His tongue runs over my bottom lip before he pulls back, panting. He touches his forehead against mine, keeping his eyes closed. There’s a scrape under his eye, but it’s not bleeding. I can only barely make it out in the firelight. He turns his head slowly, placing his mouth near my ear.
“I swore to protect you,” he whispers. His breath is hot on my neck. “In these circumstances, that makes you mine. The only way I can protect you from people like him is to lay claim to you.”
I look into his deep blue eyes, wondering where my panic has gone. I should be freaking out. I should be screaming and pushing him away. I shouldn’t be hoping he’ll kiss me again.
“Falk...”
“I’d never hurt you, Hannah.” His breath feels hot on my neck, sending shivers through my skin. “I’d never, ever force you. I know what you’ve been through. I wouldn’t do that to you. But this…this is the only way I can keep you safe.”
I’m dizzy. His words are only barely making it deep enough into my consciousness for me to understand what he means. All I can think about is the heat of his body next to mine, and the feeling of his lips on my mouth.
“Come with me now,” he whispers. “Come back to the apartment with me. They’re all going to see it, and they’re all going to know you’re mine. It’s the only way to keep them all off of you.”
My mind is still racing. I know I’m not thinking clearly, but everything Falk says makes sense. Brett said they’ve all been talking about me, and I believe him. If they think I’m with Falk, they’ll leave me alone.
“Okay,” I say softly. My voice is trembling.
“When we get there, nothing’s changed,” he says.
But it has, Falk. It changed as soon as you put your lips on mine.
“Right,” I say.
He slips his hand from my cheek, down my arm, and grips my hand in his. He takes a short step back, his eyes never leaving my face, and turns to let me go first. He takes his usual stance to my right and slightly behind me, moving his hand to the small of my back.
I can feel everyone’s eyes on us as we walk slowly toward the building, up the stairs, and into the apartment. Before the door closes completely, I can hear their murmured words.
“I’m sorry, Hannah,” Falk says as soon as we’re inside. “I’m sorry I grabbed you like that and…and everything else. I had to think fast. I had to put a stop to all of this, and it was the first thing that came to mind.”
“It’s okay.” I back away from him. Now that I’m here and away from everyone else, I should be able to think rationally again. “But Brett…Jesus, Falk, what were you thinking?”
“I didn’t see it fast enough.” The tone of his voice goes up a notch. “I should have been paying closer attention. I saw him sit next to you, and I was going to come over there, but Christine distracted me, and when I looked again, he had his hand on your thigh, and you were pushing back, but you didn’t have anywhere to go.”
He stops speaking and stares at me.
“I snapped.” His shoulders slump, and he rubs the scrape below his eye. “I snapped when I saw that, but I’m not sorry about it.”
“You pointed a gun at Caesar.”
“He shouldn’t have gotten involved.”
Chapter 10
I lay in bed as the events of the evening play over and over again in my mind. Brett’s words and touch made my skin crawl, but Falk’s reaction bordered on the insane. I know how much he wants to protect me and keep me safe, but what he did was completely uncalled for.
I’d fought in self-defense when I was attacked, but this isn’t the same. Yes, Brett had touched me. I didn’t like it, and I’m ultimately glad Falk put an end to it, but I can’t agree with how he did it. Would he have shot Brett or Caesar? How far would he go to protect me?
I shudder at the thought. Circumstances aside, I’m not a violent person. Before now, I hadn’t thought Falk was, either. Now I am not so sure, and my previous conversation with Caesar flows through my mind. Do I trust Falk? Should I trust him? Yes, he seems to have my best interests at heart, but do I know that for sure? Before meeting in the airport, I didn’t know he existed.
I bring my fingers to my lips, reliving the memory of his mouth on mine. He was angry—enraged enough to pull a gun—yet he had been gentle with me. He explained why he did it and even apologized.
When I had been in college, my roommate dated a guy from her hometown. Every time she went home and visited him, she would come back with bruises. She made excuses for him—told me how he had just had a little too much to drink or that he was stressed about finals. She said he was sorry for what he had done.
Isn’t that what abusive men do? Apologize after acting violently?
I take a long breath. This isn’t the same at all. Falk hadn’t done anything to me. In fact, everything he had done was in order to keep me safe.
I hear Falk enter the dark room and slide into bed beside me. I don’t turn over to look at him but listen to his breathing as he settles behind me. I’m more aware of his body near mine than I have ever been, and I close my eyes, wishing I could just start the whole day over again.