When I walked back inside, I was surprised to see Crewe where I left him. He had an angry side to him, and I was surprised I hadn’t witnessed it. He was possessive and jealous, but he kept his rage under control. “He’s gone.”
Crewe rose to his full height, over six feet of muscle and man. His jeans made his ass look great, and the sleeves of his shirt were tight on his arms. His body was just as sexy as his face. When he faced me, he still wore that grim expression of anger. “Let’s go to my place.”
He must have figured out why I didn’t want to stay here. At least I didn’t have to spell it out for him. “Just let me grab a few things…”
We got out of the car and stood on the sidewalk of the hotel he was staying at. Hardly anyone was on the sidewalk at this time of night, but to the left stood a man in a black trench coat with a black beanie over his head. He was taping a paper to the pole of the streetlight.
Crewe whispered something to the driver and slipped him some money.
I kept watching the man, wondering what he was posting at this time of night. When he was finished with the paper, he walked toward me and held out a sheet. “I’m sorry to bother you…have you seen this woman?”
I took the paper and examined the woman’s features. She had dark brown hair and a pretty face. She was an engineer for the city but went missing a few weeks ago. Her name was Pearl. “I’m sorry, I don’t.”
Crewe emerged from nowhere and placed his body between the two of us. “Can I help you?”
“He’s just trying to find his friend,” I said.
“Have you seen her?” The man held the paper out to Crewe. “She’s a really good friend of mine…disappeared on a trip to Mexico. I keep thinking she might turn up, but there’s been no luck.”
“Sorry, man.” Crewe pulled me into his side and guided me to the entrance of the hotel.
“I hope you find her,” I said over my shoulder before we walked inside and took the elevator to the room.
His hotel room looked like more of a penthouse. It was bigger than a home for a family of four, with more amenities than he would ever use, but dukes seemed to travel in style. It had a full kitchen, two living rooms, and three bedrooms.
What did he need all of that for? “It’s nice.”
He carried my bag into the master bedroom and set it on the edge of the bed. I would have carried it myself, but he insisted on handling it. He slipped off his shoes and immediately began to undress. Once the shirt was off, his perfect torso was revealed. It was lined with grooves of strong muscle, delicious skin, and the large scar that sat above his heart.
I stilled as I stared at it, seeing the strange lines that stretched out around it. The scars were more noticeable because of his white skin. It contrasted like white font on black paper. It was difficult to look at because I remembered exactly how it had appeared when the blood was soaking into his shirt as he lay on the ground. I’d ripped his shirt in half to stabilize the wound as much as I could, but nothing could stop the profuse bleeding.
I was surprised he hadn’t bled out and died.
He undid his jeans and pushed them to his ankles. When he was in just his boxers, he walked to the bed and yanked the sheets back.
I couldn’t look at him anymore. Tears formed in my eyes when I remembered the horrifying night. When I got him to the hospital, I didn’t know if he was going to live. I thought the love of my life was going to fade away before we even had a real chance to enjoy each other.
I hated to let anyone see me cry, especially Crewe. It was an act of weakness, and I never let anyone see me that way. I moved into the hallway and found the bathroom. I darted inside and shut the door behind me, getting a moment of privacy so I could let my tears fall. Even though Crewe made a full recovery, I would never erase the memory of the moment his body jerked and fell to the floor. The strongest man I knew had been crippled by a bullet, and when he lay there dying, he had no motivation to get up again—because of me.
I sank to the floor and leaned against the wall. I hadn’t even turned on the light, and only the crack under the door gave me illumination. Instead of letting myself sob my heart out, I controlled my breathing and steadied my tears, knowing Crewe would check on me if I took too long.
His bare feet appeared at the door a few seconds later, and he lightly rapped his knuckles against the door. “Lovely?”
Another tear escaped when I heard the nickname. It’d been so long since he’d called me that. Lately, it’d only been London—and it wasn’t the same. “I’ll be out in a minute.” I did my best to keep my voice strong so he wouldn’t realize I was sitting on the bathroom floor with tears in the back of my throat.
Crewe opened the door and invited himself inside. He didn’t do a double take when he noticed me on the bathroom floor, as if he already suspected I was there. He kept the door halfway open so some light could come into the room. His thighs were muscular and toned, looking athletic as he moved in his boxers. He moved to the spot beside me against the wall and sat down, his long legs stretching out before him. Naked or clothed, he looked just as beautiful.
I stared straight ahead, not wanting to look at his scar again.
“Talk to me,” he whispered. He placed his arm around me and pulled me into his side, letting my face move to his shoulder.
I closed my eyes when I felt his warm skin against my cheek. My face automatically turned, and I pressed a kiss to his shoulder, tasting the skin I used to devour every night. My arm hooked through his, and I closed my eyes, comforted by his presence.
The bathroom had beige tile with matching sinks. A large walk-in shower stood in the corner, and a nice display of towels hung on the rack. The sounds of our breathing echoed in the enclosure, and the light from the hallway stretched across our feet.
“I just…I was so scared I was going to lose you.”
“I’m right here, Lovely.”
“I know. But when it was happening, I’d never been so scared. It was like losing my parents all over again, but worse. It was worse than when I thought I was going to Bones. It felt like the end of everything.”
“It’d take a lot more than a bullet to kill me.”
“But it almost did kill you. And seeing all the blood…and the fact that you wouldn’t get up.”
“I was devastated,” he whispered. “But you got me up.”
“No, Ariel did.”
“Because she threatened to kill you. I had to get up. I had to do the right thing for you. I’ve always put you first…even if you don’t realize it.”
“I do.” I kissed his shoulder again. “I’m so sorry about everything, Crewe. I never wanted you to get hurt. If something happened to you…I wouldn’t have been able to go on.”
“But nothing happened to me.” He turned his head and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’m here—with you.”
7
Crewe
I got the best night of sleep in a long time.
My arms were locked around her body so she couldn’t slip away from me in the middle of the night. I wasn’t afraid of her slipping away, but my subconscious was. I was tired of the loneliness, tired of the nightmares.