Fighting Blind (14 page)

Mackenzie

“Wake up, sweetheart.” Theo’s voice filters through the fog of sleep. I feel the heaviness of his body beside me, the gentle caress of his fingertips as they brush over my cheek, and for a brief moment, I forget to be afraid.

“Theo?” I blink until my vision clears of sleep.

“Morning beautiful.” He leans down and brushes his lips against mine and my heart skips a beat.

“You’re all right?” I reach up and touch the small bruise under his eye.

He captures my hand and presses my knuckles against his lips. “Yeah, I’m all right.”

“Did you win?”

He gives me a cocky grin. “Of course.”

I try to sit up, but the room spins and I have to lay back down.

“Here.” His hands wrap around my back, lifting me and my pillow until I’m in a semi-sitting position. He pulls a bottle of orange juice from a plastic bag and uncaps it, then hands it to me, along with two extra strength Tylenol. “Looks like you’re going to need these.”

“Thanks.” I wince when I think about what I must look like.

Once I swallow the pills, he takes the juice and places it on the nightstand beside the bed.

I shift uncomfortably under his intense gaze and brace myself for the lecture I know is about to come.

“Where’s Moody?” I ask, throat tight.

“He’s looking into a few things for me.”

“Oh.” My gaze drops. “What did he tell you?”

“Everything.”

I give a small nod, staring blankly at the floral printed comforter.

He lifts my chin with his thumb. “You should have told me.”

I lick my lips, knowing I can’t run away from the conversation this time.

“He threatened to…” I close my eyes on the memory.

“I know.” His fingers brush my hair behind my ear, exposing the gash. “We’re going to get the bastard. I promise I won’t let him hurt you again.”

I want to believe him.
No.
I need to believe him.

But Stefano will never let me go.
And now that he knows Theo and I are involved…

A shiver runs down my spine. The familiar sense of panic rushes over me. I push on Theo’s chest and try to get free of the tangled sheets, but Theo’s weight holds them secure.

I hate the way that my chest constricts, the way my fingers go numb, when fear wraps itself around me. It’s like a dark blanket trying to suffocate me, but no matter how hard I fight against it, I can’t control it.

“Breathe,” Theo says, cupping my face in his palms. “Look at me and breathe. Everything is all right.”

A sliver of sunlight pours through the slit in the curtains, catching the honey flecks of brown in his eyes. I focus on that. On the warmth of his fingers as they stroke my cheek. The heat of his body pressed against mine, and slowly the anxiety starts to ease.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, fisting my fingers in his t-shirt and blinking back tears. “I’m sorry for everything.”

His lips softly brush against mine. “I know.”

“You and Logan are the most important people in my life. If anything happens to either of you, because of me–” I choke on a sob. “I could never live with myself.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen. To you, to Logan, or to me.” He tries to pull me into his chest, but I hold him back, placing my hands on either side of his face.

“I need you to promise me that if something does, you’ll take care of Logan.”

“Mac.” He eyes narrow and he grabs my wrists.

“Please. Promise me.”

His jaw pulses and he watches me with an unreadable expression. When he speaks, his voice is tight, “I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“You know I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe.” He shakes his head, releasing my wrists, the muscles in his neck tensing visibly.

“I know.” And I do. But I also know what Stefano is capable of.

“Come here.” Gently, he places a hand behind my neck, drawing me into his kiss. When he pulls back, his expression is serious. “You trust me?”

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth. There’s something in his tone that makes me nervous.

“It’s not about trust. It’s about what Stef is capable of. I don’t want you involved.”

“Too late for that.” He stands, then walks to the dresser where my jeans and shirt lay folded on top. His shoulders rise and fall heavily before he picks up the clothes, turns and places them on the bed beside me. “Get dressed.”

The anxiety is returning. I know the look on his face. Stubborn. Determined. Whatever he has planned, I know there’s no changing his mind.

“If you’re thinking about going after him yourself–”

He chuckles darkly, shoving his hands in his pocket. “Trust me. That was my first instinct.”

The way he’s standing, the hard line of his jaw, the twitch in his eye, I know he’s bracing for a fight.

“As much as I’d like to bash the bastard’s brains in, it’s not going to stop him.” His gaze bores into me. “That’s why we need to go to the police. Tell them everything.”

Shit. That’s his plan?

I shake my head fervently. “They’ll arrest me. Didn’t Moody tell you–”

“He told me. And I think we can fight it. I’ve called my lawyer and he’s meeting us down at the station in an hour.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make.” My heart is racing now. The need to run, to get out of here, is overwhelming.

As if sensing my intention, he stands in front of the door, arms now folded over his chest. His dark hair falls forward across his forehead, and there’s a hint of something primal in his expression, as if he’s daring me to argue with him.

“We can stop at the apartment if you need to freshen up, but we
are
going.”

My cheeks grow warm, anger overriding my initial fear.  

“So that’s it?” I cross my arms over my chest, mirroring his stance. “Your great plan? Have me arrested. Then what?”

He lets out a heavy sigh and drops his arms, moving towards me. I want to shrug him away when he rests his hands on my shoulders, but the heat of his touch is comforting.

“This is the best option. We go in, together. Tell them everything, right from the beginning.”

“And if they put me in jail?”

“We’ll deal with it, but I don’t think they will and neither does my lawyer.” He touches my face, gently tracing the dark bruise that I know shadows my eye. “It’s what we have to do to make sure this never happens again.”

I close my eyes and shiver, knowing he’s right. “Okay.”

He lets out a long, heavy breath. “Thank you.”

I look up at him, confused by the relief in his voice. “For what?”

“For not running.” He kisses my forehead hard. “For staying and fighting for us.”

Guilt washes over me. He doesn’t know that I almost ran. No. That I did run. If Moody hadn’t found me on that bench, I’d be on the bus headed north. Abandoning not only him, but my child.

God, I’m a terrible person.

I deserve whatever I have coming.

Theo

Mac stares blankly at the ground when she exits the examination room. Her shoulders droop, and her lips are pulled into a thin line. The bruises on her face seem even more pronounced now against her pale skin.

Shit.

I hope to hell I did the right thing making her come here.

My lawyer, Jason Robinson, a tall middle-aged man with graying hair, walks behind her. He places a hand lightly on her shoulder and says something I can’t hear. Mac nods, eyes still lowered.

“What’s going on?” I ask, removing the distance between us.

“They’re releasing her. But she needs to stay in town in case they have other questions.”

“And Stefano?”

Mackenzie visibly tenses.

“They’ve issued an arrest warrant, but at this point they don’t have a viable address, so unless we get lucky–”

“They won’t find him,” Mac murmurs, looking up at me, her expression unreadable.

I glance at Jason and he raises both eyebrows, jaw set, and I know he agrees with her.

My chest constricts, with the thought of the bastard out there, waiting, watching for a time to strike.

With an arm wrapped around Mac’s shoulder, we walk to my car in silence. The sun is starting to set, and the moon is already visible in the darkening sky.

Mac’s gaze drifts across the parking lot, locking on something in the shadow of a large oak tree. She stops cold.

“What’s wrong?”

She squints, then shakes her head. “I thought I saw something.”

I glance back to the shadows and see nothing except the soft flicker of lightning bugs, but it doesn’t stop the chill that races down my spine. I need to get her back to my place. Keep her safe until the bastard is brought into custody.

And if he even thinks about coming near her again, gun or no gun, I’ll tear him apart, limb by limb.

Despite my attempts to make conversation, Mac stays quiet. I know she’s upset with me. She’s been alone for too damn long. She isn’t used to help, or people making decisions for her.

But she better getting fucking use to it, because there’s no way I’m letting her more than a few feet from my side. At least not until the bastard is found.

“I had Moody move your stuff into my apartment,” I say when I pull into the back parking lot.

She frowns, but doesn’t respond.

I hate the fear I see in her eyes when she gets out of the car.

She stiffens when I wrap my arms around her, and I can almost feel the war raging within her. The need to get away fighting with the need to get closer.

When she starts to pull back, I stop her. “Let me hold you for a minute.”

“Not out here.” She squeezes her eyes closed and her fingers fist in my shirt.

“Okay.”

My mom is waiting for us upstairs, and she rushes towards Mac when we enter. I give them a few minutes to talk, throwing Mac’s small army bag in the corner and head towards the kitchen.

“Logan’s sleeping,” I hear my mom say as I pull a beer from the fridge.

I move down the hall to the spare bedroom, and lean against the open doorframe. The kid’s sprawled out on her small bed, her tiny fist clutching a stuffed bunny. There’s something about having her at my place that makes my heart swell.

Like we’re a real fucking family.

And we will be. I know Mac isn’t in the same place as me emotionally, but the fact that she didn’t run, that she stayed, gives me hope that in time she’ll feel the same way.

“Your mom just left,” Mac says quietly behind me.

“Good.” We need time alone. I hand her the beer, and she takes it, draining half the bottle in a single gulp. “Your stuff is in my room.”

I clench my teeth, waiting for her reaction. Anything. But all I get is another blank stare and nod as if she’s resigned herself to accept everything I tell her.

In a way, it makes it easier, but Mac’s never been easy, she’s always put up a fight, even when she agreed with my decision.

“Come on,” I take her hand, leading her to the master bathroom. I turn on the shower, then pull my shirt over my head, tossing it on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“You stink,” I lie, nuzzling my nose against her neck, and running my hands down her back. “We’re having a shower.”

“Theo–” Her breath catches when I slide my fingers under her shirt.

She doesn’t protest or push me away, just looks up at me with those big brown eyes that have captured my soul. I’d do anything to take away the pain I see there.

Too many years have gone by, wasted by bad decisions, by fear. I won’t make the same mistake again.

I lower my mouth to hers, brushing my tongue against her lips until they part, and she returns my kiss with the same hunger that I’ve been holding back.

Her arms lift above her head, allowing me to pull her shirt off.

I run my hands down her luscious curves, under the waist band of her jeans, and have to hold back a groan when she unsnaps the button, pushing them over her hips, down her legs.

“God, you’re beautiful.”
And mine. Always mine.

Her tongue darts over her bottom lip as her eyes roam down my chest. “So are you.”

I chuckle, pulling her closer, and snapping the clasp of her bra. “That’s not a word that’s ever been used to describe me.”

“But you are. I’ve always thought that.” Her fingers trace the black ink on my arm.

I grin, shaking my head. “Next you’re going to tell me you think I’m sweet.”

“You are.” She catches her bottom lip between her teeth.

This time I laugh outright, pulling her tight against my body, needing the contact of her flesh against mine.

“You sure know how to bruise a man’s ego. You make me sound like a woman.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know.” I nip at her shoulder, running my hands down her lower back, snagging her panties with my thumb and sliding them over her ass. “But I want you to see me as someone who’ll protect you.” I move lower, capturing her nipple between my teeth, and swirling my tongue over the hard nub. “Keep you safe.”

“I do,” she gasps, arching toward me.

“Good,” I growl.

My cock strains against my pants, throbbing with need. The need to be inside her. To possess her. Take away all doubt from her mind. It’s the only thing I’ve been able to think about since I left her.

Now that I’m back, I’m going to make sure there isn’t a single night she isn’t in my bed.

I kiss her with the possessive hunger raging inside me. She responds to my touch, her hands roaming desperately over my body, fingers clawing at my skin.

Soft, feminine moans leave her lips as she tugs on my belt.

“Here.” I take over, quickly discarding the denim on the floor.

I’m about ready to say fuck the shower, but I can feel the tension in her body, and know that she needs more than a quick fuck on the bathroom floor.

Although my cock protests, I need to take my time.

I take her hand, pulling her under the warm stream with me. For a moment she closes her eyes, chin tilted back, letting the water wash over her face, down her back.

Our bodies mold together, and I can feel her erratic heartbeat against my chest. I press my lips against her forehead and breathe her in. Despite how hard I am, how much I want her, there’s something erotically intimate in the way she clings to me.

I love you, Mackenzie Brooks.

The words are on the tip of my tongue, desperate to be said, but I don’t want to put more pressure on her than I already have. It’s enough that she’s here with me.

I rub her shoulders, kneading the tight muscles, until I feel her relax under my touch. Her eyes are hooded, watching me.

“Turn around,” I demand, picking up a bottle of shampoo and squirting its contents into my hand.

When she doesn’t move, I lift a brow and give her a look that makes her obey, but not without a sigh.

Careful not to let the suds drip into the cut on her temple, I massage her scalp, using my fingers to untangle the knots in her hair. Turning her back towards me, I shield her face, as the water washes away the soap.

“Am I clean enough?” she asks, her lips quirking up.

I lower my nose to her throat and sniff. “For now. But I have a feeling you’re going to need another shower later.”

Her mouth parts and her eyes widen.

I shut the shower off, then slap her ass, just hard enough to make her yelp in surprise. “To bed.”

“I’m wet.”

“You will be.” I pull her back against me, my cock nestling between her ass cheeks, and I groan.

She sucks in a sharp breath. “Theo.”

Her startled reaction makes me smile. Sometimes I forget how innocent she still is.

I plan to change that.

She turns in my arms and gazes up at me with lust-filled eyes.

“It still doesn’t feel real. This. Us.”

“It’s real.” I claim her mouth, reveling in her taste, her scent. It’s so easy to lose myself when I’m with her. I know I need to be gentle, but I don’t have the strength to restrain myself any longer.

I take her hand and lead her to the bedroom, breaking contact only long enough to grab a condom from the bedside drawer.

My cock is hard, straining, and I catch her glancing down at it, her tongue darting over her lips.

The thought of fucking that pretty little mouth nearly sends me over the edge.

“Come here,” I grunt, pulling her down onto the bed with me.

She straddles me, positioning her knees at my side.

Gaze locked with mine, she places her hands on my chest and lifts so that my cock is nudged just at her opening. Slowly, she slides down, and her eyes close, a small gasp of pleasure on her lips.

Everything but her melts away.

She begins to rock against me, slowly, steadily at first, then faster, harder.

I tease her nipples, and she lets out a moan that goes straight to my cock. I’m barely holding on as she rides me with the desperation I feel.

She’s greedy for me. For her release.

The drugging, lightheaded effects of pleasure tear through me as she moves with the cadence of our heavy breathing. Her thighs tighten and I can feel the rippling of her pussy as it milks my cock, drawing me into pure ecstasy.

Her back arches, hips flex. She clenches around me, tight and hot, with urgent need. Her cry of pleasure is my undoing, rasping over my senses. I grip her hips, holding her tight, and thrust, grinding into her until I have nowhere to go but sweet heaven.

“God, Mackenzie.”

Her body pulses and throbs around me, and I lose myself in her, coming harder than I ever have before.

She collapses on my chest, perspiration mingling with our already damp bodies.

“I hate how much I need you.” Her words are breathy, strung with emotion.

“I know.” I cup her face, claiming her mouth. “But I need you just as much.
More
.”

She shakes her head, and in the dim light, I can see the tears forming in her eyes.

Not losing contact, I flip her over so that I’m nestled between her legs. She tries to look away, but I won’t let her. I slide my fingers along her jaw, then across her swollen lips.

“I love you, Mac.”

She inhales sharply against my lips and I feel the shiver that races through her body.

“Theo, I…” She blows out an uneven breath and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, there’s a sadness in her gaze that wasn’t there before. “You know how I feel about you.”

“Sure.” I sigh and wipe away the tear that rolls down her cheek.

The tension between us is thick. I don’t know if it’s me or her. Maybe both. I shouldn’t have expected the words to be returned. Not this soon. But I know now that I did.

“I’ll make us something to eat.” I roll off the bed, discarding the condom, then pull on a pair of sweatpants.

Right or wrong, I need more from her than she’s giving me. I don’t just want her body. I want her heart and soul.