Stryker

“I’m beginning to think that you left out a bit of information with regards to him walking you home,” Millie mumbled.

Heat filled my face at Millie’s deduction, and my heart threatened to beat out of my chest at the smirk on Stryker’s handsome face.

“What happened with Patrick after I left?” Stryker guessed, correctly.

“I knew that bastard had something to do with this,” Millie steamed and tried to get closer to me, but Stryker held steady.

“He…I thought…” I inhaled and dropped my eyes so Stryker wouldn’t see the pain, “he wanted me.” I shrugged and tried to move away but Stryker moved with me. “He didn’t rape me, but he threatened me.” Another tear escaped, which he caught with his thumb.

“Did he hurt you,” Stryker growled, his eyes looked wild. “Did he, Evie?”

“Cameras, Stryker,” Carter reminded him. From the look on his face, he didn’t give a shit. “The fucker hurt her.”

He dropped his forehead to mine, our eyes met, the look I felt right down to my toes.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble with them because of me. Please, Stryker. It would hurt me to know that.” I licked my lips, an action he followed with his eyes.

“I’m afraid to let you go,” he whispered, indecision clear on his face.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself.”

“Stryker, let’s go.” Carter dragged him away while collecting his gloves from the floor.

Millie took my face in her hands and made me look at her. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you and him…but it was intense.”

I wrapped my arm around Millie and hugged her close. “Stryker has started to mean everything to me, and that fact alone scares me. I’ve only met him the once. Last night. There’s just something about him that calls to me, something that wants to be constantly close to him. Touching. I really can’t explain it.” Pulling back, I met her gaze. “I know he feels it too.”

After a few minutes of looking anywhere but at me, she answered, “I feel the connection between the two of you. It’s powerful. It doesn’t scare me, but it does make me long for someone to look at me the way Stryker does you.”

I smiled through my tears. “Carter looks at you like he wants you for breakfast.”

My friend started to blush to the roots of her hair. “He can have me…eventually.” She smirked.

I laughed, which I didn’t think I’d be doing today. Millie always had a way of making me smile when I really didn’t want to.

“Come on. We’re done here today.” Millie wrapped her arm over my shoulders and tugged me toward the door.

My feet felt heavy, and my head was full of Stryker as I turned and met his gaze across the room. I couldn’t look away, and didn’t until Millie closed the door behind us.

He looked angry, disappointed, and so damn alone, even in a gym half full of men training.

“Evie, don’t worry about him. He looks more than capable of taking care of himself.”

I knew she was right and I followed her down the sidewalk, but I hesitated. Despite her words, I wanted to go back and wrap myself around him.

Chapter 9

THE MINUTE HE ENTERED the office, he knew by the anger on the other man’s face that he wouldn’t like the reason he’d been summoned.

He hated the man behind the big mahogany desk¸ the Irishman. At one time he’d loved him.

He’d always tried his best but it was never enough. Even now, he still wanted to please him, and he hated that about himself.

“Sit, and watch this.”

He immediately dropped into the chair opposite him and glanced at the screen that the Irishman had turned to face him.

Oh, hell!