He already owned it.
He nipped my bottom lip before he forced himself back a step. The man’s entire being heaved. He held my hand between us. “Be careful. I’ll have someone watching over you the entire time.”
“I’ll be fine,” I promised.
He nodded, and I pried myself from the wall and headed into the dressing room to change. Leann was there, shoving her purse into a locker. She squealed when she saw me, slammed the door shut, and came clamoring my way on her high-heeled boots. “Oh my god, you’re back.”
She threw herself against me and hugged me tight. “I was so worried about you.”
I returned her embrace. She was truly so sweet. “I told you I’d be fine.”
She eased back, holding me by the outside of the arms. She angled her head to take me in. “Are you? That was insane.”
I swallowed around the dread. I’d been wading in it for so long. I just wanted to rise above it. To leave it behind us so we could truly find ourselves. But until this threat was ended, I had no chance of scaling a wall as high as the one Trent had built around me. No chance of fully reaching him when his only purpose was protecting me and his son.
Our safety had become the only thing that mattered.
And I needed the man to understand he mattered to me.
“It was really scary, and we still don’t have any answers, but honestly, I’m okay.”
More than okay.
She saw it. A smirk hitched on her face. “Sometimes trauma reveals what we need the most, doesn’t it? It rips away all the questions to expose the raw truth underneath.”
My teeth clamped down on my bottom lip in the same spot Trent’s just had been. “Oh, there are still plenty of questions.”
Her head shook. “I think the only answer you need is the one written all over your face…you look…” Her mouth pressed together in some kind of awe. “Happy, Eden. So different than when you first came here.”
Then her expression turned wry. “Which is kinda a shame because oh my god, have you seen the band?!”
She fanned herself.
“I mean, I’m more of a country girl than a rocker, but I’d gladly change my stripes if it means gettin’ a little of that. Their lead, I think his name is Royce? He’s married to this country singer that I’ve listened to for years, but the rest of them…seems they’re looking for a little fun,” she drawled as she wiggled her hips.
A shot of laughter ripped out. “Well, you have fun with that.”
“Oh, I plan to.” Looking in the mirror, she swiped on some lipstick. “Wish me luck!”
She started to walk back out but not before she paused at the doorway, her voice lowered with caution. “I’ve worked here for a long time, Eden, and I know I don’t know you that well, but I’ve had this scary, intimidating boss for years who I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Now there’s a light in him that didn’t exist before. And I know that’s because of you.”
Appreciation swelled, overflowed my chest. “I hope so. Thank you, Leann.”
Her smile was soft, then she pulled away and disappeared down the hall.
I quickly changed into the Absolution uniform. Oh man, was it so unlike anything you’d ever find in my closet. The tiny leather shorts and high-heeled boots that came above my knees. But somehow, I felt confident in it. Powerful in a way I had never been before.
Or maybe it was just that Trent had helped me see myself in a new light, as well. Broken up a piece of me that had been hidden away. Opened me up, lock and key.
After I was ready, I moved out into the bar, weaving through the crowd. I said hello to a few other servers and tried to answer questions posed by those who asked for details.
Impossible, when I had none myself.
Finally, I got to work.
I figured most had assumed I wouldn’t return since there was no missing the way gazes appraised and questioned as I started to take orders and deliver drinks.
Is she really okay? Is she insane for coming back? Was she targeted or was the attack random? Is someone after her?
Others were filled with speculation.
Look, there’s the one who’s fucking the boss.
Clearly, that’s exactly what I was doing since Trent couldn’t keep his dirty paws off me every time I passed. I didn’t mind. Not at all. I liked it probably more than I should, the claiming he was doing in front of everyone.
The slide of his rough palm down my bare thigh.
The chills it lifted.
The stolen kisses under my jaw.
His hot breath on the back of my neck.
I felt no shame in it. In who we were or what we shared. People could judge me all they wanted, but the only thing that mattered was what was on the inside. Who I was to myself, and how I treated those around me.