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“I lost control,” Joe murmured, moving his head to rest against my neck, “in more ways than one.”
Nodding, I bit my bottom lip, not wanting to look at the state of the office. Being in his arms, revelling in the bliss of orgasm, was my happy place. But that was about to come crashing down.
“Is he alive?” I spoke so quietly, I almost didn't hear myself.
Releasing my arms, Joe slipped himself out of me and tucked himself away. I inhaled as I straightened my clothes with shaky hands, still leaning against the walls so my legs didn't give way.
“I fucking hope so.” Joe's reply sent a chill over my skin.
Shit, our life would be over if he'd killed Finley. And we'd just fucked against the wall instead of checking to see if the man was still alive. What was wrong with us?
Joseph stepped towards the young man and leaned down to feel his neck. Glancing back at me, he scowled as his gaze traced my neck. My hand came up to the sore area where Finley had squeezed.
“He's alive.” Standing, he took his phone out of his pocket and pointed at me as he dialled someone. “Collect all of your paperwork. Yeah,” he said, turning away and putting the phone to his ear, “I need your help. Now.”
My gaze darted around as I tried to process what he'd ordered. He wanted me to collect all of my paperwork? Did he have any idea how much I had?
When he looked at me with a hard stare, I jumped over to my desk and started to gather everything into a pile. Opening my drawers, I took out my designs as well as his rough drafts, trying not to screw them up with my shaky fingers. I understood that we needed to leave, but why would he make me take everything? This was my office and Finley had attacked me. Joe had only hit out in self-defence, surely the police would see that.
“Thanks, I'll catch up with you later.” Hanging up, Joe grabbed up a box and helped me to pack it with my files. “This is why we need to digitalise everything going forward,” he muttered.
“What? Just in case someone else tries to attack me?” My voice hitched as the reality of what had happened set in.
Yet again, I'd been vulnerable, unable to stop Finley from hurting me. Yes, Joe had got there in time to stop any real damage being done, but if he'd have been any longer, I could have been as floppy as Finley was right now... without a heartbeat.
“I need self-defence lessons.” Swiping at a stray tear, I swore violently. “Fucking fuck.”
“Listen,” Joe snapped, taking my elbow and forcing me to look up at him, “you are vulnerable and there's nothing wrong with that.”
Ripping away from him, I clenched my hands at my sides. “Yes, there is.... I need to be hard as fuck because apparently, everyone wants to fucking attack me!”
His gaze softened and he reached for me, his arms gentle as they wrapped around my shoulders. “I'm here, now,” he said, pressing my head into his chest, “I'll always protect you.”
The lump in my throat was so big, I couldn't quite push my words past it. Instead, I hiccupped and swallowed continually, trying to hold back the tears.
Pulling back, Joe blinked slowly and licked his lips. “Lola,” he said, “it's about time I introduced you to my world properly. I'm part of a society of protectors. So, if I can promise you one thing... I will always take care of you... and if anyone ever dares to touch you again, they’ll end up dead. I promise.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Here,” I said, taking the warm bowl of water from Joe as he came into the office.
We'd escaped to the club, leaving Finley behind. I'd wanted to call an ambulance, but Joe had asked me to trust him. His friends were going to deal with Finley by placing him in a dark alley. They'd then ring for help, waiting until an ambulance was nearby before they disappeared.
“Sit in your chair.” My order was met with a frown before Joe moved to the sofa that was in front of his desk.
Apparently, he didn't like taking orders from me, although I wasn't surprised. He wasn't exactly the relaxed type of male I'd been hoping I'd meet. Instead, he was an alpha... brooding and mysterious and quite frankly, sexily dangerous.
Patting the seat next to him, he gestured for me to sit too. I placed the bowl of warm water on the wooden table in front of us and lowered myself on the soft sofa. He smiled at me, reaching for my hand. I offered my palm instead, waving my fingers in an invitation for him to place his palm on mine.
“I need to clean the cuts on your knuckles.” Picking up a cotton pad, I sloshed it in the water as he put his fingers in mine.
Brushing the wet material over the grazes, I looked at him, studying his face as he stared into the distance. His strong jaw was clenched, the muscle in the corner twitching with tension. He'd lost his shit back there, and although I should be more bothered, I wasn't. In fact, a warm fuzzy glow sat in the pit of my stomach, making it hard for me not to grab him and kiss him... not passionately, but lovingly. No one had ever defended me before, and certainly never risked everything... for me.
“You have secrets to tell me,” I muttered, dropping my gaze when his eyes slipped towards me.
Clearing his throat, he nodded. “I do, but first, we need to talk about what just happened.”
Wetting my lips with my tongue, I stifled the shudder that threatened. Finley had been badly hurt, like knocked unconscious, might still die, type of hurt. And I had to admit to being ashamed at screwing Joe instead of calling for help.
