Hard to Fight (Alpha's Heart, #1)(34)
I close my eyes. Raide. “How?” I whisper.
I turn and see him standing, arms folded, eyes intense. “You said it mattered, when I know it f*ckin’ doesn’t.”
I stare at him. Really stare. He’s a broken man. I can see it in the depths of his amber eyes. What happened with his sister, it destroyed him. He’s hurting, and he’s struggling to cope. He wants revenge because it’s the only thing he has left to hold on to.
“You’re right,” I say. “I did lie.”
“Why?”
“Because you scare me.”
He flinches and steps forward. His hand reaches out and runs down my face. “Don’t be scared of me, baby. I won’t hurt you.”
Baby.
I close my eyes, turning my cheek into his hand. This is dangerous, so damned dangerous. Yet I don’t want it to stop. I can’t make it stop. I want to spend every waking second with this man, and what I am feeling right now is so deep, I’m not sure I’ll dislodge it anytime soon.
“Raide,” I whisper.
“Come away with me.”
“Raide.”
“Give me one f*ckin’ chance, Grace. One. It’s all I’m askin’.”
I close my eyes, and my shoulders sag. I have a few days off. I can do this without harm, right? Maybe if I go away with Raide, he can tell me more about what happened and I might be able to help him. Then, when I bring him in, he might have the chance to be let back out. It’s worth a shot. It’s probably just a poor excuse, but I need him again.
“Okay.”
“Look at me,” he says, lifting my chin. “Stop being so afraid of something you don’t know.”
But I do know it. He just doesn’t know that.
“I have a few days off,” I say, ignoring his words.
“Good, then go inside and pack a bag.”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“It’s a surprise.”
With a nod, I turn and walk inside the house. He follows me and I see his eyes scanning the area as we make our way past my small kitchen and into the hallway leading to my bedroom. “Nice place,” he says, his voice husky and low.
“Thanks, it’s not much to anyone else, but I’ve worked hard for it, and it’s mine, so I cherish it.”
“Understand that,” he mumbles. “Aren’t your parents stayin’?”
I flinch. Shit. I didn’t even think of that.
“Ah, they changed their mind at the last minute. Dad got sick.”
“Right, that sucks.”
Oh, thank God he bought it.
When I reach my bedroom, I fling the door open and step in. I pull out a bag and start stuffing clothes into it. I’m midway through when I feel his finger slide down the back of my neck. I shiver and close my eyes. It’s been a terrible few days and I’ve longed for his touch more than I’m willing to admit. So I just stand there, taking in every amazing second that his finger slides over my skin.
“You’re beautiful,” he says, his voice throaty and dripping with masculinity.
Beautiful.
It’s been so long since someone looked at me like that.
“Raide,” I breathe.
He silences me by pressing his lips to the side of my neck. I let my eyes flutter closed as my body sinks back into his. His arm wraps around my middle and we stand there like that for a good long time, his arms around me, his lips on my neck. I sigh and turn my face, capturing his lips with mine. He doesn’t waste any time spinning me around and kissing me softly, all lips and no tongue. Meaningful. Beautiful.
When we pull back, I feel it for the first time. A connection that goes deeper than my job, than his revenge, than the game we’ve been playing. Raide and I connect—for what reason I don’t know, but it’s real and it’s intense. He’s made me feel things in a short time that I’ve struggled to feel my entire life. He makes everything seem … easier. Even in our complicated situation, he makes being around him feel effortless.
“Pack some walking shoes,” he says before running his lips over mine again.
I pack two pairs.
Then we get into my car and hit the road.
Chapter Sixteen
The highway is long, stretching out across gorgeous terrain. I lean back in my seat, foot up near the window, long hair free and blowing in the breeze. The top is down, my sunglasses are on, and we’re cruising as if we’ve never had a care in the world. As if our lives aren’t a mess. Raide looks at me every now and then, and one corner of his lips tips up in acknowledgment of my presence. That’s a nice feeling.
“Tell me something about yourself, Raide,” I ask, shifting in my seat.
“What do you want to know?”
It’s a risk, but I say softly. “Tell me about your sister.”
I expect him to flinch or harden, but he doesn’t. He smiles, and it melts my heart because it’s full of love. “She was crazy,” he begins. “Always getting into trouble. When we were put in a foster home, I was constantly on her back, chasing her all over the place because she was causing a ruckus. She had so much personality, enough for the both of us and more. She was always smiling, always f*ckin’ happy.”
My smile gets bigger.