Page 34 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
“Oh yes, how could we forget the fact you don’t want to fuck me because you have a moral obligation to your work. A place, by the way, that wants to toss me into prison for something I didn’t do.”
She rolled her eyes and walked away.
“Go get your air then. I’m going to be busy fingering myself.” Her face was shrouded in the shadows of the hallway as she looked at him over her shoulder. “Have fun thinking about that on your walk.”
The door to the bathroom slammed, and he grumbled every swear word his brain could spit out. He stomped outside and sat down in the chair. This was supposed to be a mission like any other. Find the target, collect the target and hand the target over.
How the hell had he ended up in this mess?
Laying his head back, he stared at nothing and yet saw caramel-colored eyes shining back at him.
He hadn’t felt himself falling asleep, but he was startled awake when the screen door squeaked open. Maeve peeked around the corner of the door at him and stepped out onto the porch. He could smell his body wash wafting off her skin, and she looked way too adorable in his T-shirt that came down to her knees.
“Hey,” she said and rubbed at her arms.
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry, you were right.” She sighed. “I was thinking about fucking him to get back at you. I don’t know why I do this shit.” She looked so defeated and not at all like the fireball he knew she was. The fact she was showing him true vulnerability had him swallowing a lump in his throat.
“I’m sorry too. I overreacted and took it out on you.” Wolf leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees as he stared out at the pasture and the cows he knew were there but could no longer see. “I know you don’t understand why I won’t have sex with you when I’m clearly attracted to you, but I need you to trust me. It’s not a good idea.”
“Fine.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I will try to tone it down. Sometimes I just can’t, I….” Maeve shook her head and turned to lean up against the door. “I have things wrong in my head.”
“I know.” A comfortable silence blanketed them as they stared out into the darkness.
“I made some dinner,” she said, touching his shoulder.
He turned his head and looked up at her. How long had he passed out here for that she managed to get dinner made? “Do I want to know? There wasn’t much in there.”
She lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “A friend of mine taught me a few things. It’s grilled steak that I cut up and put over pasta. You had a lot of spices, so hopefully, it’ll taste alright.”
Standing, Wolf stopped in front of Maeve. Reaching out, he gently pulled her into a hug. She was tense but eventually slipped her arms around his waist and relaxed into his body.
“Thank you, Maeve.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, her voice soft. “I like this. I don’t know when the last time was that I simply hugged someone.”
That was a statement he believed. “I want to help you, but you’re not ready for my help. You need to want the help and, more importantly, accept that what slinks around in your mind can only hurt you if you let it. They are nothing more than memories that your mind has pushed aside. Those memories are the reason for your cravings, outbursts, and scars.”
She hugged him a little harder, like she was hanging on to stay grounded.
“One day, you’ll be ready to face them.” He smoothed down her damp hair and dared to leave a chaste kiss on the top of her head. “Come on, why don’t we go and try this gourmet meal you’ve whipped up. Would you like to know how to say, I am hungry?”
She nodded, her face lighting up and making him smile.
“Agiyosi.”
“Agiiyooosia,” she tried, making him chuckle.
“Close.”
They strolled into the house, and it was like a temporary calm was cast upon them once more. He didn’t like the jealousy he’d felt or what it meant. He especially didn’t like how it made him react. The issue was he also knew that there was a very good chance they would end up at this same bridge again, and he didn’t know what he would do when the time came.
Maeve’s arm was getting tired from throwing the tennis ball, but Duke seemed just as energetic as the first time she’d picked the thing up. She was starting to think it had been a mistake to throw it the first time. She stared down at his bright, eager eyes and put her hands on her hips as she tried her best to look stern, but with a twist of his head and those sad brown eyes, he completely turned her to mush.
“Okay look, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll throw this one more time, but then we need a break ‘til later, but I promise I’ll play again.” Duke backed up and made strange little noises like he was talking back, making her laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
She threw the ball as hard as she could across the open lawn, and like every other time, Duke would beat the ball and catch it before it landed. Like a total pup, he tossed it in the air again. She couldn’t stop laughing as he pounced on it as if he was killing it, but instead, it scooted off further, so the chase continued.
