Van glanced at the stage for the hundredth time, and I growled, actually growled. His eyes slid to me.
I shook my head.
His brows shot skyward.
“Don’t look at her.”
Raul frowned. “Something I should know?”
“No.”
The guy didn’t look convinced. “Her first dance. Rocky start, but she’s got the hang of it now.”
“You want to fill me in?” Van asked.
When I said nothing, Raul leaned in and said something to Van, obviously doing the filling in for me, telling him who she was to me. My tenant. My fucking tenant. I had no say in what she did. I had no right to act like a caveman. She wasn’t mine. That didn’t seem to matter right now, though.
I rose to my feet and moved to the stage, ignoring the looks from Van and Hunter, and Raul’s frown.
The song was coming to a close, and I watched as she crawled to the pole in the center of the stage and slid her hand up the smooth surface, climbing to her feet. Holding it, she moved her hips deeper and my mouth went dry, even as I dragged my hand over my mouth, sure I was fucking drooling.
Willa was small, fine-boned—my gaze slid to her round ass—and I gritted my teeth, so hard I was surprised they didn’t shatter. Yeah, I was acting like a major creep, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was a perfect little package. Hot as fuck, but it was her face that had me mesmerized. Her expression. I wanted to know what she was thinking, who she was thinking about. Then I wanted to hunt him down and kill him.
She spread her legs farther apart and looked over her shoulder at the crowd. She looked directly at me, but I knew she couldn’t see me, not with the lights, not from where I was standing. I groaned under my breath as she reached around and tugged on the string of her bikini top at the neck, then lower on her back, letting it fall…
I stalked toward the back, to cheers and wolf-whistles.
She didn’t turn around, and I was happier than I should be about that. I didn’t want these losers seeing her tits. I fucking hated the idea. But again, I had no claim over her, I didn’t want one, did I? Of course I fucking didn’t. Still nothing could have stopped me from moving down the hall, ignoring the nods from bouncers, dancers that knew me, knew that I was tight with Raul, and headed backstage.
I came around the corner in time to watch Willa reach for the wall, she was breathing hard. Her face was flushed, her bare chest, that she was still covering with one arm, rising and falling with her rapid breaths.
I didn’t know why she was here, what had brought her to this point. I knew she needed money, but I didn’t know why she was willing to go this far to get it. Not that there was anything wrong with stripping, I just didn’t see it as something Willa would do. But then, what did I really know about her? From what I’d seen, this hadn’t been easy for her, not at all, but she’d done it anyway. And for that, I was impressed. Willa was strong, determined. Brave.
She slid on a robe that was handed to her and turned to move to the dressing rooms, stumbling to a stop when she saw me. Her eyes flared, then she blinked up at me like she wasn’t sure if I was actually standing in front of her. Her face flushed darker and I sucked in a rough breath. Excitement, fear—fuck, heat—all rolled into one, slid across her fine features.
Willa was beautiful, delicate, and I suddenly wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her how amazing she’d been out there. How brave I thought she was.
Our eyes stayed locked; that heat was still blazing from her eyes. It had nothing to do with the random guys who had watched her dance tonight. I’d seen it, the change while she moved. She’d been deep inside herself, thinking of something, someone, to get through her first dance.
And I felt…fuck, jealous, of whoever that was.
It made no sense, and neither did me striding toward her, like I was now, moving in so close her back ended up against the wall. She stared up at me, but she wasn’t scared, and she sure as hell wasn’t angry. Her breathing grew heavier, looking at me with a dazed, fucking sexy-as-hell expression that had my cock straining against the zipper of my jeans.
All I could think of was tasting her lips. I didn’t care about the asshole she’d been dancing for. And for once, that mouth wasn’t set in a stubborn line, or firing smart-assed comments at me. So, I leaned in, unable to stop myself, breath huffing out of my nose. I nudged it against hers, our lips barely an inch apart, waiting for her to shove me back, waiting for her to tell me to fuck off. She didn’t.
Her hand lifted, curled into my shirt at my abs, and instead of shoving me back, she pulled me closer.
There was no stopping what came next, no chance in hell.
I claimed her sweet mouth.
Christ.
Her lips were soft, full, and tasted like cherries. One of my hands went to her tiny waist, the other to the wall above her head, so I didn’t haul her off her feet like I was desperate to. I moved my lips over hers, somehow holding back, not devouring her, ignoring the roar in my head and the fire shooting down my spine. I knew that would be the wrong play with her, that pushing too hard, too fast, would bring this…whatever the fuck we were doing, to an end. I didn’t want it to end, not yet.
Her lips felt cool against mine and when her tongue darted out and slid over my bottom lip, it’s scalding heat was an intense contrast. I groaned, my gut fucking curling in a knot so tight, it knocked the wind from me. My fingers flexed at her hip and my control slipped when I opened for her and that sweet little tongue slid against mine. I jerked her closer, growling low when her hand slid up over my abs to my chest.
I was about to drag her off her feet and press her into the wall, take that mouth and fucking own it, take that ample ass in my hands and kneed it, when she suddenly shoved, hard.
I lifted my head, goddamn dazed, and our eyes locked. Hers were wide, confused, still sexily stunned. I’d never seen anything sweeter in my life. I’d messed up, though; kissing her was a huge fucking mistake. She’d just looked so damn lost, so freaked, so beautiful and alone after her dance, and I’d just… Shit, I’d wanted to what? Make her feel better? Let her know how strong and amazing and maddening I thought she was?
There were a hell of a lot of other ways of letting her know that shit, and kissing someone was definitely not the most obvious. I took a step back and shoved my fingers through my hair, watching as reality came chasing back, her expression changing, the sexy flustered look vanishing, like it had never been there.
“What are you doing here?” she rasped.
Her lips were puffy, fuller from having mine all over them, and I forced myself to look away. I planted my hands on my hips so I didn’t reach for her again. “I’m here with some of the guys from my agency.”
All color drained from her face—then I watched her spine straighten and the last traces of softness leave her eyes. “Social club outing, huh?”
“The guys who own the agency think of Raul as a father. He’s a good friend to the rest of us. He also helps us out from time to time with cases, which is why we’re here.”
She crossed her arms, hardening her features. “So…I guess you saw the whole show then?” That fuck-you expression never left her face as she said it, even as her skin flushed darker.
My dick throbbed from the memory. “Yeah, I saw.”
She looked wounded for a split second. “Were you entertained? Did you have a good laugh?” Her lips narrowed into a thin line and she looked away.
“No, why the fuck would I laugh?” I gently cupped her delicate jaw and applied the smallest amount of pressure, wanting her to look at me again. Her eyes were closed off, void of fucking everything when I had them on me again. “Christ, Willa, I think you’re amazing, so fucking brave.” I needed her to know, didn’t want her to be embarrassed or ashamed for doing what she needed to. For doing whatever it took to make sure her niece had everything she needed.
She blinked. “What?”
“It takes guts to get up there.”
&nb
sp; Her eyes narrowed. “And you just had to come back here and tell me?”
“Well, yeah.”
She huffed out a laugh and shook her head. “By kissing me?”
“That hadn’t been my intention when I came back here…”
“No?” She crossed her arms defensively. “Then what was your intention?”
This wasn’t going well, not at all. I’d shoved my big foot in my damn mouth again.
“Let me guess?” she said before I could come up with an answer. “You’ve changed your mind. Now you’ve seen the goods, you want something in return for the generosity you’ve shown me and Tilly, right?”
Christ. “You really think that?”
“I’m not an idiot,” she fired at me.
I planted my hands on my hips. “No, I haven’t changed my fucking mind.”
“You just had your tongue down my throat. All roads are kinda pointing to Bullshitsville, Mr. Landlord.”
“Jesus,” I muttered. “I would never extort sex from any woman, and I’m getting a little pissed that you keep accusing me of that shit.”
She stared up at me for several long seconds. I could see her mind ticking over while she tried to work out my angle. “What are you going to do about it, kick us out of your house?”
The anger had lessened, fear sneaking in, clear through the attitude she was trying to keep up.
What the hell had happened to make her distrust everyone, to expect the worst. I wanted to know more than I should. If I wanted to gain her trust—and for some fucked up reason, I did—there was only one way to go about it, and that was being honest with her. “Woman, I didn’t need to see you dancing in a G-string to know that you’re beautiful. To tell you the truth, I don’t know why the fuck I came back here. I just wanted to make sure you were okay…then I saw you, and…” I shrugged. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”
Again, she stared at me, like she was waiting for the but, the condition, for the other shoe to drop. When one never came, the rest of her anger seemed to dissolve and she looked unsure, vulnerable.
She backed up a step. “Okay. Well…apology accepted.”
I dipped my chin, not sure what to say without shoving my foot deeper in my mouth.
Hers opened and closed, then she spun away and ran for the dressing room.
I watched her go, until the door closed behind her, and sucked in a sharp breath.
I could still taste cherries.
6
Willa
I startled awake, blinking into the darkness of my bedroom.
Something had woken me, what the…
A shattering sound exploded through the silent house. I jolted, my hands flying to my throat, terror rocketing through me. The wail of my new and improved alarm system came next, another jolt, and enough of a fright to shove me out of my frozen position in my bed.
Tilly. I tore down the hall to her bedroom, the only thought in my head was to get to her. She was standing in the middle of her room, frozen in place, dazed and wide-eyed.
Someone could be in the house. She wasn’t safe.
I grabbed her narrow shoulders. “Lock yourself in the bathroom, now.”
She blinked up at me with terrified eyes. “Auntie Willa?”
“Now, baby, quickly.”
Her lips were trembling when I pulled the door shut on her and waited to hear the bolt sliding across.
The shattering sound had come from the kitchen. Grabbing Tilly’s baseball bat from behind her bedroom door, I made my way down the stairs. Trent’s texts and calls had been coming thick and fast the last week. He was getting impatient. I hit the bottom of the stairs. Dammit, I told him he’d get his money. Coming here like this, breaking in, it didn’t really make sense…
Shit.
My pulse thundered in my ears as I creeped closer.
Maybe it wasn’t him.
My phone started ringing from the bedroom and I jumped, cursing under my breath. Why hadn’t I brought it with me? I ignored the ringing and quickly typed in the code to stop the alarm wailing, then carried on down the hall to the kitchen. I couldn’t hear a damn thing with that noise; I needed to know if we were in the house alone. The place was suddenly engulfed in silence. Just the faint drip of the leaky cold tap. Tilly never turned it off properly when she got a drink at night. Christ, what if she’d been in the kitchen?
My heart was racing as I reached for the light switch.
I flicked it on, blinking against the brightness. The window above the sink was shattered, shards of glass covering the counter and floor. No one could have gotten through there, though, it wasn’t big enough. I grabbed for the table, my legs feeling weak all of a sudden. I stumbled to the door and checked it, making sure it was still locked.
I did a quick check of the windows in the rest of the house. Only the kitchen window was broken. No one could have gotten in.
The new alarm had scared off whoever it was.
My phone started again, and I rushed back up to my room and answered, half-expecting it to be Trent. If he’d done this, he’d want to gloat, laugh at me, enjoy the fact that he’d scared us. He was a bastard like that. “Yes?”
“Talk to me, Willa,” a rough voice barked down the line.
“Cage?”
“Your place was breached.”
My knees did give out this time, and I sat heavily on the edge of my bed. “I’m…I’m fine. Someone broke the window, but they’re gone now. We’re okay.”
“I’m gonna need to check that out for myself. I’m on my way. You keep me on the line, okay, talk to me until I get there.”
“Okay.”
“Your little girl? She doing all right?”
“Tilly, yes, she’s…” I ran from my room. “I told her to lock herself in the bathroom.”
“You check on her, I’m turning onto your road now. I’ll be at your door in a few minutes.”
I nodded as if he could see me and called through the bathroom door. “It’s okay now, Tils. You can unlock the door and come out.”
“Are you sure?” she said, voice muffled.
“I promise.”
The door opened a crack and Tilly poked her head around the corner. As soon as she saw me, she flung it wide and ran to me, clinging tight.
“I’m here,” Cage said. “Open the door for me, honey.”
I ended the call, put down the phone, and scooped Tilly up in my arms. There was a light knock and my niece froze in my arms. “It’s okay,” I said to her. “It’s just the man who put the alarm in for us. He’s checking we’re all right.”
I rushed down and opened the door. Cage strode in, all business. “I have a man checking outside now.” He gave us a onceover. “Where was the window broken?”
“The kitchen.”
He nodded. “Stay here.”
An hour later, Tilly and I were on the couch, wrapped in a blanket while Cage spoke to the police. I’d already told them everything I knew, which was exactly nothing. I didn’t mention Trent. At first I thought it was him, but I couldn’t think of a motive for it, he’d already made his threats. Then again, the prick had never needed one before; being an asshole just came naturally.
My only option was to pay him his money and hope like hell he left again. If that meant doing more shifts at the club, then I’d do it. Steph made a lot of extra money giving lap dances, and the occasional private dance. I’d hoped to avoid that, but I didn’t think I had much choice anymore.
I heard the sound of boots pounding up the front steps before someone thumped on the door. Somehow, I knew who it was instantly. I didn’t like the way my heart gave a little flip when it opened and Jude came barreling in, or the way my breath caught in my throat. I also wasn’t happy about the instant relief I felt at seeing him, of having him here.
I took him in, unable to help myself. He looked wild-eyed, like he was ready to fuck someone up. I hadn’t seen him since my first night at Stilettos a few days ago. His head swung to us and I
watched as he sucked in a breath, his wide shoulders looking even bigger, before he let it out on a rough exhale.
His brown eyes were sharp, focused, when they locked with mine. “You okay?”
For some reason, the look on his face, the tone of his voice, God, the genuine concern he had for us, had my eyes and nose stinging.
Pull your shit together, Willa. “We’re fine,” I said, not able to hold his stare any longer. Things between us had been rocky from the start. Then there was the kiss, and what I’d accused him of…
I inwardly winced. I didn’t need to be thinking about that now. I’d done enough of that, going over and over what happened backstage, already. But despite our differences, and as much as I hated to admit it, I was starting to think that maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy. Maybe his actions, his kindness, were actually genuine. The idea was so foreign, I didn’t know what to do with it.
Just the thought of letting down my guard, of putting trust in someone, lifted the hairs on the back of my neck, like a cornered wild animal lifting its hackles. The automatic urge to push back, to tell him we didn’t want or need him here, was on the tip of my tongue, but I bit it back. He didn’t deserve that. The man had come to our house in the middle of the night to make sure we were okay. He’d made the house safer.
And he’d asked for nothing in return.
So, for once, I kept my big mouth shut.
His gaze dropped to my niece, and God, it melted. He came closer, crouching low, getting down to her level. “You okay, honey?” he said, voice rough but incredibly gentle.
Tilly nodded, then her bottom lip started trembling. “I was so scared,” she whispered.
“I know, baby,” he said. “But you’re okay now. Your aunt took good care of you.”
Tilly didn’t like men that much, but she’d always been fine around Jude, since the first time he met her, when he crouched down like he was now, and introduced himself.
She wriggled from my lap, and to my utter shock, jumped into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck and holding on tight. “Will you stay here, Jude?” she sobbed. “Please stay here with us. I’m scared.”
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