22. Chapter 22

22

R yker continues to chop wood as if he hadn't just watched Blake and I make out. And the crazy thing, I didn't mind one bit. I wanted to keep going. I miss her taste; I miss the way she threw her head back when she came. I miss her.

Blake nudges me, pulling my attention down to the whiteboard, I'm going to go inside, I'm tired. Glancing up, I take notice of the bags under her eyes and she's a little more pale than normal. "Want to take a nap together?" I ask.

Blake smiles at me, nodding.

"Okay, I'll meet you in there. I want to talk to Ryker first."

Blakes eyes snap to me before pressing her lips together and frowning over at Ryker.

"It's nothing bad, I promise," signing the word "promise," I do my best to reassure her. Blake doesn't look convinced, but still gets to her feet, looking back at Ryker and me before the front door closes behind her.

When I turn back around, Ryker is already facing me, his head tilted to the side. He knew we were going to have this discussion sooner rather than later. I just hadn't expected to have it today, but with Blake kissing me right in front of him, I guess now was better than not.

"Just spit it out," Ryker snaps.

"I'm not sure what to say." I shrug.

"You have feelings for the job."

I'm up and off the steps before I know better. "She's not a fucking job," I snap.

"Hmm, sounds like we have a touchy subject then, because last time I heard, she was. We were hired to protect her. She's a client, and what was your thing?" Ryker taps his chin. "Oh, yeah. No fucking the clients. Isn't that what you told me when Luna tried to fuck me?"

My hands fist at my side, hating that he was correct. While Luna was crushing on both of us and I wanted nothing to do with her, Ryker was a different story. He wanted to fuck and dump her. It was our first on our own client and so we made the deal that we wouldn't touch whoever hired us.

"When did she not become a job to you?" Ryker asks, dropping the ax onto the ground.

"The moment I stepped into her room at her parents." I sigh. I should've told them I couldn't do it the moment I realized Blake was someone I wasn't sure if I could stay away from. But the thought of someone hurting her enrages me.

"Not very smart of you, Jacey boy."

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"You're not going to like it, but I don't give a shit. As your friend, I'm going to tell you the truth. That girl in there is hiding something, you know it and I know it. I don't trust her, and neither should you."

"Ryker, you don't even know her."

"Neither do you."

I hate that he has a point. I hate that I know I'm blinded by Blake, but I can't stop. I want to protect her from everything, even herself. I want to wrap her in my arms and force away her nightmares. All those men that hurt her, the ones that are still alive, I want them dead .

"How are we supposed to protect her if we don't even know who's after her?" Ryker asks.

"Her father, Dimitri, said it was Antonio, the leader of the Italian Mafia, after her," I half tell him the truth. Knowing Ryker, he would storm in there and force her to talk.

"And you think he's just going to stop?"

"Of course not, but Dimitri is handling it, and until then it's our job to keep her safe and protected."

Ryker laughs, throwing his head back. "He's not handling shit; we both know it. He most likely is running around in circles trying to figure out where that stick is that's shoved up his ass."

I roll my eyes. I have to hope that Dimitri knows what he's doing. He's the damn leader of one of the most powerful mafia families. He has to have some clue what he's doing, shouldn't he?

"I'll figure out what she's hiding." I bite my tongue, trying to hold back the anger I have for Ryker at the moment. "But enough punishing her."

"Tell her to stop coming into my room late at night looking for Daddy then." I can see the smirk even if his face is hidden.

Rolling my eyes, I turn on my heel heading back inside the cabin. I don't find Blake in the living room or kitchen. Assuming she's in my room, I quietly open the door, slipping inside. Blake lies in the middle on her side, her backside being the only thing not covered.

Taking my shoes off, I debate for two seconds before taking all my clothes off but my boxer briefs. Holding my breath, I climb into bed. For a split second, her hand moves under the covers, and I have an idea what she's reaching for.

"It's me," I whisper.

Blake's eyes pop open, her hand stilling as it registers it's me and not some stranger.

"You going to be the big spoon?" I smirk, pulling the covers up.

Setting the whiteboard off to the side, Blake smiles, telling me that, of course, I was going to be the small spoon. Turning around, I ease under the covers, trying to stay clear of the knife .

The moment my head hits the pillow, Blake wraps her arm around my waist, holding me against her chest. Blake lets out a breath, and I feel her relax against my back. It pulls at my chest, my heart muscles suddenly no longer beating for myself, but for her. In an instant, I'm no longer unclear about my feelings. I don't care if she's the mafia princess. She's ours, and I don't care who tries to stop us, I'll kill them.

Blake jerks against me causing me to wake up. Blinking my eyes open, I glance over my shoulder to find her still fast asleep. Only she's twitching and flinching in her sleep. Holding my breath, I turn around, holding her hands against my chest. I know you're not supposed to wake a person who's having a nightmare. I learned that after Ryker nearly killed me.

While holding her hands against my chest, I reach across, brushing her short, dark brown hair behind her ear. The two bite marks left a clear white and red angry mark on the side of her neck. I need to know what happened to her. I need to understand.

Blake jerks her hands back trying to get her hands free. Her eyes fly open fighting against my hold, and her eyes gloss over, head shaking.

"It's me, Sunshine," I whisper. I'm used to getting looks, all kinds. They're either scared of me or they want to fuck me. And right now, Blake is scared of me, and I hate it. Since meeting her, she hasn't once been terrified of me.

"Come on, baby girl, take a deep breath. "

Blake shakes her head, tears falling. I can't stand to see her break like this. When Ryker had his panic attacks, I knew what he needed. The little shit might think he needs to always be in control, but I know him better than he knows himself. But watching Blake, not knowing what she needs, I hate it. I feel useless and I'm always the problem solver.

"Blake, I need you to breathe for me. Please, baby ," my voice cracks.

Slowly, Blake stops struggling against me, tears still falling down her cheeks. Letting go of her hands, I reach towards her face. Blake jerks back, moving her hands in front of her face. Fuck, she thought I was going to hit her.

Sitting up, I lean against the headboard, twisting around, I yank Blake between my open legs. With her back against my stomach, I hug my arms around her neck.

"Breathe with me," I order her softly. "When I was twenty-five, I left the military. I didn't have a place to go to, so I went home. If you could call it that. Anyway, growing up, my parents were foster parents as well. They didn't hurt them as much as they hurt me. I did my best to shield them from the abuse, but it still happened. And when I went into the military, I couldn't protect them anymore. I wanted to, but they kicked me out and I had no legal way. So I went into the military, waiting until I could figure a way to get them out."

Blake's breathing eventually evens out, her thumb rubbing circles into my hand that's around her neck. I'm not sure why I'm telling her about my past, but I'm hoping if I tell her more about myself, she'll learn that she can trust me with her past.

"I came home and found my father beating a new foster boy and my mother was letting one of the foster kids rape the foster girl. I called Ryker and while he got the kids out of there, I tortured and killed my parents."

I know I told her before, but this feels different. I held a lot of guilt when I left. I knew what was going to happen to them, but I still left. Walker taught us some, and when I went back, it was the last time I couldn't control my anger.

Blake taps my arm. Glancing down I take notice of the whiteboard.

Henry and Igor were my bodyguards, and they turned against my father. I was taken with Gabriel and held for only twelve hours. There were twenty-two of them, half left before my family showed up, and now they're looking for me along with Antonio.

I re-read over what she said half a dozen times and I still had no idea what to say. I know what I want to do. But I'm not sure what she needs.

"Don't let them define you, Blake. You're beautiful and I will tell you every day," I whisper into her ear. "I'm not going anywhere, it's me and you."

Blake nods her head, easing herself back against me, relaxing once again.

"I'll kill anyone who has touched you, anyone who tries to. Just give me their name, point them out, I don't care. He'll never touch you again."