Until May (Until Her/Him)

“You’re right; it’s not.” His thumb slides across my cheek. “But I’m not giving him what he wants by letting you go.”

“Aiden—”

“We’ll call the cops and file a report. Hopefully, the shooting along with the texts will be enough for someone to look into this, really look into this.”

“You said Noah couldn’t find out who he was.”

“He couldn’t, but that doesn’t mean this guy is untraceable. He made a profile on that dating site. He might have plugged in some information about himself that was real, and maybe they’ll be able to find out who he is by using that information.”

“I’m not comfortable with you being in danger because of me.”

“And I’m not letting you go.” He cups my cheeks in both of his large hands. “You’re the first thing that has felt right since I found out I wasn’t going to be able to play football again, and I will fight you every step of the way if you try to take this away from me.” He brushes the tip of his nose against mine, and my throat clogs. “We’ll figure this out.”

“What if the cops can’t find out who he is?” My eyes slide closed, and I drop my forehead to the center of his chest. “What if something happens to you because of me?”

“What if I get hit by a car tomorrow?”

“Don’t say that.” My head flies back so I can glare at him, then my fingers dig into his sides. “You… You said the motorcycle that almost hit you came out of nowhere. What if—”

“That wasn’t him,” he cuts me off with a soft kiss.

“You don’t know that.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” He takes hold of my hips and turns me so he can walk me back toward the bed. When my knees hit the mattress and buckle, he falls carefully on top of me and smooths my hair back away from my face. “Let’s not create more issues than we already have.”

“I just don’t think you’re taking this as seriously as you should be. You don’t understand the things that have happened to my—”

“Since someone apparently tried to shoot me, I promise I’m taking this seriously,” he interrupts before I can explain to him about the kidnappings, shootings, and barely escaped deaths that seem to plague my family. “As soon as you eat and take some Tylenol, we’ll head to the police station and file a report.”

Resting my palms against his chest, I lift my head off the bed so we’re face-to-face. “I need to tell you—” I try to warn him again but groan when the doorbell rings, cutting me off.

“Hold that thought.” He kisses me swiftly before pushing away from me to stand. “That’s probably Noah. He said he’d be over this morning.” He goes to the closet and comes out with my overnight bag, along with a pair of sweats for himself.

“Good, maybe Noah will be able to convince you that you and I should take a break until they find Mike,” I grumble as he puts on his sweats, and he laughs like I’m being funny, making me sigh.

“Not gonna happen, doll.” He stops in front of where I’m sitting on the side of the bed, and I tip my head back to look up at him while he tangles his fingers in the hair at the side of my head. His mouth covers mine, causing my belly to dip, then a whimper of disappointment crawls up the back of my throat as he drags his mouth away. “Come out when you’re dressed,” he orders, and my lashes flutter open just in time to watch him smile up close before he releases me and saunters out of the room, still shirtless.

With a shake of my head, I pull out an outfit and my toiletry bag, then take it all with me to the bathroom. After I brush my teeth, I change into a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, and leave my hair down, since the bandage on my hand makes it really difficult to tie my hair up.

As I leave the bedroom, I can hear Aiden talking about what happened last night and the message I received this morning, the reminder making me want to go back to the bedroom, pack up my stuff, and leave. Only I know I wouldn’t get far. First, because I don’t have my car, and second, I believed Aiden when he said he would fight me every step of the way if I tried to leave him.

When I reach the end of the hallway, I stop in my tracks. The bald man standing in the kitchen that I’m assuming is Noah is not just a big guy; he’s a giant. Tall, probably over six three, and bulky with bulging muscles that make the coffee mug in his hands look like one of those little kids playtime tea cups.

“Doll,” Aiden calls, and I pull my attention off his friend just as his eyes come to me. I walk to Aiden as he holds out his hand. “This is my best friend, Noah. Noah, this is May.”

“Nice to meet you,” I tell him softly as Aiden wraps his arm around my waist and slides his hand up the side of my sweatshirt, skimming his fingers along my bare skin making me shiver.

“You too.”

“I was just telling Noah about what happened last night and the text you got this morning. He said that might be enough to get a case opened up.”

“That’s good,” I say as he lets me go so he can grab a full cup of coffee off the counter and hand it to me. “The only issue is we have no idea who the person is.” I look at Noah. “I told Aiden that he and I should take a break while we get this whole thing sorted out so that he’s not in danger.”