His Ballerina

by Darcy Rose

  “It has nothing to do with you. I want to make sure you know that.”

  He tips my head back and lowers his until our mouths are almost touching. “You never have to worry again. I’ll make sure of it. And you’ll get used to being safe and taken care of. I promise you that, too.”

  His kiss is everything I dreamed a kiss would be. Deep, slow, like he’s exploring me while taking possession of me. Of my lips, my tongue. Consuming me. And all I can do is lean in, silently asking for more while heat unspools between my thighs and leaves wetness behind. All it takes is this, and I’m ready for him, wishing we were at his place or at least in the car where he could…

  His head jerks up, the kiss ending suddenly enough to make me gasp. When my eyes open, the first thing I see is his snarl. Cold, vicious, terrifying. What did I do?

  Instinct makes me fall back a step because I’m not sure I want to be near him when he looks that way. Like he’s ready to kill somebody.

  His mouth opens like he’s ready to scream, and I realize he’s looking past me—behind me. I start to turn, wanting to see what’s wrong, what made him change that way.

  “No!”

  The strange, almost slow-motion sensation pops like a balloon when Archer bellows out that single word. All I manage to get a look at out of the corner of my eye is a pair of men dressed in black.

  And one of them is holding something shiny, something the late afternoon sunlight glints off of.

  Archer moves fast, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me closer to the car while throwing himself in front of me. I don’t understand what’s happening, what to do, or why he’s acting this way.

  Until I hear the loud pop.

  Until Archer flinches and falls back against me, pinning me between him and the SUV.

  By the time I realize he’s been shot, he’s reaching into his waistband and pulling out his own gun. He’s firing on the men. Once. Twice.

  People are screaming, running for cover, ducking behind their cars while I hide behind Archer. There’s no more shooting. My ears are ringing, my heart’s pounding out of my chest, and I’m about two seconds away from throwing up.

  “What—why—” I can’t put a sentence together, and oh, no, there’s a scream threatening to tear itself loose in my throat.

  Archer turns, and his eyes are wild as they go over me, checking like he’s afraid I’m hurt. “Are you okay? Did they hit you?”

  I can only shake my head as the understanding that the men who shot at us are dead sinks in.

  Followed by the warm wetness on Archer’s jacket.

  “Oh, my god.” My fingertips come back red. “You were shot!”

  He shakes his head, taking my face in his hands. “No, no, it’s okay. You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” His body has other ideas, though, since he stumbles against me with a tight groan.

  I do what I can to bear his weight, looking around, my mind racing. There are so many witnesses, and the police will be here soon, and Archer’s hurt, and oh, god, I can’t let him die. Not when he threw himself in front of me to take that bullet.

  He literally took a bullet for me. This man who swears he only wants me to be me, that I don’t owe him anything but myself. He’s bleeding and might be dying. I have to get him out of here.

  “Come on. Help me.” I pull him to the passenger side of the SUV and open the door. “Get in, quick. I have to get you to the hospital.”

  Once I’m behind the wheel, he grunts and shakes his head. “No hospital.”

  “Archer! You need to—”

  “Take me home. I mean, to the mansion.” His color is already fading, his skin turning sallow. He has his hands over his stomach, but I don’t know how much blood he could be holding back since it seems to be everywhere. “Take me to my family’s house. They’ll know… what to do.”

  “Tell me where it is.” I throw the car into gear and peel out of the parking space, ignoring the people screaming at me to stop. “Stay with me, okay? Stay awake. I need you to tell me where to go. And how to drive this damn car.”

  Is he actually laughing right now? “You’re incredible.”

  “I’m not even kidding. I have a license, but I’ve never driven anything close to as big as this or as nice as this.”

  “You’re doing just fine, baby. Just fine.” His voice is weak, but he’s fighting to stay awake. He’s still strong enough to do that. He’s strong enough to do anything.

  What would I do without him? It goes through my head in a flash as I fly way too fast down the interstate, praying the cops don’t pull me over while Archer gives weak, almost whispered instructions. What will I do if he doesn’t make it? I’ve known him two days, and already I can’t imagine going back to life without him in it. No way. It wouldn’t be worth it.

  I’m relieved to get off the interstate at the next exit, taking mostly empty back roads the rest of the way. His family lives out in the middle of nowhere, and I’m starting to understand why. When there’s a chance of somebody coming up out of nowhere and firing a gun at you…

  My hands tighten around the wheel until it hurts, and there are tears in my eyes. I have to blink them away since getting Archer help is all that matters now. A lot of good it would do to crash.

  Finally, we reach a wrought iron gate. “This is it. Turn in here… follow the drive up… to the house.”

  I look over and find his eyes sliding shut. “No. No. Don’t you go away. Stay with me, please!” The gas pedal is practically touching the floor as the SUV rockets toward the house.

  “Madison…”

  “Don’t leave me. Don’t you dare leave me now. Not now. Please, stay.” The house appears ahead of me when I take a curve, and I lean on the horn the rest of the way, hoping to get somebody’s attention as soon as possible.

  It works, too. By the time the car screeches to a halt, men are running from the house to see what the fuss is about. All I have to do is lean across Archer and open the door for them to understand. “He’s been shot!” I scream anyway, turning off the engine and almost falling out onto the gravel. My legs don’t want to hold me up, but they have to. I have to be with him.

  “Cash, inside. Call the doc.” One of the men takes Archer’s shoulders and pulls his upper half out of the car. Another takes his legs once they fall out, and the two of them carry him into the house while I jog behind them.

  “Who are you?” It’s the man holding Archer’s shoulders, the one who told Cash to call a doctor. His voice is dark, almost accusing, and for a moment, I’m scared that he is not going to let me into the house.

  My eyes flicker to the other man, and I recognize it’s one of the twins. Kane. “She’s okay, Ace. Remember, we told you we met her.”

  “Somebody tried to shoot me, and he got in the way,” I say again and again, as much for them as for myself. I can’t make any sense of it. He jumped in front of me so I wouldn’t get hit.

  “She’s in shock.” Ace decides while he and Kane lay Archer across a bed in one of the upstairs rooms. “Get her out of here.”

  Another one of the guys puts a hand on my shoulder, but I shake it off. “No way. I’m not in shock. I won’t leave him, so don’t bother trying to get me to do it. I want to help. What can I do?”

  Ace looks me up and down before snorting. “Yeah, I can see what he sees in you.”

  12

  Archer

  “I think he’s awake.”

  Yeah, and he wishes he wasn’t. Being awake means feeling the pain.

  It’s not like I’ve never been hurt before. I’ve been in more fights than I can count. I’ve gotten my ass handed to me—though I’ve handed a lot more asses to their owners than the other way around.

  But this? A slug to the gut? There should be a new word invented for that kind of pain.

  It didn’t hurt right away. Adrenaline. The overriding need to keep Madison safe from Deke and his pal, whoever the fuck he used to be before I blew him away. Him and Deke both.

  Nothing had
mattered more than protecting her. Killing them for trying to kill her. Thinking they could blow her away to—what? Punish me? Send a message? So I could hold her in my arms while she died?

  Not a fucking chance.

  “Archer?” Her voice is soft. Low. Gentle, like so much about her.

  Though I saw another side of her, didn’t I? That core of steel. The way she got me here, making sure I stayed conscious, driving like a bat out of hell even though driving my car scared her. How she managed to hold herself together is just one more in a list of reasons why she’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever known.

  And she’s just about the only person in the world I’d open my eyes for right now.

  She comes into focus slowly, and right away, I notice the circles under her eyes, the paleness of her skin. “You look tired.” I hate how weak I sound, how groggy.

  Her smile makes things better. “You would notice that first, wouldn’t you? You took a bullet to the stomach, but you’re worried about me being tired.” She lifts my hand and holds it to her cheek, where tears fall against my skin. I think I hear her murmuring something that sounds like a prayer.

  “Hey, brother.”

  I turn my head—slowly, I’m still weak—and find Ace standing on the other side of the bed in my old room—the room where I grew up. Never thought I’d end up recovering from a gunshot here. “Hey.”

  “You’ve looked better.”

  I would snicker, but even that might put too much strain on my stitches. I can feel them, can feel the wound. The slightest movement pulls on it. “You, too,” I manage.

  His brow lowers. “It was Deke.”

  “I know. And a friend of his.”

  “He got away, but word’s already out on the street. Bruno’s not happy.”

  “No, shit.”

  “No, you don’t understand what I’m saying. He’s working hard to distance himself from this, saying it was all Deke’s idea, and he had no idea what his cousin was planning to do. He would never have approved of this.”

  I narrow my eyes, and my stupid brother understands right away. “Sorry,” he mumbles, looking across the bed to Madison.

  “It’s okay. I’m getting used to the idea of what happened.” She strokes my hand as she speaks, soft and gentle.

  And I hate that she has to get used to anything like this. She doesn’t deserve it. I should’ve known better than to let my guard down. At least I was carrying, which I wouldn’t normally do during a trip to the mall, but I had to keep Madison’s well-being in mind.

  It came in handy, didn’t it?

  “I’m gonna kill him for this,” I growl. Slowly, I add in my head.

  “You don’t have to worry about that right now; we have Vincent on it. He is more than happy to take care of it.”

  Ace looks at Madison again, then at me. “I’ll leave you two alone. She’s been waiting this whole time for you to wake up. Wouldn’t leave your side.” With a wink, he turns away and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  As soon as he’s gone, I reach for her. “Come here.”

  “I can’t. Your stitches…”

  “We’ll be careful. I just wanna hold you, is all.” I need to know she’s real, that I kept her from getting hurt or worse. Sure, I see her, I hear her, but it’s not enough.

  She eases herself into bed beside me, avoiding my midsection, her head on my shoulder. “I’m so relieved you’re awake now. It’s been a long… God, I don’t even know how long it’s been. It’ll be dawn soon, I think.”

  At least twelve hours, then. “What happened once we got here?”

  “The doctor came and removed the bullet from your stomach. He gave you a bunch of drugs. Antibiotics and painkillers.” She strokes my forearm, and I realize there’s an IV there. “He said you should be okay. There was minimal damage. Is he your personal doctor?”

  “If they called who I expected them to, yeah. We have him on retainer for situations like this, when we can’t go to the hospital.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “How are you, though?” I manage to twist my head around to kiss her. It’s worth the effort, even if the effort just about wipes me out. I lost a ton of blood. At the time, I thought it might be the end. That I wouldn’t survive losing that much. That Madison would have to watch me die.

  That she wouldn’t have anybody to take care of her anymore.

  “I’m fine. Tired, I admit. But you already pointed that out.”

  I hear what’s under the joke she’s trying to make. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Experience it. I didn’t want you to ever have to go through that.”

  “I know. It isn’t your fault.”

  But it is. I should’ve known, should’ve predicted it. I let my guard down, and it might’ve gotten her killed.

  It’s like she’s reading my mind. “Hey. Don’t you dare blame yourself. And don’t beat yourself up, like you let this happen, or you might’ve gotten me hurt. You weren’t the one who made the choice to follow us and wait for us out in that parking lot. You didn’t make the choice to shoot at me.”

  “You’re right,” I whisper. “I made the choice to take that bullet.”

  “You did.” There are tears in her eyes, in her voice. “Why did you do that?”

  “It’s only what I already said I would do. Right? I meant it when I said I’d protect you. Do you believe me now?” I kiss her again, relishing the pressure of her mouth against mine. I was sure I would never feel it again, that the pure joy and satisfaction she brought my life was only meant to last a couple days before reality crashed in and took her away.

  “I didn’t think you meant you’d literally step in front of me and take a bullet,” she whispers through her tears. “Why would I ever imagine that?”

  “You don’t have to imagine now. Madison, I would die for you. I would even do that. You’re worth it. You’re worth the entire world, all of it. My life is only a small part of everything you deserve. And I plan on spending the rest of my life proving that to you. Giving you all the good things you deserve. Proving how much I love you.”

  Her mouth falls open. “You love me?”

  I touch her hair, letting it slide between my fingers. “What does a man have to do to prove he loves you?”

  She lowers her chin and bites her lip. “I love you, too. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t live. I don’t think I’d want to live if you weren’t with me. Is that crazy? After only two days?”

  “Baby, if it’s crazy, so be it. Because I feel the same way, and I’ve never been happier or surer of anything in my life. You’re it. You’re the only one for me, and I plan on spending every day for the rest of my life proving how much I love you. Devoting myself to what makes you happy. I want to see you smile. I want to hear you laugh and know I was the one who made you do it. I want you to have everything you want, everything you need. No matter what it is.”

  “I only need you.” A yawn cuts her off, and she giggles. “Okay, and maybe some sleep.”

  “Close your eyes, baby. Rest now. I’ll be fine, and we have the rest of our lives ahead of us. You don’t have a thing to be worried about.” When the weight of her head meets my shoulder, I think I must be the happiest man alive.

  Weak, in pain, but the feeling stands. I’ve never known happiness like this. For a long time, I didn’t think I was worthy of this feeling—this sense of sureness, of peace. Knowing my heart found a place to land.

  Knowing I have a purpose now. Madison. She is my purpose, from today forward.

  I already can’t wait for tomorrow.

  Epilogue

  Madison

  One Month Later

  “Where are you taking me?” I poke Archer in the side, but he doesn’t flinch. The man might as well be made of steel.

  Don’t get me wrong. That steely, strong body of his isn’t exactly a bad thing. I’ve done more than my share of enjoying it over the past month, in just about every way possible.

  He’s
done his fair share of enjoying, too. The man does things to me that make my nerves sing and my lady bits quiver. He plays my body like a fiddle and hasn’t gotten tired yet of learning every inch of me.

  How did I get so lucky?

  Right now, there are other questions on my mind. Such as why we’re taking this drive through the suburbs, maybe a half-hour from the apartment I’ve lived in ever since the night Archer took me home with him.

  “Can’t you sit back and enjoy a beautiful day?” He’s teasing me, the jerk, and he’s loving it. I can tell from the way his mouth twitches at the corners.

  “You’re impossible.”

  “That’s not what you were saying when I bent you over the kitchen counter last night.”

  Just like that, I’m wet. All he has to do is say the words. That, plus the memory of him bending me over the counter and taking me—hard, fast, almost brutal—is enough to make me consider asking him to pull the car over so we can go for Round Two in the back seat.

  He’s basically turned me into a sex fiend. Not that I’d ever complain.

  “You weren’t being an obstinate jerk last night.” I yank my hand away with a pout, but I don’t mean it. Being with him is fun no matter where we are, no matter what we’re doing.

  And the more time I spend with him, the more I love him. The playfulness he only shares with me. His sense of humor. His way of looking at the world.

  The way he treats me like I’m the most precious thing ever born. The way he holds me so tenderly and plants gentle kisses over my cheeks and forehead and nose even when we were both screaming and sweating and fucking like there was no tomorrow only a few minutes ago.

  There are two sides to this man. The one I met that first night, the one who kills without mercy. Then there’s the side I’m with right now, the one who loves to get a rise out of me, who even tells corny jokes sometimes to make me laugh because he knows what a sucker I am for a bad pun.