Beautifully Damaged (11 page)

"Thanks, Luke." I said as I reached for the glass. I saw the look that Dane gave to Luke and that he seemed almost too much in a hurry to leave.

"If you're in a rush I can catch a cab."

"No! I mean that wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me."

There was definitely some weird vibe coming off Dane and I knew I wasn't the only one to sense it because Luke kept glancing over at me. I finished my water and as soon as my glass touched the bar, Dane immediately reached for my hand and pulled me from my stool. Before we could move from our spot I heard my name in a familiar baritone coming from behind me.

"Ember."

I turned to see Trace. He was in his favorite outfit of faded jeans and a t-shirt. The bruises on his face were almost completely gone: only a slight discoloring under his eyes lingered. He looked beautiful but then I noticed the look in his eyes. He looked almost possessive and even though I wasn't a fan of possessive men, I think with Trace I wouldn't mind so much.

"Hi, Trace."

He reached up and ran his finger over my cheek and down along my jaw as a smile touched the corner of his mouth. He then pulled his hand away and balled it into a fist as he turned toward Dane. His eyes took on the properties of the metal they resembled, hard and cold.

"Who's your friend?"

"Dane."

"How do you know Dane?"

It was rude to talk about someone when they were standing right there but something in Trace's manner had me curious enough to ignore manners and answer honestly.

"I don't, really. Lena and her boyfriend decided to surprise me with a setup."

His eyes turned to mine and, damn, I had to give Dane some credit for not peeing his pants because Trace looked positively murderous.

"You don't know him at all?"

"Nope. Met him for the first time a few hours ago when we arrived at the restaurant and he was standing there, waiting."

For some reason that seemed to piss Trace off even more because he slowly turned his head to Dane and took a step closer to him. "So Dane, are you partial to your face?"

Dane's voice cracked -- no surprise there -- before he managed, "Who are you?"

"Trace Montgomery. So, tell me Dane do you generally end your dates with a felony? Why don't you tell Ember what it was you and Todd were discussing in the restroom?"

I actually heard Dane gulp.

"No? Not feeling like the big, bad-ass now, are you, Dane?"

Trace then tilted his head from side to side stretching the muscles in his neck before he lifted his hands and started cracking his knuckles. The muscles in his arms flexed and, oh my, have I mentioned that I really love his arms? His eyes were burning holes into Dane with a look that was so feral it had my heart pounding in fear and I wasn't even the recipient of that fierce stare.

"You're a sick motherfucker but I'm feeling generous so I'm going to give you to the count of three to get the fuck out of here and if you, or your friend, ever come within a five-mile radius of Ember, I'm going to break every fucking bone in your body."

It was like watching a cartoon; the stool was still spinning but Dane was gone. I pulled my eyes from the stool to look up at Trace.

"What did I miss?"

"I overheard him talking with Todd in the men's room, planning."

"Planning what?"

Trace pulled his hand through his hair but held my stare when he offered, "He didn't just want to take you home, Ember. He was planning a sleepover regardless if you wanted one or not."

I knew I paled since I felt all the blood drain from my face and my knees suddenly couldn't hold my weight as I dropped onto the stool behind me. Trace hunched down in front of me and took my cold hands into his.

"He won't touch you, Ember, I won't allow it."

"If you hadn't been here, I..." I couldn't finish as my lower lip trembled and tears filled my eyes. "Thank you."

His face looked positively fierce as he reached up to wipe the tears that escaped my eyes to roll down my cheeks.

"I need to find a new apartment."

"I think that would be wise."

I looked at my watch and it was past two in the morning. "Too late to get a room. Lena's probably at Todd's tonight anyway. I'll look for something in the morning."

"You can't go home, Ember, for all you know Dane is hiding out waiting for you. A man like that doesn't like to be made to look like a coward. He won't come at me but I get the sense he isn't that smart and will try to come at you."

"I have no where else to go."

"Come home with me. I owe you"

Not really since according to my count I was down two when it came to saving but I didn't want to go home so I held his gaze and nodded my head in agreement. He kept my hand in his as he stood and pulled me from the stool. I looked over my shoulder to see Luke watching us but his expression was not one I could discern.

"See you later, Luke."

"Take care, Ember."

Trace pulled me through the crowd and like I observed before, people parted to let him pass. It made it easier for me to see the looks on their faces, particularly the women, who were not at all happy to see him leaving with a wallflower like me. One woman specifically looked downright ornery and then I realized that she probably had been his date for the night. That thought hurt -- a lot actually. I pulled on his hand which had him looking down at me.

"What about your date?"

The look he gave me had my heart flipping over in my chest. "She's not my date."

We reached the coat-check before Trace asked, "Do you have a jacket, Ember?"

"No."

He took his and as soon as we stepped outside he turned to me while holding up his jacket.

"It's cold." Was all he said as I obediently slipped my arms into it. His bike was parked right at the door as he reached for the helmet and placed it on my head before settling on his bike and holding it for me. I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms around his waist as we started down the street.

When we reached his apartment he led me down the hall and opened a door to a bedroom with a large oak bed situated in the middle of the room. The walls were painted the same gray as the living room and, again, I was surprised, and pleased, with the quiet elegance.

"Thank you, Trace, for letting me stay here."

"My room's across the hall and the bathroom, as you know, is the last door on the left. I'll get you a t-shirt and some boxers to sleep in."

He returned with my sleepwear and I turned to him as he stood there filling the doorway. I wanted him and the intensity of my desire for him was startling. Though he was still watching me, I offered him a smile before I said, "Goodnight."

Sleep wouldn't come as I tossed and turned for over an hour. I gave up and climbed from bed thinking that a cup of warm milk or tea might help. I reached the living room and my feet just stopped because Trace was there sitting on the sofa. He looked at me and smiled before he asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. I just can't seem to sleep."

"Can I get you something?" He grinned before he added, "I have tea."

A warmth burned all the way down to my toes in response before I said, "That would be great."

He stood and as he walked past me he reached for my hand and pulled me down the hall to the kitchen. Once I was settled at a stool at the bar, he moved through the kitchen to make my tea.

"Couldn't you sleep either?"

"I don't sleep much."

"Really?"

He was silent for a minute before he offered, "It's habit."

I tilted my head as I held his gaze before I said, "...and you don't want to talk about it."

There was the slightest of grins on his face when he replied, "No."

"Okay."

He turned from me to add water to the kettle. "Thank you for earlier, Trace."

I saw as his shoulders tensed before he all but growled, "Dane's an asshole."

"Agreed."

I watched as he lit the gas under the kettle before he turned and leaned up against the counter as his eyes sought and found mine. "Is that why you can't sleep?"

The thought of what could have happened left a chill going down my spine and Trace noticed.

"That fucker won't touch you."

I smiled in response at the protective tone in Trace's voice. "I'm not worried about that but I was lucky that you were at Sapphire."

Trace's reaction was slight but definite and I wondered what exactly brought him to Sapphire in the first place. My heart leaped thinking he was there for me but even before the thought was fully formed I dismissed it as ridiculous. He clearly wasn't going to offer any insight so I moved on.

"I couldn't sleep because I found myself wondering if Lena knew what Todd and Dane were planning. I can't imagine that she didn't and how could she sit back and do nothing? I realize she isn't the person I thought she was but her staying silent is as depraved as Todd and Dane's behavior."

"I agree."

"It's a bit hard to believe that I was so blind to her real nature."

"You're in the situation, Ember, it's harder to see clearly when you're involved."

"That sounds like something my dad would say."

His smile was charming in response. I didn't want to think about Lena any more so I changed the subject.

"If you rarely sleep then what do you do in the evenings?" And then I blushed when I realized what I asked and what the most likely answer was for his nocturnal activities. He was clearly a mind reader when a grin cracked over his face.

"Lately, I find myself reading or playing video games."

Lately, like how lately? Oh, man, I so wanted to ask that but I chickened out. Instead I gestured towards the living room. "So you don't generally sit in the dark and stare at the wall?"

He laughed at that. "No, I was thinking."

"...about?"

His eyes flashed hot before he offered very softly, "You."

I almost swooned right there in his kitchen as I held his heated gaze. He leaned toward me as his eyes moved to my lips and my heart immediately went into my throat. I almost crawled onto the counter to get to him but the sound of the kettle pulled us from the moment. Trace turned and busied himself with making my tea and I just watched completely unrepentant at the play on his muscles as he did so. When he turned back to me I was staring and I didn't care that he knew it.

"Would you like company, Trace?"

"Yes."

I smiled as I stood and reached for his free hand. "Cool."

We walked down the hall to the living room. Trace turned on the light before we settled on the sofa. He handed me my tea and when I took a sip my heart flipped over in my chest because it was Earl Grey with lavender honey. I lifted my eyes to him as I smiled.

"Thank you. This is delicious."

"My pleasure, Ember."

I pulled my feet up under me as I held his gaze. "So, Trace what are your thoughts on Clark W. Griswold?"

His laughter filled the silence.

The next morning, I awoke but it took me some time to climb from such a really comfortable bed. I eventually padded to the bathroom and took care of business before heading to the kitchen to make some coffee but stopped just at the threshold of the kitchen because Trace was there with his bare back to me. My word, I really loved looking at his body. His jeans hung low on his hips as thick ropes of muscles framed his spine. His shoulder blades were huge and his waist narrow. The tattoo started mid-back and moved up in a swirling scroll-work pattern over his shoulders and up his neck. As he moved, his muscles made it seem like the artwork was dancing along his skin.

He must have sensed me and turned to see me staring. That I wasn't drooling was remarkable. His gaze was hot and intense as his eyes moved from my head down my body. Though he wasn't touching me, my body tingled as if he was. When his eyes found mine, again, they were darker and his voice, when he spoke, was hoarse.

"Did you get any sleep?"

"I did. It's a very comfortable bed."

Since I blushed and he grinned, I knew that we both had the same thought: us, that bed, naked. He seemed to recover faster than me. He leaned against the counter and pushed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and the sight of that gorgeous chest, his rock-hard abs and those magnificent arms with his triceps bulging from his stance had me biting the inside of my mouth to keep myself from doing something stupid, like whimper.

"I thought we could go over to your apartment and get your stuff."

I didn't say anything but, clearly, the man was a mind reader when his eyes narrowed and he shook his head ever so slightly.

"You aren't going there alone, Ember."

"It's my apartment."

He only responded by shaking his head.

"I've lived there with no problems for over a year."

No response as he just stood there looking at me in an alpha-male sort of way.

"You're not going there alone."

I could tell from the thin line of his lips and the determined look in his eyes that he wasn't going to back down, so I threw up my arms in defeat. "Fine."

He accepted victory graciously as he watched me in that silent way of his, and then he asked, "How about if I make us some eggs?"

It wasn't even a conscious thought as I took a step closer to him and smiled.

"That would be great."

Retrieving my things was uneventful since no one was home. After the previous night, I imagined Dane was already south of the border and Todd, well, he was probably hiding behind Lena. I liked seeing Trace in my apartment, watching him touch my things as he helped me pack.

"I'll call a Realtor and have them start looking for something for me."

"I have a spare bedroom, Ember, there's no reason why you can't stay with me."

"I don't want to cramp your style."

He held my gaze before he replied, "You won't."

The thought of seeing him everyday almost had me jumping up and down. It was a pretty big jump, considering we hadn't known each other all that long, but I didn't care.

"Thank you, Trace, but if my presence becomes a problem please tell me."

"That could never happen, Ember."