Desired (Club Sin 3)

Then he waited.

She hung her head. “How did you find out about Rory?”

He tucked his finger under her chin, commanding her gaze. His heart lay bare in the depths of his eyes. “I found out yesterday before we went to my parents’ house. When you placed the call to Savannah, the police sent the information our way to keep an eye out for him.”

Her strength evaporated and her body slummed forward. “You know about the restraining order and that I’m married?”

“Yes, I know.”

Tears welled in her eyes and she couldn’t even look at him. “What do you think of that?”

He garnered her gaze again with his firm finger under her chin. His eyes were gentle—sweet, in fact. “I’m bothered that you never felt safe enough to tell me. But I’m only thinking of you and your safety.”

A tear slid down her cheek, and she hurried to wipe it away. “You don’t care that I n

ever told you that I was married?”

“Of course, I’m not thrilled you kept it from me. But I simply want to understand you—not get angry for the choices you make.” His hands moved over her back in a comforting rub. “You told me you were coming out of a long relationship when we met, so I heard part of the truth.”

The hard music blasted through the speakers of the club, but this part of the dungeon was dark. “It’s a play on words, but I never asked if you had been married, either.” His gaze stayed firmly in place on her, as if no one else existed in dungeon. “I see domestic violence daily. I know why you shy away from telling someone this at the beginning of a relationship. And I know that if you told me you were married, I would’ve asked questions about him. You didn’t owe me anything before. So, no, I don’t care that you are still married.” His brow arched. “However, you are getting a divorce, yes?”

She nodded, so surprised by him. He was calm and collected. So unlike her soon-to-be ex-husband. “If Rory would sign the uncontested divorce papers, yes. I served him with the document months ago, but he still won’t sign them and hired a lawyer who’s dragging the proceedings out. In my heart, I was divorced when he pushed me into the table.”

A muscle flexed in his jaw. “Yes, I read that. Please go on.”

She sighed and rubbed her hands over her face, and not even the sensual noises in the club could cut into her thoughts. “I don’t want to talk about him or what happened. It’s in my past, Kyler. Can’t we leave it there?”

He gently removed her hands, holding them in his. “I’m not going to force you to talk about something you don’t want to. But I hope knowing that’s what I want, you’ll eventually tell me.” He hesitated, exhaling a long breath. “The fact is, I only care that you’re no longer with him, especially if he was violent.” He brushed his fingers over her cheek, wiping away the moisture. “You don’t have to face this alone anymore. I hope you realize that I’m not going to judge you, Ella. The fault of that night lies with Rory, not you.”

“It’s …” She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Embarrassing?” he offered.

She nodded.

He cursed quietly and then pressed her head against his chest. “Has he contacted you?”

“On Monday he came to the office, and he approached me yesterday at home.” She sniffed, not wanting to go into the details of how scared she’d been. She didn’t want to drag Kyler into all this. What they had was good, and she didn’t want that to change. She wanted to be happy, not constantly stuck in the past. “But I think Rory has gone home.”

Kyler didn’t seem surprised by her admission, and said, “I hope he has, too. You did the right thing by notifying the police.” Moving her off his chest, he dragged his fingers over her hot tears. “Please tell me if you see him again, all right? Don’t face him alone. Not only do you have police support, but you have me.”

Now knowing that he learned of Rory yesterday made a thought rise. Kyler had picked her up yesterday after work and had seemed strained. He’d also insisted on staying with her last night and driving her to work this morning. “Is that why you brought me to see your family and stayed with me last night, because you didn’t want to leave me alone?”

His eyes blazed. “I don’t want to leave you alone knowing that he’s in Vegas.”

She wasn’t sure she liked that. He’d stayed with her not because he wanted to, but because he was being the Dom who protected her.

He pinched her chin. “None of that now.”

“None of what?”

“I would’ve stayed with you regardless. Yes, his presence pushed the thought to my mind at first, but I wasn’t with you because of him. I was with you because I wanted to make sure you were safe. You can’t possibly think that I stay at every woman’s house to ensure their safety?”

She shrugged. “I guess not.”

“Besides, Ella”—his stormy gaze dropped to her eye level—“I’ve been very clear with you from the beginning on what I want. And I do believe I have said that I wanted to date you, yes? I’m not the one who has been refusing the idea of us being together.”

She stared at him, shocked by him. “Knowing all this, you still want me to be your girlfriend?”