Page 101 of Redeeming the Villain
“I don’t need it.” He takes his jersey off and the rest of his chest gear and undershirt, until he’s standing before me in only black socks and boxers. “I may need you to help keep me warm though.”
Blushing, I chuckle softly. “I think I can do that.”
He rubs the back of his neck and glances away from me. “Is that what I think it is?”
Following his line of sight to the folded-up Legends T-shirt on top of my desk, I laugh. “It sure is. You can wear it if you’d like … but it might be a little short on you.”
Biting his tongue, he looks at me playfully and menacingly. “Thank you for your permission to wearmyshirt.”
Clicking my tongue, I grin. “Of course.”
When he slips the half shirt over his head and broad shoulders, I giggle at the sight in front of me.
The shirt stops at the top of his absolutely shredded abs. The kind of physique that extends up his sides, every inch of his torso at peak strength.
Maybe I should cut all his shirts in half.
He walks over to the bed with a smile on his lips and slides in next to me, hooking his arm around my shoulders to pull me closer to him.
When I curl into his chest with my arms tucked between us, the air seems to weigh down on us, heavier than before, as if I can feel the questions loading in his mind.
Brushing my hair with his fingers, he softly asks, “What happened, baby?”
Swallowing hard, I know I want to tell him. But forming those words on my lips feels like an impossible task.
He gives me silence, letting me mull through the thoughts racing through my mind. Leaning forward, he kisses my forehead and breathes me in.
Taking a shaky breath, I tell him what happened—from the very beginning when Professor Von London hugged me to when I ran from the room with Sunny. Every detail, every moment, every thought.
Listening intently, he stays quiet, not interrupting once. And when I finish, his eyes are watery, and as if his feelings for me are tangible, I can feel them wrap around my heart.
Holding me tightly, he consoles me, constantly reminding me that I’m safe and that he’ll never let anything happen to me again. We embrace one another for what feels like forever, until I fall asleep in his arms.
Waking up this morning, I find a thousand texts in the boys’ group chat, all checking in to see if she’s okay. But the final one came from Griffin.
Griffin: I’ve got his home address if we need it.
Asher: And his phone number. I also hacked into his email and set it up to send me automatic notifications for his schedule. He seems to use it religiously.
God, I love these boys. I also have a special adoration for Asher’s computer skills. I knew they’d come in handy at some point; I just never imagined it would be to help track down the creep who touched my girl.
I owe you guys. Thank you. At Alora’s right now. I’ll catch up with you guys soon.
Setting my phone down, I turn back to Alora, who is sleeping on her back with the hood of my sweatshirt up over her head. She looks so peaceful; I don’t think I can bring myself to wake her.
So, I don’t.
I watch her sleep for the next hour, bouncing between fawning over her and playing games on my phone.
Sunny stretches and yawns, stealing my attention. She prances over with a smile, and I pet her soft head. I wonder if she needs to go out.
Stealthily, I slide off of the bed without moving the mattress and disturbing Alora.
“Good morning, Sunny,” I whisper and tiptoe over to the sliding glass door, unlocking it and inching it open.
She prances out, and I follow her, gently sliding the door closed behind us. She spots something in the grass and takes off toward it, trotting back with a ball in her mouth. When she drops it at my feet, I pick it up and throw it across the large yard.
Taking off, she bolts toward it and picks it up in her mouth, squeezing and squeaking it as she comes back to me. I throw it for her again, over and over until she tires, plops down next to me, and chews on it instead of giving it to me to toss.
