I Belong to You (Inside Out #5)(68)

“I might have some proof for you today that I couldn’t have been involved,” I say cautiously, not wanting Crystal to find out about Ava and Jimenez by overhearing me tell someone else.

“What proof?”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Then I’m not counting on it.” He adds, “But I’ll get my meeting today—and by the time Detective Grant gets back to San Francisco, he’ll be lucky if he has a job.”

I set my phone down thinking I can catch the last of Crystal’s shower, just as she exits the bathroom wearing a black fitted dress, tights, and her hair already sleekly styled. Glancing at the clock, I see that it’s nine fifteen. “This morning didn’t go as planned.”

Crystal’s gaze slides up and down my naked body and she lets out a regretful sigh. “No. It did not.” She bites her lip and inspects my thickening cock, which gets even thicker while she watches.

“Go make coffee, woman,” I growl. “I have a meeting you’re about to make me miss.”

She laughs and leaves, pausing at the closet for her shoes, giving me a moment to appreciate the way the dress hugs her heart-shaped backside. A cold shower it is, I decide, and enter the bathroom.

As I grab a towel off the rack afterward, my gaze lands on her pink robe, jolting me with the memory of Crystal sitting on the floor trembling. Cursing, I step to the bathroom sink, my mind replaying our conversation last night. I don’t want to lose you, either, she’d said. I wasn’t afraid of the cuffs because I trust you. I don’t deserve her trust. I should have seen her hesitation over the cuffs as a problem, and I don’t believe for an instant that they didn’t contribute to her nightmare.

I walk to the suitcase I’d stashed in the closet the night before and bend down, unzipping it and digging into a pocket. My hand closes around Rebecca’s journal and I pull it out, staring down at the red leather cover. “I need to do this,” I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut against the ache in my heart. “So I can’t hurt her like I did you.”

Standing, I seek out Crystal and find her with her back to me as she fills a cup with coffee. A knock sounds on the door and I grimace, certain it’s Jacob with really bad timing. Crystal turns and smiles when she sees me, but it fades as she notes my solemn expression. Her gaze drops to the journal she’d once opened and begun reading, mistaking it for something I’d left for her. She swallows hard and sets her cup down. “What are you doing?”

Another knock sounds and I ignore it, walking to the island separating us and setting the journal down. “I need you to read this.”

Shock rolls over her face. “Why? Those are her private thoughts.”

“I was a bastard to her, Crystal. You need to know who I am capable of being. But I have to warn you, she details the sex. And it was all about sex and dominance. It’s not an easy read, even for me—and I lived it.”

She inhales, straightening her spine. “When I was fifteen, I rebelled against all the protectiveness of my father and brothers. I think I also secretly wanted them to prove that they loved me unconditionally. I skipped school, got horrible grades, and shoplifted even though I had all the money a girl could want. My father put me in counseling and private school, and the counselor and I connected, which was good. But even more, I knew my home wasn’t temporary.

“My point is that I am not that girl now, so I don’t need to read the journal.” She rounds the island and wraps her arms around me, tilting her chin up to look at me. “I know who you are with me, and who you are with your family. And I like that man. I love that man.”

“Crystal—”

My cell phone starts ringing, and now there’s pounding on the door. A second later, Crystal’s cell phone starts buzzing on the counter.

“We’re scaring Jacob,” she murmurs, “but you don’t scare me.”

As I bring her mouth to mine, the distant sound of the front door opening is followed by Jacob shouting, “Crystal!”

“Security must have let him in,” she says, and calls out, “In here!”

Footsteps pound, and Crystal and I face the doorway as Jacob bursts through with his gun drawn.

Blake Walker, whose long, dark hair spills out of the tie at his nape, follows, using his gun to scan the room. “What the f*ck is going on?”

“Coffee for the road, anyone?” Crystal asks, walking around the island to pick up the pot.

*

Blake Walker throws so many F-bombs you’d think he was going for the New York record, which has steep competition. Crystal laughs every time I grimace, and I’m damn glad when we arrive at Riptide.

Crystal exits and I follow, my hand going to her back to urge her toward the roped-off security area.

Jacob and another security guard frame us, protecting us from a few piranha reporters. We’ve just entered the security area when I hear “Mr. Compton.”

I glance in the direction of the guard who called my name, going downright icy when I see the familiar man next to him.

“Any idea why Ryan’s here?” Jacob asks suspiciously.

“I don’t care why he’s here,” I reply. “He’s leaving.” I walk toward Ryan, Jacob keeping pace with me, and I’m aware of Blake hurrying in our direction. Apparently they aren’t sure I won’t kill the man. I’m not, either.