Page 14 of My Secret Protector
Unfortunately, he hasn’t made a move on me at all.Is there such a thing as blue balls for a girl? Because if there is, I have it.Is it possible to die from wanting someone so much?
A few moments later, I glance across the table again at him as he methodically dips his bread into the bowl of soup and then takes a bite. I watch as his throat rhythmically moves as he swallows.Why am I mesmerized by every move of his?
I haven’t allowed him to sleep on the couch since he’s been here. I made him sleep with me and claimed old nightmares made it impossible to sleep without his presence. The truth is that I love the electricity that flows between us and the late-night talks. I love the way he kisses my forehead before he finally turns to his side and then falls asleep. Or at least pretends to. I know that most nights he lies there awake, waiting for someone to attack. The man would do anything to protect me, including sacrifice himself. I don’t doubt that.
“Do I have soup on my face? Or am I slurping? You’re watching me like a hawk.” Levi jokes.
I glance down at my plate and then giggle. “Nope, no soup stains or slurping. Just looking.”
I feel my cheeks heat. The truth is, I have no idea how to act around this gruff, yet sweet, biker, who has suddenly filled every crevice of my heart with hope. Hope that I can care about someone and even possibly have an actual relationship. I think of the tik-tok I saw earlier today. There’s a social media influencer I follow, Lola, that talks about body positivity. She’s actually a student here. I’ve never had the courage to talk to her about how her videos help me. But right now, I think of her advice.Put your big girl panties on and believe in yourself. Take a chance.
I glance up again.What if he says no? What if he really doesn’t want me?
He surprises me by reaching across the table and covering my hand with his.
His mouth cocks up into a half smile. “I like looking at you too,” he says softly.
For a few moments, we sit in silence again. I can’t stop the smile that covers my whole face, and my stomach is filled with butterflies. Is it time to end this dance of wanting to touch and denying ourselves?
I bite my lip.What if I just made a move? What if I just reached over and…
The sound of glass breaking shakes me quite abruptly out of my own thoughts.
“Get down!” Levi shouts. I duck and hear more loud pings and the sound of objects breaking around the room.
Levi is suddenly on top of me, covering my body with his own. After a few more seconds, the sound of silence reigns.What the hell just happened?
Chapter Eighteen
I never thought I would want a future with anyone until her. -Levi
As long as I live, I’ll never forget the way her body quaked underneath mine. And how the thought of losing her made me feel…
She sends me another worried glance and I tighten my hands around the steering wheel.
“Are you sure it was okay for us just to leave like that? I need to call Sunny. She’ll be frantic.” Her hands twine nervously together for the fiftieth time. I reach over and still them with my own hand.
“Hey, I’ve got this handled, I promise. And your roommate has already been contacted. Everything will just be fine. We’re just going somewhere safe.”
My heart hasn’t stopped thumping along erratically since the bullets first struck Flora’s apartment. But the cleanup had been the usual routine. I had taken charge and reached out to Silver. I let our contact with the local police Logan Masters take over the questioning and all the hoopla of the police arriving. Logan was a good guy, one I had worked with before, and he would make sure that none of this showed up in tomorrow’s newspaper. He would also take care of contacting Sunny.
The illustrious District Attorney, Flora’s uncle, had been contacted also. I could have reached through the phone and strangled him for the way he handled things in the past, but I was beginning to think he genuinely cared about his niece. He was just an idiot with emotions and made some huge mistakes in the past. Mistakes that we would some day have a long talk about.
She chews on her lower lip nervously and I tighten my hand around hers. “I promise we’ll be safe, honey.”
“I believe you,” she says softly.
The gates to the compound are guarded by two of our boys as always. They grin and give me a wave as I let myself in.
“Who are they?” Flora asks in a voice filled with awe, “and what is this place?”
I know what she sees. A large brick house stands at the end of the road. It holds sentinel over a bevy of similar, smaller houses. Here and there, motorcycles dot the horizon, and a few people walk past us with wary looks. Their faces change when they see me. I get a wave from a few and return it.
I turn to her and don’t try to keep the pride from my voice. “This is the Silver Snakes compound. I have a house here. We all do. It’s the safest place you can be right now. These are my brothers, and they’ll have your back just like they have mine.”
A few moments later, I found myself in a tense conversation with my club president.
Silver had taken one look at my lovelorn expression around Flora and known. Five minutes later, we were alone in his office, and I was getting grilled.
