12. Bronson

brONSON

My adrenaline spikedthe second she called.

I was already moving when she asked if I could run, every pulse point throbbing under my skin as my brain conjured up every scenario as to what could have been wrong. Luckily I'd been dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Not taking an extra second to throw on shoes before I was racing toward her place, the phone still pressed to my ear, I was at her door in no time at all.

Thank fuck we'd moved to the condos for the time being because if I'd gotten this call with her while she was at home and me at my apartment, thirty minutes or more away, I'd have gone out of my fucking mind getting to her.

How the hell had I lived without her all these years?

In a matter of days, she'd started to consume my every thought. If I truly took the time to think about it, I'd have to say that I probably wasn't really living at all. More like going through daily motions. Sure I had friends like Lyric and the group, guys I worked with, and some old buddies from the military, but I'd honestly never let anyone deep into my heart after walking away from Lake, then losing my dad.

After coaxing her into opening the door, Lake had thrown herself into my arms and buried her head against my chest.

"You really came," she said, her voice muffled and scared.

I closed my eyes, a knife embedding itself into my heart at her words. Lake should have never doubted I would come but I'd fucked up.

Her words when she called replayed in my head as her hands gripped the back of my T-shirt like a lifeline. I need you. I need you now.

It felt fucking fabulous to hear that, but I wanted it to be under better circumstances. And I wanted her to always need me. I promised myself while standing there, holding the most amazing person I knew in my arms, that one day soon she would never doubt that I'd always be there for her.

Slowly, I moved us further inside the door, shut it, and flicked the lock, while she still clung to me, her arms wrapped around me like a grape vine. "Sweetheart, can you tell me what happened?"

After a few beats of silence, Lake whispered, "He was in my house at the lake."

My blood boiled. "He was what?"

Crap, I never wanted to scare her and my anger vibrated with each word. My mind spun in circles like a prize wheel, but it was more like a wheel of doom. Then it landed on a question that I was almost afraid to ask but I had to.

"Honey, how do you know that?"

I held my breath waiting for her answer.

"He called my phone," she shuddered, fear clear in her tone.

Before I could say anything, Stormi popped up from the couch. "Is it morning?" she asked in a cute, sleepy voice.

That had Lake pulling out of my arms and swiftly moving toward her daughter, her own worries forgotten.

"Not yet, sweetie. How about I tuck you into bed and you get some more sleep?"

Stormi got off the couch but instead of answering her mother or heading toward the bedroom, she raced toward me. When she got close enough, she looked up at me with her big brown puppy dog eyes and asked, "Can you tuck me in?"

My gaze went to Lake who wore a soft smile on her face instead of the fear-induced one I'd seen when I opened the door. She nodded, answering my unspoken question..

Looking back down at Stormi, I lifted her up into my arms. "You bet I can, kiddo."

As we walked by Lake, I kept one hand tucked under Stormi, and extended my other to her mother. I wasn't going anywhere without her; I needed her in my sight. When she clasped my hand without hesitation it felt amazing.

Her trust, even after everything I did, was something I never thought I'd have again.

Stormi asked to sleep in bed with her mom and I didn't blame her after being brought to a strange place. Lake didn't even balk at the request. Once I got her settled and said goodnight, I moved back and rested my shoulder against the doorway as I watched the girls do their thing.

The situation with this guy was escalating quickly and that wasn't a good sign. Not only would I be using my resources in the department to figure out who the asshole was but all the guys at No Surrender would be helping as well.

I would die trying to make sure nothing happened to either of my girls.

I'd triedto ignore the way Lake looked.

We'd moved back out to the living room while Stormi slept and Lake went through what was said by the mystery caller and what had led to her phoning me. While she spoke, the alarm in her voice clear, I tried to stay calm knowing that it was what she needed. If she saw or could hear the rage in me it certainly wouldn't help her.

Throughout the conversation, I kept touching her. I wasn't sure how I'd ever let her get too far from me until whoever was messing with her was caught. I knew how crazy that sounded when I'd been a fool in the past and I'd removed her from my life for so long, but in all that time she was never far from my mind.

And she'd never left my heart.

With everything out in the open, it seemed to have dissipated some of the fear that had been evident since the second she called me. Lake paused, sucked in a breath, and looked down at my hand that rested on her knee, my thumb softly rubbing circles on her bare skin.

The caress seemed to resonate with both of us simultaneously and Lake jumped from the couch just as I pulled my hand from her leg. She headed into the kitchen where she aimlessly started to find things to do. I watched as she opened the fridge and closed it multiple times, fidgeted with the dishwasher, rearranged stuff in the cupboards.

All the while, my eyes absorbed and took in every flawless inch of her.

In a pair of baby-blue shorts, her tanned, toned legs descended from the barely there fabric that stopped just shy of her perfectly round ass. My gaze moved up and I almost swallowed my tongue when I noticed her voluptuous breasts peeking out of the white tank top that fit her like a glove.

Her hair was in a messy bun showcasing her neck and I couldn't stop thinking about how I wanted to kiss every inch of it, along with the rest of her. There was no way to stop my body"s reaction even though I knew it wasn't the time to be responding to her this way when I'd come there to help her.

I was going to hell for sure.

Before I knew what I was doing, I rose from the couch, and moved her way. As I came up behind her, she turned at the same time and we almost ran into each other. She gazed up at me, her soulful-brown eyes searching mine, and I was lost.

"Bronson," she said breathlessly.

Yup, I was definitely going to hell.

"Can I kiss you?" My control might have been slipping but I wouldn't do anything she didn't want or that would ruin the trust I'd been slowly rebuilding.

However, if the look of desire that flashed in the depths of those beautiful orbs was any indication of what she wanted, I was pretty sure I was about to receive the second-best kiss of my life because the only one that had ever meant anything had already been with Lake.

She nodded but said nothing.

"I need you to use your words, Cupcake." I placed my hand on the back of her neck and let it rest there, waiting. "Do you want me to kiss you?"

"Yes, please," she whispered.

I gave her one last look to make sure it was what she wanted. Her eyes danced with anticipation and that was all it took. My head bent toward her, my palm at her nape tugged softly, and then my mouth took hers.

I slid my tongue over the seam of her mouth and her sweet taste exploded on my tongue before I slipped it inside. The kiss picked up speed and our breathing accelerated.

The chemistry between us was just as explosive as all those years ago. But now as adults, after all the years apart, with the lives we had led, this kiss between us was so much more. It held desperation, hope, and it held promise. And that love we had always felt for each other raised from the ashes of the destruction I'd left behind.

With much regret, I slowly pulled back wanting to savor our moment but not scare her off. I looked into Lake's half-lidded eyes and couldn't help grinning, knowing she was as affected as I was.

There was no denying that there was still something so real between us.

"That was…"

When she paused, I finished for her. "Phenomenal."

Her arms that had gone around my back when the kiss began, gently moved to my front, and she placed them on my chest.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

I moved my hand from her neck and rested it on her cheek. "I promise I will do everything to protect you from whoever is bothering you."

Lake dropped her hands to her side. "I didn't mean him." She kept her gaze on me and I knew she was talking about us.

"We have a lot to talk about, sweetheart. I swear we are going to do that, but you need some sleep before Stormi wakes up for the day."

Not moving, I could see something going on behind her eyes. There was a question but she wasn't sure if she should ask. Whatever the battle was, ended, and she whispered, "Can you stay here with us?"

My hand left her face and stroked her arm softly. "I wouldn't dream of going anywhere."

Lake sighed with relief. "Thank you for coming," she said as she moved away from me and started toward the bedroom.

"You never have to thank me for that, Cupcake. From here on out, I will always come when you need me."

A soft, wistful smile spread across her face just as she disappeared from my sight.

I never in a million years thought our second kiss would be so soon when we had so much to talk about and I knew I had a lot of groveling to do, but it had felt right.

No matter what happened, I planned to get my best friend back, but there was no denying that I was craving more too.

I wanted everything with Lake. She had always been the only one for me. I just hadn't realized until it felt like it was too late and it would be unfair to her. Because she was also my best friend I'd felt like I owed it to her to explore, to have a life, to not wait for me.

Well I was done with that line of thinking.

I was here, she was here, and we were meant to be together.

It was something I felt down to my bones.