If she were his… Fuck, she would not be packing at all. He would sit her down and do it for her. But that was going too far tonight. He needed to back up a step and let her fill her own suitcase.

She nodded in the direction of the bathroom. “You could grab my toiletries while I pack the suitcase.” She stepped toward the drawers.

“Got it.” He turned toward the bathroom, found her makeup bag on the shelf under the sink, and filled it with everything on the counter.

When he returned to the bedroom, she was stuffing what he assumed was the last of her things into the large suitcase. He set a hand on the bed to lean over and hand her the case.

His palm landed on something lumpy in the bed and he set her toiletry bag on the suitcase and rose to pull the sheets back.

His breath hitched, and he staggered backward.

At the same time, her breath hitched, too, and she froze.

Rock leaned against the wall, staring at her, rubbing his mouth with his hand.

“I…” She closed her mouth and pursed her lips.

They stood there staring at each other for long seconds. His heart was beating so fast it threatened to explode out of hischest. He swallowed hard, fighting the emotional overload. He was a dominant man. He’d always been this way. He could be firm and bossy. He could make the Little girls in his MC tremble with fear when he threatened to tell their Daddies about their naughty behavior.

But right now, he was feeling too emotional to utter a single word.

It was Lyla who finally broke the standoff by reaching down to pick up the teddy bear from the bed. Not the one he’d given her ten minutes ago. The one he’d given herforty yearsago.

She brought the bear to her chest and held him tight. “I didn’t always sleep with him,” she whispered as though he needed an explanation. “I just… Recently… Especially when I knew I was coming here. Things… They came to the surface. Feelings. I…”

He shoved off the wall, rounded the bed, and pulled her into his arms again. This was fucking huge. She couldn’t explain it away. Any thought he’d ever had that she maybe didn’t remember him fled the room. She’d been sleeping with the bear he’d given her forty fucking years ago last night, for fuck’s sake.

He cupped the back of her head and held her gaze. The bear was smashed between them where she clutched it against her. He gave her plenty of time to turn away, but she didn’t. And he lowered his lips to hers slowly.

He could have devoured her, but instead, he kissed her sweetly, just enough to remind her of the chemistry between them. He wouldn’t take more. She was injured. He needed to get her home, let Doc look her over, and feed her. He needed to tuck her into bed with some painkillers.

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