Sayer watched as they dragged him out, his brothers following behind them, and waited until the hallway was empty before shutting the door.
Silence stretched between him and Diamond until he finally asked, “You okay
Diamond let out a breath, her grip loosening on the lamp as she set it down with a dull thud. “I will be.”
Sayer ran a hand through his hair. He should leave. Let her get some rest. But he couldn’t. “I’m staying,” he said instead.
Diamond turned to face him, brows furrowed. “You don’t have to?—”
“I do,” he interrupted. His voice was firm. Unwavering. “I’m not leaving you alone tonight.”
Something flickered in her expression. Hesitation, maybe gratitude, maybe something else entirely—but after a long pause, she sighed. “Fine,” she muttered, rubbing a hand over her face. “But don’t think this means you’re sleeping in the bed.”
Sayer smirked, stepping toward the couch and kicking off his shoes. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
But he wasn’t leaving. Not until morning.
Chapter Ten
Sayer locked the door,double-checking the bolt before sweeping his gaze over the wrecked room. The overturned chair, the broken lamp, the shattered glass on the floor. It didn’t sit right, leaving things like this.
Diamond let out a slow breath. “I need a shower,” she muttered, rubbing a hand over her face before disappearing into the bathroom.
Sayer exhaled and rolled his shoulders, then set to work. He righted the chair first, nudging it back into place with his foot. The lamp was a lost cause, but he carefully gathered the broken pieces, tossing them into the small waste bin. The bedspread was rumpled from the struggle, so he smoothed it out, more out of habit than anything.
It didn’t take long, but by the time he finished, the tension in his chest had settled just enough to think clearly.
He pulled out his phone. “Sherlock, I need a full rundown on the guy from earlier. The one I sent you before.”
Sherlock responded almost immediately, “Trouble?”
Sayer’s jaw ticked as he glanced toward the closed bathroom door.“More than I thought. Just get me what you can.”
Evidently, he’d missed something after he left the party earlier. “I’ll get into it asap.”
Sayer locked his phone and finally sank onto the couch, rubbing a hand down his face.
He should’ve had Sherlock dig into this guy the second Diamond mentioned him. Should’ve pushed her harder for answers. But now, waiting wasn’t an option. Whatever this bastard wanted from Diamond, whatever she wasn’t telling him—Sayer was going to find out.
The bathroom door opened, and Diamond stepped out, fresh-faced, steam curling from behind her as she adjusted the knot of her bathrobe. Her damp hair clung to her skin in places, the scent of soap and something soft—maybe vanilla—lingering in the air.
Sayer looked up from where he sat, letting his gaze trail over her, taking a moment to appreciate her natural beauty. Without the weight of the night pressing on her, without the tension in her shoulders, she was something else entirely.
She caught him looking. Her posture stiffened slightly as if, she expected him to make a move.
Instead, he pushed himself up from the couch, sauntering toward her with an easy, unreadable expression. Then, just as he passed, he shot her a wink.
“Did you save me some hot water?”
Diamond blinked, her lips parting like she wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or irritated. “Yeah. There’s plenty.”
“Thanks.”
Sayer kept his smirk in check, brushing past her, catching the faintest warmth radiating off her skin before he stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Leaving her to wonder about his actions.
After his shower, Sayer stepped back out into the main room to find Diamond still bundled in the plush bathrobe. She sat at the small table, knees tucked underneath her while she nibbled on a plate of fruit.
He saw the heated look as her eyes met his. He watched her eyes rake over his body still damp from the shower. The towel he wrapped around him hung at his hips tight enough to leave nothing to the imagination. She had looked at him all night as a meal. It was a pleasant change from him looking at a woman that way.
