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“He saw you and I together last night, was waiting for you to leave so he could force his way into my house and”—she choked on a sob—“he did this to me, and I let him. I let him hurt me like I always have, only this time I get to wear the result of it on my skin. I’m weak.”
Her tone had changed, gone darker, and her voice broke on the last word. She was angry with herself. Nico bit back the guttural growl building in his chest at the thought of that predator waiting for her in the dark. Knowing he’d driven away, leaving her unprotected, it ate at him.
“That’s why you tried to run from me,” he said, everything finally clicking into place.
Lexie smiled wryly. “And why you should stay away from me if you know what’s good for you.”
Chapter thirteen
So, there it was. Everything. Her entire disgraceful past out in the open. All the things that made her want to crawl into a hole and die were now laid bare at the mercy of Nico’s judgment. Not that it mattered anymore. Lexie knew she was saying goodbye the minute she’d opened up. Now, in the torturous silence that had fallen between them, she waited for the speech about it all being too much, and for Nico to walk out of her life forever.
But that’s not what happened.
Instead, he silently pulled her to her feet. He took her toward the window, then stood behind her as he positioned her right in front of it. Placing his hands on her waist, he shifted her ever so slightly against his body. Desire pooled low in her belly as she met his gaze in the hazy reflection. He felt solid, safe, the rigid plains of his muscles pressing warm against her.
“You see that woman?” he asked.
Lexie nodded.
“Forget the bruises,” he said. “Look into her eyes. What do you see?”
Trying to ignore the distracting pressure of his hands splayed over her shirt, which was making her heart race and the rest of her body feel all kinds of incredible things, Lexie looked into her own eyes.
Blue. Glassy. Bloodshot. What did he want her to say?
She shrugged. “Just me.”
“Just you. Well, let me tell you something about you, Alexis Bowen. You are strong. You are beautiful. Being scared doesn’t make you weak. And none of this is your fault, do you understand me?”
Lexie couldn’t speak. His words were so sweet, so unexpected.
“I don’t know what you thought would happen once you told me. Maybe you figured I’d go running for the hills. But there’s something about me you should know; I don’t scare easily.” His hands tightened their grip on her waist as he said it, and Lexie’s whole body throbbed. “I wanted so badly to take you inside last night,” he said, lips grazing her ear. “I’m pretty sure you wanted it too. But I told myself to take it slow, and that’s a decision I’ll regret for the rest of my life, now that I know what was waiting for you in the darkness.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You couldn’t have known.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” He turned her to face him. “I don’t care about your past or the mistakes you’ve made. We’ve all done shit we’re not proud of. And I know this thing between us is new and insanely ill-timed, but I want you to hear me when I say that I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m here, and I’ll protect you. I promise.”
Lexie covered her face with her hands and let out a slightly manic laugh. She looked back up at him. “Nico, this is crazy. I can’t ask you to get involved, not with things the way they are. You need to be able to do your job. I appreciate everything, but this is my problem, not yours. It’s just, it’s too much. You deserve better.”
The words tasted horrible in her mouth, almost as horrible as the disturbing knowledge that he could still walk away if he wanted to.
Please, please don’t let him walk away.
Once again though, Nico surprised her. Very slowly, he moved in close, the tip of his nose running the length of her jawline before dipping lower. Lexie stiffened, gasping as he placed a hot, steamy kiss in the hollow of her neck.
“You let me worry about what I deserve,” he whispered, his breath lingering over the bruises Kyle had branded her with.
Before she got completely swept away, Lexie put a hand between them as she tried to regain the ability to speak. Biting her lip anxiously, she said, “There’s something else.”
As much as Nico loved his job, he had to admit, sometimes being a cop sucked. He wanted Kyle Garrett dead. Not charged, not fined, not sent to prison—dead. As a fucking doornail. At the very least he deserved a good beating for the shit he’d put Lexie through. Unfortunately, being a lawman made that difficult for Nico to dole out, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t do everything in his power to make the man’s life a living hell.
This morning’s conversation had been tough on Lexie. It hadn’t exactly been a cakewalk for him, either. When she’d finally finished crying and apologizing—fucking torture as nothing he said seemed to help—Nico walked her to her car and watched her drive away, then stormed into West’s office without knocking.
Slamming the door behind him Nico glared at the man behind the computer. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
West looked up for a startled moment, then continued typing. “Please come in, Lieutenant.”
“What’s this shit about you refusing to issue a restraining order against Kyle Garrett?” Nico demanded.
