Page 214 of Play Dirty (Brooklyn Dawn 1)

She shook her head. “No. I’m so tired I can’t think. But I have to get everything off me.”

I helped unzip her from the catsuit she’d worn. It was beyond fucked up, but I got her free of it and she stumbled into the shower. “I’ll be right in.”

I stripped the bed and found another set of charcoal sheets. I made sure to lock the roof access and straightened up a few photos that had been overturned thanks to the police presence.

Finally, I dragged my ass to the bathroom and found Lindsey leaning against the tile. I stripped out of my clothes and set them all in the bin. There was no saving anything of this night.

I stepped into the steam and gathered her to me. I knew the tears were coming. I’d felt them brewing for hours. I held her as the came out in a torrent. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held onto me tight. When they were done, she sagged against me. I washed her gently and did a rough and quick job on myself then wrapped her in a towel and lifted her up into my arms.

“What are you doing?”

“Being romantic.”

Her smile lit up the dark rock of shame bleeding in my chest. “Is that right?”

I leaned in and caught her mouth with mine. She brought her hand up to cup my jaw as we poured the pain and sorrow into one another until it was as clean and clear as water.

I carried her to my bedroom and dried her off, settling one of my oldest and softest T-shirts over her head. Again, I did the bare minimum for myself and tugged on a pair of boxers in deference to my houseful of fucking people.

I crawled into the middle of the bed and found Sarge on my pillow. “Ahh, there’s a good lad. I knew you’d show yourself eventually.”

He butted ahead my hand then settled himself back down, his one green eye bold and bright.

Lindsey rolled in beside me. I’d never been the kind of man who wanted to cuddle, but this woman brought so many new emotions out of me. I tugged her back against my chest and wrapped my arms around her. I tucked my chin into her neck. “I’m sorry I’ve brought you so much pain.”

She turned her head to meet my gaze. “It’s not your fault, Alex. I know it will take some time for you to actually believe that, but it’s not. Just talking to him for a little while tonight I could tell there was so much more wrong with him than even you could have known about.”

“If I’d—”

She pressed her finger to my lips. “You were here when I needed you. And you saved Jamie. For that I’ll never be able to thank you.”

“If it hadn’t been for me, she would never have been in that position.”

She turned in my arms and laid her hands flat against my chest. “And I’d have missed this. You and me. Something I never thought I’d have.”

I frowned down at her, kissing her forehead. “You’d have a regular guy.”

“Who wants a regular guy? I have a huge, wild, amazing love right here with you. Maybe it wasn’t the easiest path, but I wouldn’t change it.”

“I love you so much. I don’t deserve you—”

She pressed her mouth to mine. Hard. “Stop saying that. I wouldn’t have you any other way. I love your dark and your light. It’s what makes you you, and what makes you mine. Period. So get used to me being right here next to you for the next sixty years.”

“Only sixty?”

She shrugged. “You are a bit older than me.”

I rolled her onto her back. “Oh, is that right?”

“And of course I made a little room for advances in science.”

“Right, for science.” I kissed down her neck. “Well, if it’s for science, I guess we need to make sure to keep me in top form.”

She wrapped one of her gorgeous, long legs around my hip. “I’m up for that challenge.”

“Damn right, duchess.”

There was still a little bit of sadness creeping around the edges of her eyes, but she was resilient, perfect, and mine. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be good enough for her, but I was damn well going to try to be.

---