Page 65 of Gluttony
“Okay, grumble bum.” Lilo flared her eyes at Tony. “You can go now. But please come down and tell us everything when you get a chance.” To Bailey, she added, “We’ll come visit you tomorrow, honey, and let you know the goss. I’m sure everyone will come back fine.”
Bailey barely had time to give her thanks before Tony grunted and kept walking. Over his shoulder, Bailey saw the women join with Grace and share a familiar rapport. The wives and girlfriends of the Lazarus crew had always been nice to Bailey, even when she’d only been their bodyguard, but once they’d learned Bailey was Tony’s mate, they treated her like family. A feeling of rightness bloomed in her chest as they got further from the women and she knew that one day, she’d be right there with them.
* * *
“Shh. I’ve got you.”
Bailey jerked awake with a gurgled scream echoing in her mind.Herscream.
“You’re safe.”
She blinked, realizing they’d somehow made it to Tony’s apartment. She must have dozed off against his chest while he carried her. The memory of the drowning was still fresh and left its imprint on her nervous system. She’d relived it the moment she’d closed her eyes. Adrenaline pumped through her body, making everything skip—her heart, her breath.Calm down.
“I’m just putting you down here while I turn the shower on.” The volume of Tony’s voice dropped to a calm baritone rumble. It felt so good next to her ear, coming from deep within his chest, that she instinctively gripped onto him when he tried to disengage from her body.
“Babe,” he said softly. “I’ll be right over there.”
He pointed to the open bedroom door.
She was on the sectional sofa in the living room, legs up. The place was cozy. Potted plants on her left and right. An acoustic guitar rested against the wall next to a modern fire place. Designer cushions took the weight off her feet. The sofa was cream. It would need cleaning after this, but Tony didn’t seem to care. He left the plate of sandwiches with her and took the clothes package from Lilo and Misha with him into the bedroom.
She wasn’t hungry anymore, so put the plate to the side.
Resting her head on the back of the sofa, she watched, bleary eyed as the light brightened in his bedroom. The sound of a faucet being turned on filtered through. Shortly after, he returned. The confident, charismatic lady’s man who’d dominated at the press junket was gone. Tony’s haggard face and filthy clothes looked like they belonged on a man who’d just completed a marathon through the winter wilderness and lost. His posture did too.
She wanted to apologize for not doing as he’d asked and going for backup, but she wasn’t sorry. It had scared her to leave him behind—and not because she had been afraid for herself, but for him. She hadn’t wanted him to go hunt thatthingwith someone they couldn’t trust. Intense feelings built inside her, and when he crouched down to scoop her up, she kissed him on the cheek.
Confused, he blinked at her. “What was that for?”
A warm rush spread through her as she searched his handsome face. “For being my knight in shining armor.”
Storm clouds brewed in his expression. Clearly he wasn’t pleased with her words. Silently, he lifted her and took her into his ensuite. Traveling through his bedroom, she glimpsed his comfortable king-sized bed covered in a dark, smooth coverlet. The last time she was there, she’d barely used the toilet before rushing out to go home. Now she took it all in. An enormous black and white painting of Frank Sinatra hung on the wall behind the bed. The curtains were drawn, and the lights were dim.
The ensuite had no door. It was a continuation of the bedroom and looked like something straight out of Vogue Living. Dark granite floor tiles led to a rock feature wall with a rain shower. A steady stream of hot water fell, back-lit by blue LEDs in the ceiling. The other walls were another shade of warm granite, and to the right of the shower, beside the vanity, was a free-standing tub, also slowly filling with steaming hot water. Two potted ficus were the only splash of color. The entire place had a luxurious man-cave vibe.
Tony carried her to a wooden bench near the tub and placed her down gently. “Okay, then, let’s get you showered.”
For a moment, the two of them stared at each other while the mood thickened with the steaming air. He was going to have to assist her at some point. Bailey became supremely self-conscious.
She glanced at the water running in the shower. The sound of wet sliced through her psyche and compounded. It wasn’t the water here, it was the suffocating blanket that had stolen her breath. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and she couldn’t work her lungs. Finally sucking in a breath, she looked at Tony. “I can’t.”
“Babe,” he cooed and crouched before her. “You have to wash this crap off.”
Closing her eyes, she let the darkness be her friend. She concentrated on Tony’s calloused hands running idly against her skin. She concentrated on the movement of her lungs. In. Out.I’m breathing. I’m breathing. Pain in her teeth made her aware she clenched too tight. She swallowed and forced herself to relax. Opening her eyes, she was shocked to see pain in Tony’s expression.
“This is my fault,” he whispered.
No it wasn’t.
“If I had truly thought you to be in danger, I would never have let you come down. I should have fought Daisy up the top. Obviously, my sense of reality is warped.”
Bailey cupped his face. “We all think differently in hindsight. You weren’t to know your power wouldn’t work that well under water, or that the creature could stay submerged like that.”
“Doesn’t matter. Parker was right.”
“Right about what?”
But Tony shook his head and changed the subject. “Do you want help getting out of your clothes? I can walk you to the shower, or I can put this bench in there and give you privacy. Whatever you need.”
