Deciding Love (Bloomfield #3)

by Janelle Stalder

  I sucked in a deep breath, turning to where Jax cowered behind Rannon.

  “You hit her?” I said, my voice unrecognizable. I started toward him, my vision red. “You little piece of shit -”

  Rannon grabbed me, holding me back as I tried to reach him.

  “Briggs, relax,” Rannon said, pushing me back.

  I distantly heard other people enter the room, but all I could see was Jax’s sniveling face. I pointed my finger at him. “You’re dead, Simpson. You’re fucking dead.”

  “Kyle.”

  Her voice broke through the haze clouding my mind. I stopped struggling against Rannon and turned to see her standing in the doorway, looking as though a light breeze could blow her over. One hand held onto her dress where the strap was broken, causing another wave of fury to course through me.

  But I didn’t turn back to him as my eyes met hers, and I saw how embarrassed she was, her gaze flickering to the newcomers witnessing everything. She needed to leave, to be taken away from this place.

  I moved toward her, stopping inches away as I raised my hand to cup her swollen cheek. My heart almost burst when she leaned into my touch, her eyes closing as though she finally felt safe with me there.

  “Let’s go,” I said with a hoarse voice. I swooped her into my arms, expecting her to protest, but she just rested her head against me, burying her face against my neck. I jerked my head to Rannon and headed out of the room, anyone in my way instantly stepping aside.

  “We’ll deal with you later,” I heard Rannon say to Jax. “Colt especially.”

  Colt? Colt had nothing on me. I was going to tear the kid apart.

  I don’t know who was a bigger mess, Chloe or Olivia. Colt’s girlfriend ran around like a mother hen, her hands constantly flapping as she worried over Chloe who sat like a statue on the coach, a blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

  I stood off to the side against the wall, still trying to get my anger under control. Every instinct in me screamed to get back in my car and go back to that house to teach the little shit a lesson. But every few seconds Chloe’s eyes would find me, as if she were making sure I was still there. Whether it was because she wanted me around, or because she was trying to keep me from going to jail that night, I wasn’t sure.

  Either way, those looks kept me rooted to my spot as I watch Colt sit beside her and hold her hand as he tried to get the story out of her. His reaction when we’d first walked in had pretty much been the same as mine. If we hadn’t been blocking the door, he would have been in his own car on the way to the Kennedy’s himself.

  Olivia had eventually calmed him down enough to stay with his sister. Chloe had also started to cry again, and I think that made him want to stick close to her. I know it had that effect on me.

  Pressing a bag of frozen peas into her hand, Olivia sat down on her other side. Rannon was splayed out in a chair, his mood dark.

  “Chloe you need to tell me what happened, or I’m going to find out from him, and it won’t be pretty,” Colt said.

  Damn straight.

  “Colt,” Olivia snapped. “That is not the way to get people to talk.”

  “He already won’t be pretty tomorrow,” Rannon said.

  Colt grunted. “Good.”

  “You didn’t do enough damage,” I muttered. Chloe looked over at me with wide, scared eyes.

  “Don’t do anything,” she pleaded, looking at me first and then finally looking to her brother. “I don’t want this blown up any more than it already has been. I just want to forget it even happened.”

  “They won’t do anything, sweetie,” Olivia said, casting the three of us warning looks. Not that it would do any good. Guaranteed, the second the opportunity presented itself, we were going to find him and show him exactly why you don’t hit girls.

  “Did he?” Colt rubbed a hand down his mouth. “Were you...?” No one wanted to say the words, but we were all scared shitless and it needed to be asked. Especially considering she had a ripped dress.

  Chloe shook her head, and some of the weight sitting on my chest lifted. “He didn’t manage to,” she said.

  My anger boiled at that answer.

  “He was being aggressive and I told him to stop,” she said, sniffling. “Then he said some awful things and I left the room, but he came after me and pulled me back into the room.” She reached up and held her swollen cheek.

  “And then he hit you?” Olivia asked.

  Chloe nodded. “I think he was just as shocked as I was.”

  “He’s dead,” Colt said. Clearly the two of us were on the same page.

  “Please just leave it, Colt,” Chloe said, turning to him. “I don’t want you getting in trouble.”

  “Me?” He said, letting out a humorless laugh. “That asshole is the one who should worry about getting in trouble. We should charge him.”

  “No,” she said with an adamant shake of her head. “I just want to go to sleep and move on.”

  “You go to school with him, Chlo,” Rannon said. “You don’t think he’s going to try and contact you again on Monday?”

  She let out a deep breath. “Probably, but I can handle it. I won’t ever let myself be alone with him again.”

  “He’s not driving you home anymore either,” I said, speaking for the first time. She looked over at me with those big eyes and simply nodded.

  Well at least one good thing came from all this. With Jax out of the picture, I felt mildly better. But then I thought of how many guys were probably waiting for their opportunity now that he was. I didn’t want any of them to touch Chloe, or be the one she called when things got tough.

  That should be me. Always me. I would treat her better than any of them.

  What happened to you hurting her? An inner voice piped up.

  Never, I thought.

  After this, I knew I’d never want to see that frail look on her face again. Especially not because of something I did.

  “I’d like to go home,” she said, standing up.

  “Are you sure? You can crash here,” Colt said. “Mom is working a double shift tonight.”

  “No, thank you,” Chloe said with a grateful smile. “I appreciate it, but I just want to be in my own bed.” She turned to look at me. “Kyle, can you drive me?”

  I pushed off the wall and nodded.

  “Call us tomorrow then, and let us know how you are,” Olivia said, standing up and enveloping her in a big hug.

  I walked outside to wait for her as Colt embraced her too, speaking quietly in her ear. As I waited in the car, Rannon came out and stood beside my door. Lowering the window, he waited until it was all the way down before leaning against it.

  “Come back here once you drop her off,” he said, keeping his voice low.

  I looked over where Chloe was coming out now, still speaking with Olivia.

  “Colt going to come too?”

  Rannon gave me a, what do you think?, look.

  “Even though she asked him not to?”

  “This is his sister we’re talking about. A message needs to be sent and heard.”

  “You’re not going to hear any arguments from me,” I said.

  “Good.” He stood, slapping the car. “See you later then.”

  I nodded, keeping my eyes on Chloe as she approached the car, her shoulders still hunched protectively. She looked so fragile, all I wanted to do was hold her. She got in the car, pulling the blanket still around her tighter.

  “You okay?” I asked, turning up the heat before backing out.

  “I will be,” she said, sounding stronger than she had since I’d picked her up.

  I cleared my throat, feeling a tension develop within the exterior of my car. “I’m glad you called me,” I admitted.

  “I’m glad you came,” she said softly. “Thank you again.”

  I reached over and grabbed one of her cold hands in mine. “I told you, you don’t need to thank me, Chloe.”

  She gave my hand a small squeeze and a sense o
f peace washed over me as we continued to drive that way.

  When I pulled up to her house it was too soon. I put the car in park and turned to look over at her. She looked so sad. I wanted to see that beautiful smile on her face again. I wanted those dimples to come out.

  But I knew they wouldn’t. Not tonight at least.

  “So,” I said, breaking into the silence. “Do you want me to tell Cat about tonight?”

  She seemed to consider this for a second before shaking her head. “I’ll tell her.” She looked over with a weak smile. “I’m afraid you’ll make it sound worse than it is.”

  I snorted, smiling back.

  “Knowing her, you’d get her all wound up and she’d go over there herself looking for a fight.”

  We both laughed, knowing that was exactly what my sister would do. Suddenly her laughter turned to more tears, and all my humor fled just as quickly.

  “Oh, sweetheart,” I said, leaning toward her to brush back a strand of hair.

  “I don’t even know why I’m still crying,” she said through her tears.

  Leaning back, I opened my arms and motioned with my head for her to come to me. She didn’t hesitate to unbuckle her belt, climbing over the center console to sit on my lap, curling herself into a ball. I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on the top of her head.

  “It’s okay,” I said softly. “I’ve got you.”

  19

  Chloe

  I curled into Kyle’s warmth like a child, and I couldn’t have cared less. Was I being a suck? Maybe. I didn’t think so though. I’d been hit, hard, for the first time in my life, right after having to fight that person off of me. I felt like my behavior was justified.

  For some reason, I felt cold. That kind of bone deep cold where you feel as if you’ll never get warm again. I remember taking a trip with my parents to Aspen one winter, and I’d had the same feeling. Except this was even deeper, almost right down to my soul.

  And Kyle? Kyle was all warmth. It soaked through the blanket I had wrapped around me, and past the flimsy material of my dress, heating me for the first time since everything had happened.

  I burrowed in deeper, feeling protected.

  The instant I had opened the bathroom door and seen his face, I’d felt safe. Just like I knew I would. Even though his entire body had stiffened and his expression turned angry at my beaten face, I still hadn’t been afraid of him. It felt as though he was my anchor throughout this evening. It had been nice to have my brother there, and the support of his friends, but I had only cared that Kyle was there.

  It was why I didn’t want to leave him just yet. As soon as I went inside, alone, it would all come back to me and I would be cold again. I didn’t want to be cold.

  Kyle seemed content to just sit there with me in his lap, his chin resting on my head, one hand stroking my back in a slow, comforting rhythm. I tilted my head back and met his eyes, the silence between us thick, but not awkward as it had been in the past.

  “I don’t want to be alone tonight,” I whispered before I could think better of it.

  His eyes flickered over my face, his eyebrows pulling together as he seemed to argue with himself.

  “Please, Kyle. I don’t want to be cold and alone,” I said, lowering my head back to his chest. “And you’re so warm.”

  His body had felt tense until those words, his muscles relaxing beneath me again. He sighed, his hand now stroking my hair.

  “I don’t know if this is a good idea, Chloe,” he said, his deep voice soft and melodic.

  My hands gripped his shirt as I leaned back to meet his gaze again. “Please.” I realized I was practically begging, but I’d do anything at that point to avoid going inside my house.

  His mouth pressed into a firm line. I saw the moment he gave in, his lips tipping up on one side.

  “Okay, but you’re explaining this to Cat in the morning,” he said.

  I smiled, nodding my head. “Ok.”

  He shook his head, reaching out a finger to glide across my bottom lip. Every inch he touched tingled as he slowly traced the outline, my smile slipping as my breathing increased.

  “You have the most beautiful smile,” he said hoarsely.

  “I do?” I breathed.

  He nodded, looking away from his attentions to stare into my eyes.

  “Everything about you is beautiful.”

  Unconsciously my hand started to rise to my swollen face, uncertainty filling me even as happiness at hearing him say I was beautiful did. He stopped it, bringing my hand to his lips, kissing each fingertip in feather light kisses that had my breath catching in my throat.

  Lowering my hand, he leaned forward, placing a kiss on my cheek, the heat and softness of his lips against my skin causing my eyes to close in sheer bliss.

  I never thought Kyle would allow us to get this close, never mind put his lips on me in any way. Part of me wanted to pinch myself to see if I was really awake.

  His mouth moved to my closed eyelids, kissing them each before dropping a kiss to the tip of my nose. I waited for his lips to meet mine but they never came.

  “Let’s go,” he said softly against my ear.

  My breath whooshed out of me. I opened my eyes to see him giving me a funny look, his mouth pulled up into a small smirk. His hands squeezed my hips.

  “As much as I love your pretty ass on my lap, I don’t think law enforcement would appreciate me driving like this.”

  “Oh,” I said, heat suddenly blazing across my cheeks. He swept his thumb across it, that smirk pulling up higher. Lifting me easily, he placed me back on the passenger seat as I pulled my legs over, and then backed out of the driveway without another word.

  As we drove in silence, I quickly texted my mom to let her know I would be staying at Cat’s house. When I was done, his hand reached over, grabbing mine again, surrounding me with his warmth. Smiling to myself, I sank further into the seat and let the motion of the car lull me into a peaceful doze.

  There was the sensation of floating then suddenly I was falling onto a soft cloud. My eyes blinked up to see Kyle’s face fill my vision. What was Kyle doing on my cloud?

  “Kyle,” I murmured. I think.

  “Shhh,” he said, pulling a blanket over me. I looked around and realized we were in his bedroom. I’d never been in his room before. No lights were on, just the moon shining in, so I couldn’t make out much detail, which bummed me out.

  “We’re in my room,” he explained needlessly.

  “You’re going to stay with me, right?” I said, realizing my hand was gripping his arm.

  He nodded.

  Moving over me, he slid under the covers then pulled me back against his chest. His warmth was delicious as I snuggled closer. My eyes dropped. I was out.

  20

  Kyle

  Holding Chloe against me was probably the best feeling ever. It felt like being home, in a place where you knew you were exactly where you should be. And I never wanted to leave.

  But I had to. Waiting until her breathing evened out again, I slowly slid out from beneath the covers and stood, keeping my eyes on her to make sure I didn’t wake her up. Pulling on a black hoodie, I left the room, praying she didn’t wake up and find me gone. That was the last thing I wanted, but at the same time, I had to risk it. Rannon and Colt were waiting for me.

  When I pulled in front of Colt’s house, both of them stood outside, their bodies visibly teeming with pent up anger and energy.

  “Everything okay?” Colt asked as soon as I got out of my car.

  I nodded, leaving out that his sister was currently tucked away in my bed, and not at home. That conversation would have to wait for another day, when I figured out just what it was that was happening between us. I had no idea if Colt would approve or not. And if he didn’t?

  I wondered if that would make a difference. The image of Chloe in my bed, and the feeling it created, made me think I might be willing to lose his friendship if he didn’t approve. Because I li
ked it too much. Chloe was special, and now that I’d finally let the idea of having her sink it, I wasn’t sure I could stop it.

  “Let’s go before Olivia comes back out,” Colt said, moving to his car.

  Rannon and I followed, him taking the back seat while I got into the passenger side.

  “Is she mad we’re doing this?” I asked as he started the car.

  “Probably,” he muttered.

  We drove to the party in a tense silence, three men with anger simmering just beneath the surface and readying for a fight. It was a dangerous thing.

  Unsurprisingly, the party was still going strong when we got there. As Colt parked the car, I was practically jumping out of my skin to get in there.

  “You two make sure no one interferes,” Colt said darkly as the three of us sat in the car. “I don’t want any of his friends getting in the way.”

  It hit me then that Colt was going to get the rights to teaching Jax a lesson. And why wouldn’t he? He was her brother. As far as they knew, I was nothing to Chloe. I couldn’t insist that I be the one to deal with him without it looking strange.

  Rannon and I both agreed, me more reluctantly. Getting out of the car, we headed up to the door, our presence instantly causing a stir. I could only imagine what we looked like, three big tattooed, rough looking guys with fury written in our eyes.

  We said hi to no one as we entered the house. If people were nervous when Rannon and I had showed up, they were downright scared now that Colt Morgan was there too.

  “Hey guys,” Patrick said, walking up to us with a weary expression.

  None of us replied, our eyes scanning the crowd for the little shit. Colt finally looked at him, causing Patrick to take an involuntary step back.

  “Where is he?” Was all Colt said.

  “Look, I don’t want any problems here,” Pat said.

  I stepped up to him, bringing my face close to his, getting a sick thrill from the way he flinched. “You don’t want any problems? You already have them, asshole. It happened when your friend hit Colt’s sister. Now, where the fuck is he?”