The moment they were in the car and on the way back, he asked her. He wasn’t a man who believed in waiting too long to get things out in the open.
“What is it, baby? Something’s on your mind. Didn’t you enjoy yourself? I know it was awkward having Ravard and Eden show up, but everything turned out okay. Pierce didn’t bring him. He really was just bringing his mother to dinner. It was a coincidence. They do happen.”
“I’m not so certain, Savage,” Seychelle mused with a sideways glance at him. Her fingers plucked nervously at the material of her dress. “It’s possible his cousin the firefighter asked Darby if we had a reservation for tonight at the restaurant. I was shopping for a dress. I had it with me when I ran into Tony. Shoes, dress, the entire outfit. Asher could have passed the information on to Tony if he’d asked him to do it.”
“Why would he? Do you think he’s that interested? He has to know you’re mine. You’re even wearing my ring.” Savage tried to keep the edge out of his voice as he reached over and took possession of her hand, his finger running over her ring. He liked it on her finger, liked it proclaiming to the world she was part of him.
“We aren’t the only ones with psychic abilities. It’s arrogant to believe we are. Brandon has his voice. The thing is, Brandon’s mother is Eden’s sister, Nina. Eden is Tony’s mother. If Brandon got his psychic talent from Nina because it runs in that family, it’s possible Eden carries that same talent. Do you see where I’m going with this? Tony was in the bar the night I sang and tried to keep everyone at the meeting feeling calm. I didn’t see who went in the back room. You did. Did any of Tony’s brothers attend the meeting? Tony was in the bar, sitting at a table near the band.”
Savage hit the remote for the gate. Her voice trembled when she asked him. She wasn’t looking at him, so he could only see part of her face, but she sounded scared.
“Are you afraid the Ravards or the Diamondbacks want me dead, Seychelle? This all started when you overheard the phone call with Czar, and you’ve got that same look on your face. You can’t be worried like that, babe.”
She began pulling at her hem now, folding the material between her fingers. She really was upset. Her teeth bit down on her full lower lip, and she just stared out the window until he parked in the garage and shut off the engine.
“We’re home and safe, Seychelle. Tell me what happened to scare you.”
“Can we get in bed first? I always feel safer talking in bed with the lights off, and I’m tired.”
He’d give her the damn moon if she asked for it. He went around the hood of the car, but she was already out. He slowed her down, making certain security hadn’t been breached. Now that he had Seychelle to protect, he flipped through the camera screens and checked each entry point. The alarms would have come to his phone if any window or door had been penetrated, but security remained intact.
Seychelle didn’t turn on lights as she hurried through the house, straight to their bedroom. For some reason, the bed seemed to be a comfort to her, sitting in it, back to the headboard. It wasn’t the same as the one in her cottage in Sea Haven, but he’d tried to make certain it had a similar feel to it. He wanted her to feel as if she could talk about anything—and he liked lying on the bed with her, just the way they did in her cottage.
She reached behind her in an effort to get to the zipper, but it clearly was a struggle. He came up behind her and moved her hand.
“After we talk about whatever is scaring the hell out of you, I want to hear more about this book.” Savage unzipped her dress slowly, letting his nails trail lightly down her back and then over the stripes on her bottom and thighs. They were dark, just the way he knew they would be, in stark contrast to that flawless pale skin.
He wanted to lighten the moment, help soothe her, distract her just a little to allow her to calm enough to talk to him. She was really on edge.
She stepped out of the dress and stood for a moment in just her low heels and panties. “I really made a mistake with Brandon, Savage. It might have been me that caused all the trouble.” She looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes dark with pain. With fear. “I could be the one that made them come after you.”