Page 25 of Rescue Us (Next Generation 7)

“Makes sense. I like to fight to ease my anxiety.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t look at me like that.”

I scowled, unsure as to how I was looking at him.

He chuckled, leaning over and kissing my nose. “The other guys always look worse than I do, baby. And I have scars which I’ve come to learn are sexy as fuck.”

Does your brother know?I wasn’t sure exactly why I asked that, but I needed to know that Cyrus had someone rooting in his corner for him. And that he had someone who could take him to the hospital if needed.

“He does.” Cyrus turned back around, looking ahead at the TV. “I was the bad influence and got him into fighting originally but he’s dirty. He wouldn’t think twice about wiping the ground with my pretty face. We’re close. Too close sometimes. We’ve shared a room and lived together ever since we were born. Even at the clubhouse, we have a room together. Our apartment is the only thing separating us. He has his own room and thank fuck for that. The women he brings home...” Cyrus shook his head. “Anyway, we need some sort of privacy.” He looked at me then. “Does that make sense?”

It does but to be honest, I wish I had a sibling that I wanted to keep things from.I wanted to tell him my history and why I wasn’t overly close to anyone, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to scare him away or for him to think that I was only looking for sympathy.

“Are you close with your parents?”

My chest tightened.We became estranged and before I could make things better, they were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver.

“I’m sorry, Ainsley.” A dark shadow passed over Cyrus’s face. “We lost our parents when we were young. Our mom was killed and then a year later, so was our dad. It’s been hard but we’ve had people looking out for us thankfully, so we weren’t thrown into the system and separated.”

I’m sorry for your loss too.I cupped his shoulder, placing a soft peck on his cheek.

“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice thick. “This conversation suddenly got heavy.” He smirked.

It has but thank you for letting me learn something new about you.

Cyrus grabbed my hand and brought it up to his mouth. He kissed the tips of my fingers, his eyes locking with mine. “Thank you for the same, pet.”

When he released my hand, I kept my fingers against his lips. I noticed another faint scar in his upper lip. Maybe he had been punched, which caused his lip to split and never healed properly. The skin was slightly raised but he was right, his scars were sexy.

“You need to stop looking at me like that,” he muttered.

Instead of asking him what he meant, I leaned forward, pushing my mouth against his.

He cupped the back of my neck, slipping his tongue between my lips and deepening the kiss. It turned fast and frantic, like both of us were experiencing a kiss for the very first time.

While his mouth was locked with mine, I was vaguely aware of his other hand on my hip. His fingers inched beneath my shirt. As soon as they came into contact with my skin, I jumped away from him and bounded to my feet.

Alarm bells rang in my head.

Too soon. Too damn soon.

“Ainsley.”

I shook myself, blowing out a slow breath.

“Come here.”

I turned toward him.

Cyrus held his hand out. “Please.”

I’m sorry, I can’t do more. I can’t. I just need time. I can’t give you more. Not yet.

“I want whatever you are willing to give me.” His face softened. “I didn’t come over here to have sex, pet. I came over to get to know you better. Sure, sex would be nice, but we only just met. I don’t even know your last name.”

A soft laugh left me.Cloet. I’m Ainsley Cloet.

“Nice to meet you, Ainsley Cloet.” His smile grew. “I’m Cyrus Butcher. Now, can you come here please? We can play this game, cuddle, kiss, cuddle some more, but I promise, I will not pressure you into doing anything you’re not ready for.”

Why not?

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