Page 51 of Ensnared By Silence
He pushed me back, linking his fingers with mine, as he replied, “I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have told you the minute James let me know. I was trying to deal with it without you having to find out I’m related to those pieces of shit. Can you forgive me for deceiving you and for the horrible things you heard yesterday? I swear, I didn’t mean a word of it. You mean more to me than anything and the thought of me hurting you . . .” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “I love you, Aubrey.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. Not anymore.” I looked up at him. “I love you, too, Hayden.”
He pulled me into a bruising kiss, forcing his tongue into my mouth as he pulled my body to his and gripped my hair tightly. Every brush of his tongue against mine healed a damaged piece of me, making me closer to whole.
Pulling away, I licked my lips as he brushed his thumb against my cheek. I leaned into him and smiled. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything. I swear, I’ll tell you the truth no matter what.” The honesty in his eyes gave me peace and I tugged him, encouraging him to sit down on the bed with me.
Turning to face him, I quietly asked, “Did they really admit what they did?”
He took me by the hands, and I could see anger radiating off him as he answered. “They’re arrogant assholes who think they rule the world. I’m sorry that I had to lie to you, but I needed to know who it was. You deserve justice, Aubrey. When James connected me to them, I had to at least try.”
“You’re the only person who ever cared enough to try,” I admitted, and he smiled.
He whispered, “I swear, I’ll never keep the truth from you again.” Pulling my hand up to his mouth, he kissed the back and asked, “Can I take you home?”
Home.
I smiled and nodded. He stood, pulled me into his arms, and kissed the top of my head. After gathering the few items I brought inside, we left the room to find James talking to a tattooed man on a motorcycle. They turned to us and James smiled as Hayden and I joined them.
“Aubrey, this is Skid’s brother, Needles. He’s been keeping an eye on your room until we got here.”
I looked between the three gigantic men and replied, “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, little darlin’. You’ve got a good guy with Hayden.” He winked before climbing onto his motorcycle and riding away.
“Will you come to the condo when you get back?” James asked.
Hayden went to speak, and I squeezed his hand. I looked atmy brotherand replied, “Yeah, I guess I need to get my key back . . . if I still have a job.”
James laughed loudly and pulled me into his arms as he hugged me tight to him. “Of course, you have a job. You have whatever you need.”
He released me and smiled before he walked to his car and pulled away, leaving Hayden and I standing by my car. I looked at Hayden, and he kissed me on the cheek before he asked for the keys. I handed them to him, and he glanced sadly into the backseat at the evidence of my escape. Opening my door, he helped me into the passenger’s seat and secured my seat belt before running around to the driver’s side and cranking the car.
The four-hour drive back was nice, and I kept looking at Hayden, finding him smiling over at me briefly. His hand was in mine, and periodically, he would place a gentle kiss on the back. The lull of the road and my lack of sleep caught up with me, and as the miles ticked away, my eyes grew heavy. Trying to blink away the sleep, I finally succumbed to exhaustion.
