Frayed Silk(75)

“My, my, dear.” She smirks at me. “I knew you’d been hiding him from us for a reason.” She winks at Leo who chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Shhh,” I whisper and rub his chest. “You’ll embarrass him.”

We all laugh, and I chat with her briefly before telling her I’ll see her on Friday.

She waves. “You’re welcome too, Leo. Anytime, honey.”

I swear his cheeks go a little red as he responds, “Um, I’ll see what I can do.”

I widen my eyes at Glenda who just shrugs innocently before Leo and I continue outside. Wrapping my arm around his waist, I smile up at him. “You know you love it.”

He guffaws. “What I do know is that I love you.” The quick retort has my smile stretching across my face so wide that I probably look a little crazy.

“Blondie,” a familiar voice calls just as we’re nearing the coffee shop. My heart drops into my stomach as I take in Jared, who’s leaning a shoulder against the brick wall outside the cafe and stubbing out his cigarette. He looks the same, but something seems a little different. He’s also clearly not afraid of the very tense male who’s holding my hip in a bruising grip. The bright smile on his face might have something to do with the raven-haired bombshell in designer clothes who’s holding his hand and staring curiously at me.

“Hey.” I stop but keep some distance between us as anxiety and happiness war with each other in my brain. Happiness, because I’m glad to see him after so long. Glad that he seems to be doing well. Anxiety over how well, or not so well, these next few minutes might play out.

He takes a step closer, and Leo growls low in his throat. I grip his side in warning.

“Sheath your claws, tiger. I just need a minute of your time.” Jared smirks. He freaking smirks while my husband tries to commit murder with his eyes.

“Hi, I’m Dahlia.” I wave awkwardly at the woman beside Jared, trying to defuse the tension. Her blue eyes that were darting back and forth between Leo and me, now stay firmly fixed on me, and she doesn’t look so happy to meet me.

O-kay then. I drop my hand as Jared chuckles.

“Don’t worry about her. She’s a bit of a spitfire.” He tugs her into his side, and she turns her withering glare on him, which does nothing. He kisses the side of her head, and I smile as her big blue eyes seem to soften. “Anyway, I’m glad we ran into you …”

“Get to the point,” Leo snaps, cutting him off.

Jared looks at Leo. “The number of the PI you used almost a year ago. I need it.”

“Why?” I blurt before I can help myself.

Jared shrugs. “Got someone who’s proving a little difficult to find.”

I look up at Leo, and he drags his hard eyes from Jared to me. I nod, and he knows I’m asking silently if he’ll give the number to him.

Leo stares at me for a moment, apprehension and anger swirling in those blue depths before finally nodding back at me. “I’ll think about it,” he says curtly to Jared, turning us and walking back down the street away from the cafe. I smile over my shoulder, waving at Jared who winks at me before grabbing his girl and walking in the opposite direction.

“Don’t. Jesus Christ, Lia.”

“What?” I frown up at him.

He stops next to our car. “He called you Blondie?” He practically snarls.

“Stop.” I lift to my toes to place a kiss on his lips, looking him square in the eyes. “You saw for yourself; he’s well and truly moved on.”

He continues to scowl, and I know that was probably hard for him. But he knows. He knows he has nothing to worry about anymore.

“Look at me,” I say when his eyes look unseeingly over my head. He does. “We’ll just send him the number. You can watch me if you want.” Though I hope he trusts me a lot more than that.

“Not necessary.” He sighs. “Fuck. I’m being an idiot, aren’t I?”

“Uh-huh.” I nod. “Just a little. But I get it.”

“I’m sorry. I trust you.”

“Good.” My lips curve into a smile.

He hooks his arms around my waist, his hands smoothing up and down my back. “Okay. I’ll find it for you tonight.”

“Thank you. I’m sure he wouldn’t ask unless he didn’t have many other options.”

He groans. “And that’s precisely the only damn reason he’s going to get it.”

My hands slide up his chest, moving to the back of his head and bringing his lips down to mine. “I love you,” I breathe the words into his mouth and watch the last of that hardness fade from his face. “Only ever, always you.” I remind him before he seals his lips to mine and makes the chaos of the city turn into white noise as I’m held captive by everything he makes me feel. Even after all this time, his effect on me never lessens. It only seems to grow stronger.

Driving back home, he’s quiet. But he gifts me with a smile when I grab his hand and flip it over, trailing my finger over the creases in his palm. He still has quiet moments, times when I’ve lost him briefly to the shadows that still haunt him, but he knows that when he needs me, I’m here. Always ready and willing to light up that darkness in any way I can.

And my love for him could light up the whole damn world.