Echo (Bleeding Hearts #1)(33)

When I stepped into the elevator, I bumped right into Ryland and nearly dropped everything in my arms. His lips tilted up at the corners as he helped me to regain my balance.

“Are you going to be popping up like this all the time now?”

The irritation in my voice was clear, but I couldn’t control it. I was still in shock from the big reveal, and the more I thought about it, the more questions I had.

He didn’t seem fazed though because he was too busy staring at the flowers in my arms.

“What are you doing with those?”

“I’m taking them to the trash. I think some creep sent them to Nicole, and she doesn’t want them.”

His gaze narrowed, and I wondered if he thought I was lying to him. Or perhaps he was upset someone had sent Nicole flowers. I still couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on between them, and it irritated me further to even think about it.

“What’s the deal with you two?” I questioned.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean is there something going on between you and Nicole? Or anyone else for that matter?”

His expression softened as he took a step closer and tilted my chin up to meet his gaze.

“Would it bother you if there were?”

“Of course it would bother me,” I snapped. “I don’t know who else you’re playing these sick games with, and I think it’s only fair I know if I need to protect myself. You haven’t used a condom once since we’ve been together, and…”

“Brighton.” He smiled, completely derailing my train of thought. “Do you really think I’ve waited this long for you only to have someone else come along and distract me?”

“I don’t know.” I frowned. “I didn’t know that you had waited for this to happen. You acted like I didn’t even exist that first day you saw me again…”

Something occurred to me then. Something I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of before. “How did you know I would come to San Francisco?”

“I arranged the apprenticeship,” he said. “I had no doubts you would take it, but even if you didn’t, you’d be here regardless.”

“So this whole time, you’ve been testing me?” I accused. “With Stacey and with… who else is in on this?”

He opened his mouth, but I didn’t give him a chance to answer.

“Oh God, was that thing with Tom at the bar a test too?”

His jaw tightened and it was answer enough. “I had to be sure you weren’t like your family.”

“You mean like Norma-Jean?” I snapped. “Because I’m nothing like her. And neither is Brayden. He’s a good person, and I thought you were his friend. I don’t understand why you’re doing this to him!”

The elevator doors drew open, and he shook his head in clear warning. I knew what I asked was against the agreement, but I had too many questions, so recklessly, I persisted.

“Tell me why,” I demanded. “Tell me what happened between you two. Why were you at our house that night? Is that why you brought me into this?”

He didn’t answer, and it was infuriating me. So I kept peppering him with whatever questions I could think of.

“What about those initials you put on my back?” I asked. “They aren’t even yours. Are they someone else’s? A womans?”

“You don’t get to ask those questions,” he barked. “Remember?”

“Fine.” I tore my gaze away from him like a scolded child and continued my walk to the trash receptacles. He caught up to me within a matter of moments and waited until I’d discarded the flowers before pulling me into his arms.

“The only thing you need to know is that you belong to me. Everything else, it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me,” I insisted. “But you don’t care about that, do you?”

He answered by nuzzling into my hair and kissing his way down my throat while his hands explored my body. It wasn’t fair. He was touching me in all the ways he knew I liked, trying to weaken my defenses.

“You’re cold,” he whispered into my ear, rubbing his hand up my back to grip the base of my neck. “You should go back upstairs.”

“I should,” I agreed.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t while he was looking at me that way. As if he didn’t want me to go anywhere, and that right then, I was the most important thing in the world to him. It was a complete contradiction to everything he was doing.

He cradled my face in his hands and kissed me as if it were the last time he’d ever see me. I secretly wondered if he still thought it might be. That I might bolt at any given moment. And it was then that the truth of our circumstances really dawned on me. I already had the upper hand in this situation. He might have been holding the cards, but without me, he couldn’t win. Whatever this was, he needed me. And by the genuine emotion in his eyes, I wondered if that was a requirement of his game or his heart.

“You get one question,” he said. “I’ll try to answer it as best as I can. But it can’t be anything to do with Brayden.”

My brain jumped into overdrive at the realization of what he was offering. I had so many questions, and some were much more important than others. But the one I’d asked myself again and again was the first to roll off my tongue.