Page 74 of Ravage

My breath caught when Ravage cleared his throat and said, “I’ll stay with her.”

I looked over at him, and Jax did, too.

For a second, neither of us said a word, then without even checking with me, Jax asked, “You sure?”

“Yeah, it won’t be a problem. You do the run, and I’ll stick around here to make sure the prospects get things in order downstairs.”

As much as I wanted to, I didn’t argue. There was no point. I could tell by the sound of his voice, Ravage wasn’t going to budge, and neither was Jax. And I wasn’t exactly opposed to Ravage staying with me. In fact, I was relieved. He might’ve been tense, hard to read, and often ornery. But he made me feel safe, and I needed that right now.

Jax gave Ravage a stern look. “Call me if anything goes down.”

“I will.”

“And don’t leave her alone. If you have to go to the garage, get someone…”

“I’ve got it covered, Knox,” Ravage told him, cutting him off again.

Jax finally looked to me, and his expression softened as he asked, “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m sure.”

“Good.” He reached out and squeezed my arm. “Call me if you need me… and lock your bedroom door tonight.”

I almost laughed. After tonight, I would be locking every door in the place. Jax murmured something else to Ravage, then turned and walked out, leaving Ravage and me alone in my bedroom.

The front door closed, and Ravage started out of the bedroom. “I’ve got the couch.”

“I’ll get you a blanket.”

I went to my closet, pulled out a couple of blankets, and grabbed a pillow from the bed. I took them into the living room and started spreading them out over the sofa. “I can take care of that.”

“Okay.” I stepped back and let him take over as I told him, “It’s not the most comfortable sofa.”

“It will be fine.”

“I really appreciate you staying.”

“Not a problem.”

I held his heated gaze for a moment, then turned and made my way back to the bedroom. I slipped into bed and pulled the covers over me, trying desperately not to obsess over the fact that Ravage was in the next room. I couldn’t believe any of this was happening.

I might’ve thought it was just a dumb nightmare if it wasn’t for all the noises coming from downstairs. The guys were downstairs, cleaning whatever mess my intruders had made. I won’t try to deny it. I was curious and terrified about how bad it really was. Everything I’d worked for was in that studio, and the thought of someone destroying it both angered me and scared the hell out of me.

Thankfully, no matter what damage was done, I wouldn’t have to face it alone. Jax and the brothers would be here to help me any way they could. I tried to keep that in mind as I rolled to my side and closed my eyes. I lay there for over an hour, trying to go to sleep, but I just couldn’t seem to unwind. And the noises coming from downstairs didn’t help matters.

Hearing them made me think of the break-in.

The danger and the fear.

When I couldn’t stand it a moment longer, I tossed the covers back and tiptoed into the living room. I found Ravage stretched out on the couch wearing nothing but his boxers, and oh my heavens. The blanket had slipped low on his hips, leaving all that hard muscle on full display.

His chest was broad and defined in a way that made my mouth water. The light was dim, but I could still see the colorful ink that marked his skin, making him look rugged, dangerous, and entirely too damn tempting.

I froze.

The corner of his mouth lifted as he asked, “You okay?”

Apparently, getting caught staring at a man half-naked was another thing I needed to add to my list of embarrassing moments. I blinked and mumbled, “I ah… I heard something downstairs.”