20. Riley

Chapter 20

Riley

O ver the next twenty-four hours, Danny only left my side if one of us needed to use the bathroom. Even then, he'd hover outside the door, waiting for me like an eager puppy. He wouldn't let me walk more than a few steps either, sweeping me up like a Regency gentleman before tucking me neatly back into bed. A bed that he somehow managed to squeeze onto too.

It irritated me that I didn't find his behaviour irritating. No, it felt right to have Danny doting on me. I wanted him at my side as much as he wanted to be there.

And the most irritating thing of all? This wasn't even new. Before everything had gone south between us, I'd revelled in Danny's company and attention. It had only been after discovering that Danny had… feelings , that I'd realised how easily I could hurt him.

That was something I never wanted to do.

We were bonded now, that couldn't be changed. But a relationship? Could I do that? Did I even know how to?

I studied him from the corner of my eye. There was no denying it—Danny was one helluva handsome man. His chestnut hair was just the right thickness to bury your fingers in, while his piercing blue eyes seemed to sear into your very soul.

And the dimples. The dimples. It had taken a lot of practice to keep my knees from wobbling whenever he chose to flash them in my direction.

Everything about Danny was designed to appeal, and that was before you even took his body into consideration. His habit of whiling away hours in the gym coupled with his supe genes gave him muscles in places I was convinced shouldn't even have muscles.

But none of that had mattered before now, because I didn't see him that way. At least, I'd tried very, very hard not to.

Now, suddenly, it was allowed and my brain couldn't process that.

It felt like this had all been inevitable. I thought that was what was scaring me the most. Danny might have said he wasn't going to pressure me, but really, what else was going to happen? How many mates did we know who didn't have a romantic relationship?

None. That's how many.

I didn't blame him for making me his mate. I was grateful that he'd saved me. There was no question that he'd risked everything by doing so, yet he'd done it without a second thought.

How could I hate him for that?

I couldn't. But that wasn't to say I was ready for a full-blown relationship either. I hadn't even had time to wrap my head around the fact that Danny had feelings for me, and suddenly we were bonded for eternity?

It was just…a lot.

"I can hear you thinking," Danny muttered against my temple drowsily. "You're supposed to be resting."

"Thinking isn't tiring."

"It is the way you're doing it." He sighed before pulling himself into a sitting position. He frowned down at the few inches of space that left between us, then pulled me onto his lap. Giving a satisfied nod, he looked at me solemnly. "Want to talk about it?"

Not really, but that would have made me a fucking hypocrite. I tried to find the right words before giving up and just blurting it out. "How are you so sure I have feelings for you?"

Danny chewed at the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "Okay, let me answer that with another question. If you had to choose someone to be with…like, someone has a gun to your head, and says you have to pick a man to marry right now, who would you pick?"

"Obviously you." I huffed. "But that doesn't mean anything, not if there's a metaphorical gun to my head. Who else am I going to choose?"

"Umm Ryan Reynolds? Harry Styles? Literally any male in the Avengers line-up?"

I shuddered. "You're forgetting Hawkeye—eww. But I wouldn't pick any of those because I don't know them. I know you."

"Exactly," Danny said emphatically. "You know everything about me, and I'd still be the one you'd choose. Because you know, deep down, that you're safe with me. That I can make you happy."

He paused, letting his gaze rove hungrily down my body before flitting back to my face. "And you know no one else can make you feel as good in bed as I do."

"Danny," I whined in frustration, pinching his nipple. "You're not playing fair. You're supposed to be all diplomatic and stuff. Not reminding me of things I shouldn't want."

"Says who? And who says you shouldn't want them?"

"You're my best friend," I said, my fingers soothing over the nipple I'd pinched. "We're not supposed to complicate things."

"We're mates. You can't get any more complicated than that."

"Yes, well…" My frustration was threatening to boil over, and the most annoying thing was I wasn't even sure what I was frustrated about. "You're forgetting about the man with the gun."

Danny looked at me like I'd lost my marbles. "What man with a gun?"

"The metaphorical gun!"

"Ah." The penny dropped. "What about him, exactly?"

"Of course I'm going to pick someone if there's a gun to my head. It's a life-or-death decision—it doesn't mean anything."

Danny's arms tightened around me. "Actually, I think it means everything. When you're in that moment, everything becomes clear. That's when you truly realise what matters. What it is you can't live without. Whatever you think of then, that's what you want. That and nothing else."

What he left unsaid hung between us. It wasn't his potential death that had led to this revelation, but mine.

And what he couldn't live without was me.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight. Fuck, I wished I could have Danny's conviction. His unwavering belief that this was the right thing to do.

But I didn't.

And I didn't know how to find it.

"It's okay," Danny said, kissing my hair. "No pressure, Riley. This isn't something I want you to worry about."

The frustration bubbled up again. "What do you want me to do then? Because right now, I've got no fucking idea how to act around you. I need you near, but I don't want to lead you on."

"You don't need to act , Riley. I want you to just behave as you want to. Stop worrying about me, okay? The only reason I'm being so upfront with you about all of this is because you'd remove my balls if I kept it from you."

The frustration blew away like a dandelion clock caught on the breeze, leaving exhaustion in its wake. "I'm sorry. I'm just so confused."

"That's okay," Danny rubbed my upper arm soothingly. "You don't need to do anything, Ry, just don't push me away. That's all I ask."

My fingers tightened against his skin instinctively. "No. I don't want to do that."

"Then we're in agreement. I'm going to keep being honest, you're going to behave exactly as you want to, and no one's going to get hurt. No plans. No stress. We're just going to let whatever is going to happen, happen. Okay?"

Yeah, that conviction was something I was desperately lacking. "Okay."

"Try to sleep," he said, wriggling us both until we were horizontal again. "Toby will be here to check on you in an hour. If you want him to let you off bed rest you'll want to be at your best."

I snuggled up against his chest, letting his heartbeat soothe my worries. As I began to drift to sleep, I sent up a silent prayer.

The act was foreign to me. I hadn't been raised religious. Discovering God did in fact exist hadn't sent me down to Church every Sunday. Even during the accident, I hadn't prayed.

But now, I couldn't stop myself. If there was one thing I would ever ask for divine intervention for, it was this.

Please don't let me hurt him.

" A m I free?"

Toby chuckled as he undid the blood pressure cuff. "Is Danny really that bad in bed? That's unfortunate for you."

"Hey, I behaved!" Danny protested indignantly. "I knew you'd stake me if I didn't. I've had enough of that in recent years."

Toby snorted. "Sebastian does seem to enjoy staking you more than anyone else."

I watched Toby pack up the rest of his medical kit. "So, am I allowed up?"

"Yep." He snapped his case shut sharply before giving me a reassuring smile. "You're fully recovered. You're likely in better health now than you've ever been before. Any issues though, please just give me a call. I'm on shift for the next two days at the bar, but don't hesitate to reach out. One of the others can cover me."

Something about Toby's words tickled my brain. After we'd waved him out, I turned to Danny. "What day is it?"

"Monday. Why?"

"Shit." I scrambled off the bed. "Where's my phone?"

"It broke in the accident," Danny said. He got off the bed too, his stretch more like that of a jungle cat than a wolf. I tried not to stare at how his muscles rippled, or at how his skin stretched taut.

From the wink Danny shot my way, I failed.

Fortunately, he didn't call me on it. Striding over to the chest of drawers, he grabbed a box I hadn't noticed before. "Here, Blaise went out and grabbed it for you yesterday. It's been set up with your Apple ID."

I groaned as he shoved it into my hands. Of course he'd got me the newest model. "Danny, this is too much. I can pick up a second-hand one online for a third of the price."

"You could, but you have that one now, so you don't need to."

I eyed the wall, debating whether or not to hit my head against it. "Yes, but I can't afford this one. It'll take me years to pay you back for it. We need to take it back."

Danny snorted, grabbing a T-shirt from his drawers. I frowned as his muscles disappeared beneath the fabric. "You're not paying me back, Riley. No fucking way."

"This isn't a new coat, Danny. It's a fifteen-hundred-pound phone."

Danny ruffled my hair. "Aww, you're so cute."

"Daniel," I said threateningly. "Carry on and you won't be saying I'm cute."

"Fine." He dropped his hand with a sigh. "But I'm not backing down on this, Ry. I've got more money in my bank accounts than I can keep track of, especially since Harlow took over handling my investments."

"Yes, but it's your money. You've earned it. Therefore, you should be the one to spend it."

"And I am." He took the box from my hands and began to remove the plastic. "I'm spending it on you. Besides, I didn't earn it—not the bulk of it, anyway. I've literally just told you that Low is managing it now. I'm just reaping the rewards of his hard work."

He took the phone out of the box and fixed me with a stern gaze that made my knees a little weak. "I'm tired of watching you work yourself to death in a job you hate for very little money. From now on, what's mine is yours. You're my mate. It's as simple as that."

"Fuck!" My earlier concerns were front and centre again. "Just give me the phone. I need to make a call."

"What are you stressing about?" Danny asked as he handed the phone over.

I stared at the little apple symbol, mentally trying to speed it along. "It's Monday. I was supposed to be in the office six hours ago."

"Ah," Danny said. "You don't need to worry about that."

"What?"

"Leo went by there this morning," he explained. "Told them you'd been in a serious accident and showed them the pictures. They aren't expecting you in for a while."

"But I'll need to show more evidence than that. Don't you need a doctor's note?"

"You have one," Danny said calmly, squeezing my shoulder. "The whole gang had a meeting last night to discuss what needed to be done. Sebastian hacked your work's servers and downloaded your contract and HR policy. Harlow went through it with a fine-toothed comb and figured out you're entitled to eight weeks fully paid sick leave. Toby's written you a note signing you off for that time, which Leo handed in when he visited them this morning."

"Eight weeks?" I said faintly. I hadn't had that much time off in…well, ever. Even as a teenager, I'd worked every holiday going. While my friends were off enjoying the six-week summer holiday, I was working in the local butcher's scrubbing down boards. "What happens then?"

"That's up to you. You know we have to return to Scotland, right?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess I just hadn't thought through what the implications would be for me. I could always work remotely from there, I suppose. It'd be quite nice not having to go into the office and have to make small talk every day. Not sure they'd go for that though."

"Sebastian's already thought about that," Danny said. "If that's the route you want to take, he'll compel them into doing whatever you want. Reduced hours, remote working, he's even offered to get you the pay rise you so richly deserve."

"Of course he has," I muttered. Matty had been one of the loudest protestors when I'd been passed over for promotion. It had taken a lot of pleading from me to get Matty to persuade his husband to not march down there. He'd said he was going to compel them into changing their minds, but he'd had at least two stakes and three daggers strapped to him at the time. And those were just the ones I could see .

"So, what you're telling me is that everyone had a meeting to plan out my life and fix all foreseeable problems?"

Danny shrugged. "Basically, yeah. What did you expect? They're interfering fuckers. You know this."

"I know, it's just the first time my life has been the one they're interfering in."

Danny's eyes darted sideways, a twinge of guilt flashing through the bond. "Yep."

"Wait a minute," I said slowly, closing the distance between us. "Has everyone interfered before?"

Another flash of guilt, this time accompanied with a sense of fear.

"Oh, you better be scared, Daniel," I seethed, going toe to toe with him. "When else have you all interfered?"

"It's not that dramatic," Danny said before wincing. "Okay, maybe it was a little dramatic."

"Daniel…"

He threw his hands up. "Okay, but this was, like, four years ago, so really, you can't be mad about it."

I glared at him. "I'll decide what I'm mad about."

He switched moods so fast it was dizzying. He grinned at me, wrapping his arm around my waist and yanking me against him. "God, you're adorable when you're angry. How'd I never notice this before? Almost makes me want to annoy you intentionally."

"Do that and I promise you won't find me adorable for long." I tried to ignore the feel of him against me. How my blood was rushing south. The bulge pressing against my own. "Tell me now."

"Fine." He sighed but didn't let go of me. No, he wrapped both his big arms around me like he thought I was going to go running. "Remember Greg?"

"Greg? Of course I do. I couldn't forget him I tried." I'd been on one date with Greg. Unfortunately, he hadn't got the message that a repeat wasn't on the cards. He'd taken to turning up to my house, the club, and finally my work. That was when I'd relented and mentioned it to Danny. From that day on, Greg had never darkened my doorstep again. I'd assumed he'd compelled him, but apparently, I'd been wrong. "What did you do?"

I felt Danny's wince rather than saw it. "Technically I didn't do anything. Sebastian paid him a visit."

I thumped my head against Danny's shoulder. "Please tell me he's still alive."

"Sebastian? Thriving, unfortunately."

I glared at him. "Is this you trying to piss me off? Answer me this, Danny. If I went and knocked on his door, would Greg answer?"

"Technically he's moved."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "To where, exactly?"

Danny sighed, before muttering something too quiet for me to hear.

My brows hit my hairline. "What was that?"

"To Bassett Green Cemetery."

I shoved my way out of his arms. "For fuck's sake, Danny. You can't go around murdering people just because they pissed me off."

I felt Danny's temper rising to meet my own. "He didn't ‘piss you off' he was stalking you. And from the research Sebastian did, it wasn't the first time he'd done so, either. In fact, the last guy he did it to had been missing for over a year. So, yeah. Sebastian killed him and none of us lost a second of sleep over it."

The whole room tilted slightly. "You think Greg killed the last person he stalked?"

Suddenly I was back on the bed, on Danny's lap with his arms wrapped around me. "That never would've happened to you. I wouldn't have let it. I'll never let anyone hurt you."

My stomach rolled. "I can't believe I've had sex with a murderer. It wasn't even that good. Maybe murderers are shit in bed. Maybe that's why they murder—they're trying to make up for their sexual inadequacies."

Danny snorted. The snort turned into a giggle. Before long, it was a full-blown roar of laughter.

"What?"

He swiped tears from his face before giving me a cheeky grin. "I hate to break it to you, princess, but you've slept with me several times and I'm not shit in bed."

"What's that got to do with the price of fish?"

"Well, I can guarantee I've killed more people than little ol' Greg."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but you don't count. You've only killed bad people who deserved to die. Speaking of which, why didn't you kill Greg? Why ask Sebastian?"

"I wanted to," Danny said matter-of-factly, his fingers tracing up and down my arm. "I went to his house as soon as you told me, prepared to do just that. But I knew there was a chance you'd hate me for it. I didn't want to risk that."

"So you asked Sebastian?"

"Yup. I don't really care if you hate him, and I don't think he particularly cares either."

"True." I leaned my head against his shoulder. "For what it's worth, I'm not mad at you. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but you could run me over with a car and I'd forgive you."

"Same. But if you're going to do that, don't use Sebastian's. We don't need any more pressure to buy him another vehicle."

We both laughed easily, just as we always had. As the sound faded away, I reluctantly returned to the former topic. "So…my work's been sorted."

"It has. You're free to come to Scotland with me. Once the eight weeks is up, you can decide what to do. You can work remotely or just quit. If you want to move back down here, that's an option too."

"How? You won't be able to leave your clan."

"No," Danny said softly. "But I don't want you to be unhappy. If that means you live here and I make the trip down to visit you every few days, then we'll make it work."

I pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder without thinking. "You're being awfully optimistic."

"I've gotta be," he replied simply. "I'm going to make this work in a way that makes you happy, Ry. I won't settle for anything else."

"What about your happiness?"

"Your happiness is my happiness. So long as we have that, I'll be golden."

I rested my head against him, once more filled with dread. Danny said that now, and I truly believed he meant it, but people's feelings changed all the time. What if it wasn't enough? What if he wanted more, or even worse, wanted someone who wasn't me?

It was why I couldn't go there. Not now, anyway. This was probably just the mating bond making Danny feel everything more intensely. Like Sebastian said, it was in his nature to be possessive and protective. Chances were, when the newness of this faded away, Danny's feelings would too.

I had to guard my heart against that happening. Better, I'd remind him of the kind of lifestyle he enjoyed. He'd never be satisfied with just me.

I'd make him remember. Then we could go back to being just friends. That was easier. Less complicated.

Less chance of me hurting him.