Page 104 of Delirium
“Okay.” He chuckled, just as the sound of an incoming car pulled at my attention, making me turn in the direction from where it was coming.
A black Range Rover pulled right next to Storm and me. Four guys I hadn’t seen before exited, heading straight to us. Storm smiled at the first man, heading toward him, and engulfing him in a manly hug.
“Freddie man.” Storm laughed. “It’s been too long.”
The other man laughed, hugging Storm as well. His sandy blond hair reminded me of Atlas, but where Atlas was all tall and lean, this man could probably carry me around with no problem at all. He was almost the same height as Storm, but where Storm didn’t seem as huge as he actually was, this guy looked as if he could move a fucking truck.
His blue eyes zeroed in on me, and stepping away from Storm, he slowly moved toward me, grinning the entire time.
“And who do we have here?” And the man had a dimple. Of course, he had to have a fucking dimple.
“This,” Storm piped in, stepping between him and me. “Is my Sunshine,” he answered proudly, and damn him. My Sunshine, seriously?
“Sunshine, huh?” The man, Freddie, smirked, his eyes volleying between Storm and me. “And does Sunshine have another name or am I supposed to call her Sunshine as well?”
“No,” Storm all but barked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders possessively. “Only I get to call her Sunshine. This is—”
“Ophelia Aster,” I interrupted. “It is so nice to meet you, Freddie.” I smiled, extending my hand toward him.
“The pleasure is all mine, darling,” he murmured, the twang of the southern accent slipping through as he took my hand in his, bringing it to his lips. Tension brewed in Storm, as palpable as this fucking cold air around us, and just before Freddie tried pulling me closer to him, Storm pulled me back, glaring at the man.
“I never thought I’d see the day.” Freddie laughed, irking Storm even more. “Storm Knoxx… in love.”
“Watch it,” the bear next to me grunted. “I have a gun I’m not afraid to use.”
“I bet you do,” Freddie answered, still grinning from ear to ear. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ophelia, truly. But please remember,” he leaned down, earning another soft growl from Storm. “If this one screws up, I’m just in San Antonio. My door will always be open for you.”
Oh man, I liked him. I liked him even more because it was obvious that Storm hated the attention I was getting.
“Okay, alright,” Storm rumbled. “That’s enough. Step away, Freddie. We got a job to do.”
Within seconds, Freddie’s face changed from the playful and silly one to the serious one, ready to take on everything. I was glad I had these guys on my side, no matter what. I wouldn’t want to be the one on the receiving end of their wrath.
“Plan is already set?” Freddie asked, his attention on Storm.
“With Indigo,” Storm answered. “Just give me a second. I’ll be there shortly.”
Freddie simply nodded at him then me, and disappeared without a word, going all the way ‘til the end of our little convoy where I knew Indigo stood with the rest of the guys, going over the plan. My eyes followed him until I couldn’t see him anymore from the fog slowly settling around us.
“Sunshine,” Storm whispered. “Look at me.”
But I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to see the worry on his face, and I didn’t want him to see how worried I was.
“Phee.” He pulled me to him, burying his face in my hair. “Look at me.”
“I can’t,” I whimpered. “I know you’ve done this a hundred times as have I, but it still doesn’t make it any easier.”
“It’s different when it’s someone you love heading straight into the fire.”
“It is,” I agreed, clutching his hand in mine. “It’s irrational, this fear of mine, but I can’t help it.” I pushed myself to look at him. As my eyes connected with his, seeing all the love there, I relaxed a bit. “I’m scared I won’t see you again after you go in, and a part of me wants to tell you to just stay here. To just run away with me. But that’s not who we are.”
“No, it’s not. And running is never the answer. It’s a temporary solution for the problem, but it isn’t a permanent one. Whatever we’re running away from has a tendency to find us, no matter how much we try to hide from it.”
“I know,” I mumbled. “I’ll be okay,” I said, placing my hand on his cheek. “I don’t want you to worry about me. I’ll be here, safe and sound with Atlas. I promise I won’t do anything reckless.”
“I know you won’t.” He chuckled. “But remember what I said. Run if it’s necessary. Call Lazar immediately, get to Russia, do whatever you need to do to keep them safe,” he grumbled, placing his hand on my stomach. “Keep our kids safe. No matter what happens here today, just remember…” he trailed off, pressing his chest to mine. “I love you, Ophelia Aster.” He smiled softly. “I love you today, I’ll love you tomorrow… Forever, Sunshine.”
“Forever,” I mumbled as his lips pressed against mine, as he poured all his love through that one simple kiss, that shouldn’t have ignited the fire inside me as it did.
