Redemption (The Protectors 8)

I pushed past the pain of knowing it was extremely likely that Levi had been sexually assaulted in the past and focused on the here and now. “You didn’t tease me,” I said. “You turned me the hell on, but you do that every time you look at me so…”

I let my words hang as he studied me.

“You’re not mad?” he asked. “That I…that I don’t want to go all the way?”

“Truth?” I said.

He nodded.

“What we just did is going to fuel a lot of fantasies tonight and for the foreseeable future so no, I’m not mad.” I desperately wanted to reach out and touch him again, but I held back because he looked ready to bolt. “It’s a rare gift to be given something so precious,” I added.

“But I didn’t give you anything,” he said and I nearly laughed when his eyes fell to the bulge in my pants before he jerked them back up to my face.

I finally gave in and shifted forward so I could run my thumb over his mouth. I was glad when he didn’t pull away. “Yeah, you did, Levi,” I murmured. “You gave me your trust.” I brushed my mouth over his in the briefest of kisses and then released him. “Will you trust me just a bit longer and let me hold you while we sleep?”

It took him a long time to decide and it felt like I held my breath for every second of it. Levi cast a look at Henry before he finally shifted until he was once again lying across my chest, though this time his body was filled with tension. I settled one hand on the arm he had draped over my waist and used my other hand to play with his hair. The move seemed to relax him because I felt his body sink farther down on mine.

My own eyes began to drift closed as exhaustion began to overtake me, but just a few whispered words from Levi as he lost himself to sleep had me once again wide awake.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Phoenix Jones.”

Chapter 11

Levi

“I’m just asking that you call me before you leave him with my dad, Dina,” I said, trying not to lose my patience. The woman in front of me tapped her long red nails on the doorframe. Nails I highly suspected I’d paid for with money that had been intended for Henry.

Dina tossed her long red hair over her shoulder and adjusted her low-cut top. “Look, Levi, if I’ve got plans, I need you to step up. If you’re too busy…”

“I’m busy working,” I said. “If you really need to go out while I’m at work, then please, hire a sitter for Henry. Mrs. Donaldson has offered to babysit for a pretty reasonable fee.”

“I’m not leaving my kid with that hag,” Dina said snidely. “Bitch calls me a whore under her breath every time she sees me.”

Henry began to fuss in the car seat I’d finally had to put down after Dina had neglected to take it from me or invite me into her apartment to help her get Henry settled. I’d already explained the near miss this morning, but as expected, Dina had barely reacted to the news that she’d almost lost her child. I’d spent the past eight months hoping even the smallest bit of maternal instinct would kick in, but her disinterest was further proof that she hadn’t been confused any of the times she’d told me she should have just risked a late-term, illegal back-alley abortion. Even just the thought of never having had Henry in my life was enough to have tears pricking the backs of my eyes.

“You want to pay for a real sitter, fine, but it ain’t coming out of my share,” Dina added.

Frustration welled, but I knew any further conversation was pointless. “Did you schedule his next well-baby visit?” I asked.

“And how am I supposed to get him there?” Dina snapped.

I wanted to remind her that I’d bought her a bus pass, but when she reached down and jerked the car seat up, I kept quiet and reached for it so she wouldn’t wake Henry up. He was worn out from the afternoon we’d spent at the beach at Phoenix’s house. I knew that if he woke up now, he’d be cranky and that would just irritate Dina further. I pushed past her, ignoring her huff of disapproval, and carried the car seat to Henry’s room. I’d managed to paint his room a pretty green color and decorate it with gently used toys and stuffed animals from thrift stores, but it was far from ideal for the little boy. The carpet was worn and stained so badly that no amount of cleaning I’d done with the carpet shampooer I’d rented from the grocery store I worked at had gotten it clean, and I cringed every time I thought of Henry crawling on it. I’d gotten Henry’s crib for a decent price from a woman in the building who’d been cleaning out her storage unit in the basement, but it was old and outdated and I’d spent hours sanding and staining the wood in the hopes of giving it a cleaner look.