Fuck, I was in trouble.
I knew if she pressed the issue, I would give in and make her sit on the kitchen counter while I prepared lunch. Her pretty gaze dropped to my lips, and she licked her own. Probably thinking about what happened this morning and how we had fallen back asleep. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to tell her no.
Thankfully, my girl gave me some grace.
“Okay.” She nodded. Before I got up from kneeling in front of her, she reached for my hand, and I tangled our fingers together. “Thank you, Logan,” she said in a tone that had my body turning warm and fuzzy from the inside out.
It was how I knew she was different. This wasn’t a beautiful woman I simply wanted to fuck. Hell no, Violeta Perez was mine. The woman I had been too chicken shit to ever try and dream up. And I’d be damned if I let her slip through my fingers.
After making sure she had a couple more crackers with cheese and something to drink, I watched her take her meds. She asked if I was sure I didn’t need help, and I told her I had it covered.
Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, when I walked into the living room with two plates of grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches with chips, she was knocked out on my couch. I set the plates on the table, covered her up with a throw blanket, and sat next to her. I had just finished my sandwich when her phone rang. I didn’t want to wake her up, so I grabbed it and stood, making my way to the kitchen.
“Hello,” I answered and waited. “Hello?”
“Who’s this?” a lecherous voice sounded.
“I’m thinking I should be asking you that.” My teeth gritted together. What if this was her man and she hadn’t said she was seeing someone?
“You with Violet? That why the little bitch didn’t want to stay after work yesterday to get me off?”Her skeezy boss.
“Listen here?—“
“No, you listen, buddy. Tell the frigid little ice queen she’s fired. I was going to give her another chance Monday morning. But I see now she just left early to get her rocks off with some other fucker. Be careful. She might freeze your cock off.”
“Listen—“
“Tell her not to bother coming to pick up her shit. It’s getting tossed.” I tried to keep my cool. What kind of fucking parasites had my princess had to deal with? Something told me she’d dealt with worse fucking assholes than I did on a day-to-day basis.
“I don’t know who you think you are but?—“
“Listen, bud, take my advice. Dump the little bitch. She’s more work than she’s worth.”
“You fucking?—“
“I get she’s probably cherry tight being a virgin, but no bitch is worth that kind of effort.” With that, the douchebag ended the call. My hand wrapped around her cell as I tried to calm down. My blood felt like it was boiling in my veins. I ran my fingers through my hair and tugged at the ends.
My beautiful girl, the woman of my dreams, had been out there in the big bad world all alone and without protection. Dealing with assholes like that all so she could get by. I shut my eyes and breathed as deeply as I could. I couldn’t change her past, but I could protect her future.
Violet would never have to deal with a dipshit again. Not on my watch.
Almost as if life was testing my devotion, her phone rang again. I looked at it and knew it was her roommate.
“Hello,” I answered, my jaw clenched tightly.
“Who is this?! Where is Vi?” a woman’s voice screeched.
“She’s resting. She had an accident yesterday. One you were informed of,” I pointed out, and she scoffed.
“She’s had a man this whole time and never told anyone?” she squawked. I shook my head.That’s what she is worried about?
“Can I help you?” I asked through my teeth.
“Tell her I found someone to take her room, and I need her to come get her things. Now.”That selfish little bitch.I’d never been tempted to hit a woman, but I had a feeling if I met her face to face, she’d grate my nerves. She knew what Vi had been through and still felt no compassion for someone she shared her home with? “I know all she lives out of are three boxes but?—“
“What’s your address?” I growled, done with listening to her spew her shit.
She spouted it off before hanging up. My eyes shut tightly, and I breathed in deeply, trying to rein in my feelings. Everything in my body tightened while a possessive need drove through me. I knew that area. It wasn’t the greatest. Not even close to being somewhat safe. Not a hundredth of what Violet deserved. But I would change that. I would take care of her. She had been surviving all this time, and god only knew what she’d had to live through and how hard she’d had to work, but it wasdone and over. She had me in her life now, and I protected what was mine.
