The past two weeks have been blissful, I've not heard from Jamie and I'm relieved, although cautious. His words are always in the back of my mind. 'You're mine, no one else will ever have you.' So him going to ground just when I start dating makes me nervous. But as long as he's not here, I'm okay with that.
I walk into the kitchen and make myself a cup of coffee. I hear footsteps from behind me and turn my head to see Gabby walking in. When she sees me she frowns, "You're still here?" She quickly glances at her watch before looking back at me. "You're usually on your way to the office. What's wrong?"
She's always in big sister mode, making sure that I'm okay. I turn to face her fully and lean back against the counter. "Are you going to be late?"
She rolls her eyes, "Spill it."
I close my eyes and sigh, "I'm scared."
"Christopher?" she asks, and I nod. "You think he's going to be the same as Jamie?"
As usual she knows me better than I think.
"T, talk to me," she pleads, her eyes filled with pain. "What's going on?"
"I'm falling for him, Gabs, so fucking hard. I can't stop it." Tears spring to my eyes. "I tried to pull away, but I'm unable to do it."
She smiles at me, "Then don't."
"You make it sound so easy. I'm not sure I'm ready for what he wants." Or that I ever will be. I'm broken, my scars aren't just physical, they're emotional too. I doubt I'll ever be able to get over what Jamie did to me. I've learned so many lessons from him and I'm scared that I'll make the same mistakes again.
"From what I've heard, he won't push you, T. I knew the moment you told me you were going on a date with him that you were falling in love with him."
I blink, how did she know that?
"T, the fact you went on a date with him, told me he meant more than just any guy. For you to date someone, it means that you care. You wouldn't just let anyone into your life."
I stare at her for a beat. She's right, in the past three years I've been asked on dates and I've always recoiled; the mere thought of being that close to a man would have me break out in sweat. But with Christopher, I know that I'm safe, I don't get that urge to run away and find a safe place to hide out.
Once I heard Christopher raise his voice and it scared me, not because I thought he'd hurt me. No, I was scared that something was wrong and when I knocked on the door, I saw the anger in his eyes and I stepped back but he quelled the fury and tried to reassure me that everything was okay. He put me at ease even though his anger was raging inside and he had every right to be angry. Layla wanted to take Marcus. I'd be freaking angry if I were in his shoes.
"What else? That's not all that's been bothering you."
I narrow my eyes at my sister. "When did you become so demanding?"
She flashes me a grin but there's a darkness in her eyes, one that I hate seeing. "When I learned that you're good at hiding things. You went through hell, alone, Tia. You didn't tell anyone what was happening to you."
Guilt once again hits me. I hurt not only her, but also November by not telling them what was happening. Although neither of them could understand the fear and shame I felt while I was living with Jamie. The things that happened, I couldn't talk about them. It's taken me three years to even tell them what happened. I wasn't in the right state of mind to even contemplate opening up to someone back then.
"I'm worried about you," she confesses quietly.
"Marcus wants to meet you. How about I try to sort something out this week?" I ask in hopes that'll ease her worry if she gets to meet them.
She smiles, "I'd love to. Shall we make a double date?"
For the first time this morning, I smile. "I'm happy for you," I tell her, things between her and Zeke are going really well. While I haven't been introduced to him yet, he has stayed a few nights and is either gone by the time I'm up and ready for work or he stays in Gabby's room until I'm gone.
She grins at me, "Talk to Christopher and let me know about the date. Zeke and I will be there."
I reach behind me for my coffee, "I need to go, otherwise I'm going to be late. But I'll talk to Christopher this morning and let you know."
"Thanks, have a good day and, T, trust your heart. You knew pretty early on that you weren't in love with Jamie. Trust it this time."
I blow her a kiss as I leave our apartment. She's right, God, she's so fucking right. I knew pretty early on that Jamie wasn't the man for me, even before he started to abuse me. I think it was more a case of being in love with the idea of being in love rather than the actual man.
I make it to the office with just minutes to spare, when the elevator doors open, I come face to face with Christopher. His gaze sweeps over me and the sheer relief that enters his eyes has me melting inside. "Jesus, T," he curses. "I've tried calling you."
I reach into my purse for my cell and see that it's dead when I pull it out. "Damn," I mutter. "I need to get a new one."
"I'm just glad you're okay."
"I'm not late," I tell him, trying to ignore the way the butterflies swarm in my stomach and my heart beats faster at his concern. "Gabby and I were talking this morning, she wants to meet you and Marcus," I tell him, hoping that it'll calm him down and not ask more questions. I don't want to upset him and if he thinks that I don't feel safe around him, it'll hurt him.
I see the way he reacts whenever a client leans in too close, or whenever there is more than one person in the office with me. He puts himself in front of me, protecting me. Hurt always flashes through those brown eyes of his, they're so expressive, so damn soul-searing.
He pulls me into his arms and inhales sharply. This is as far as we've gotten since I kissed his cheek on our date. He's not tried to kiss me and I'm not really sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I'm glad as I've no idea how I'd react to being that intimate, but on the other hand, I want to try, for him, for me, for us. I want to see what it would be like. I've dreamed about it, God, I've dreamed of nothing but. I've imagined it all, hard, fast, and passionate to soft, sweet, and loving. I want to know how it'll feel to have his lips against mine, to see how he tastes.
"Whenever you want. Marcus will be excited," he says as he pulls back and looks at me. "Are you okay?"
He's one of the best men that I have ever met. "Yeah, I'm good. I promise." He grazes his lips against my forehead and I'm too shocked to react. "I'm trying to go slow, blue eyes, I'm going against every instinct I have. I want you, more than I want air to breathe, but I also know that if I push you too hard you'll run and I'll lose you forever."
I hold my breath, scared as to what he's going to say next.
"I'll never push you too far, Tia, you say the word and I'll stop." He kisses my forehead once again and this time, I lean into him. "God, you don't know how much it means to know that you trust me."
My throat lodges at his words, there's no doubt about it. I'm in love with him.
The phone rings and it breaks through our moment and I'm glad for it, because I was close to blurting out just how I feel. I rush over to the phone. "Thank you for calling HarMar, Tia speaking, how may I help you?"
The husky voice on the other end of the line isn't one I've heard before. "Hello, Ms. Monroe. Is Christopher in yet?" His words are polite, but I can also hear the impatience behind them.
"May I ask, who's calling?"
"Clive," he responds and his voice grows softer. "If he's in, can you fit me in to see him between clients? It's important."
I turn to Christopher, who's standing close to me with a smile on his face. I pull the phone away from my ear and cover the speaker. "A man named Clive says that it's important and could I fit him between your clients."
His eyes narrow and he glances at his watch, before moving toward his office. "Tell him to come right away, I'll need you to push my meetings back." He doesn't once look back and I can't help but wonder what the hell is happening.
"Mr. Clive," I say once I gather myself. "Mr. Harlan said to come straight away, he's pushing his appoint
ments back."
"Thank you, Ms. Monroe, I'll be there soon. I appreciate you fitting me in. I'll see you shortly." He ends the call and I get dead air.
He called me Ms. Monroe. How did he know my name? I introduced myself as Tia. What the hell is going on?
12
Christopher
I'm losing my damn mind. I've never felt this way about anyone. Last night both Marcus and I felt the effects of not having Tia close to us. It's crazy how close we've all grown since she came into our lives. She's made my boy grow into himself and come further out of his shell, his confidence has grown tenfold and I'm proud of him, so in awe of her, and so fucking in love that it makes my head dizzy.
I had to calm Marcus down last night, he got it into his head that the reason Tia didn't come by last night was because he had done something wrong. It's hard to explain to a six-year-old that just because Tia and I are dating it doesn't mean she doesn't need space. It took a while but he realized what I meant and he's excited to see her today. I'm not going to tell her how he was last night because I don't want her to feel guilty. She needs space, things between us are going at full throttle and she's scared, but she's also giving her all to me and to Marcus.
When I arrived at the office before her, my mind spun with different scenarios of what could have happened to her. I tried calling her but it didn't go through. I was moments away from getting into my car and tracking her down. Thankfully, the elevator doors opened and she was standing there, as beautiful as ever. I couldn't hold back the urge, I had to have her in my arms. I was finally relaxing, she was safe, Marcus is safe. Everything was alright, until that phone call.
Now Clive's coming and I'm antsy as fuck. There're two reasons he'd be coming personally and I'm on edge as I wait for him. Has he found Layla or has he found out what happened with Tia? Nathan's working on the Layla angle in the UK and has sent Ryder and Skye Marshall over to London to find out if she's returned home or not.
I hate not having any information on her. Even the PI I have on retainer in the UK has lost her trail. How fucking hard is it to find one woman?
There's a timid knock on my door and I know that it's Tia. "Come in, T."
The door opens and she stands in the doorway with her arms folded over her body, pushing her breasts up and making her blouse tight against them. Fuck. This isn't the time to be looking at her tits. She worries her lip between her teeth as she stares at me. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"
I shake my head, "No, thanks."
She turns on her heel and walks away, the door closing behind her. I frown at the interaction. Something's changed and I can't quite put my finger on her mood. Is she pissed? Upset? I've no idea and I don't get time to dwell on it as the door is once again opened, this time without a knock and in walks Clive along with Sully and Jameson.
I glance at my best friend, I know him better than I know anyone, his brows are pinched together as he glances at Clive. He has no idea what's happening. Well at least I'm not the only one that's in the dark.
Jameson sits on the sofa and watches as Clive comes to me, a folder in his hands. "I've heard a few whispers about Layla, some say she's gone back to the UK. Others say that she's still here."
Fuck. That's not news. That's just speculation, it doesn't put my mind at ease, instead it means that Marcus is still not safe from her and that's just fucking bullshit. No mother should make her son afraid.
"I know," Clive says as though he can read my mind. "I'm not going to stop until I find her. She's not going to take him, Chris. No fucking way."
I nod, he's right. She's not, there's no way she can take him. The school knows not to let her anywhere near him and when he's not there, he's with me or Tia. Nothing is going to happen to him.
"He's safe. Your woman on the other hand isn't."
My body freezes as my heart pounds against my chest. I glance at both Sully and Jameson, they're looking at Clive with a mixture of anger and confusion.
"Explain," I bite out. What the fuck does he mean Tia's not safe.
He throws the folder down onto my desk, "Tia Monroe's ex is a piece of shit," he snarls. "Jamie Pope is wanted for strangulation, battery, and reckless endangerment. He beat Tia so badly that she was hospitalized. From what I have uncovered, it wasn't the first time, but it was the last."
I open the folder and feel Jameson and Sully move closer, I glance up and see them flanking me at each side, both of their eyes on the folder. When I look down, my gut churns as I read the report. Her ex really hurt her. Her neighbor heard her screaming and called the cops. But by the time they had arrived, he was long gone and Tia was unconscious with an array of injuries. She had broken ribs, a broken arm, a shattered kneecap, a broken nose, a busted lip, and bruises spanning her throat.
"Fuck," I whisper, it's tortured and low.
"Keep your cool," Sul tells me, his hand resting on my shoulder. "She's going to need you to keep your cool."
I nod and flip the page and as soon as I do I regret it. My stomach flips at what I see. Tia, her entire body black and blue from bruises, a cast on her arm, and leg, her fucking throat, God, how is she able to speak? You can see the finger marks around her throat. I slam the folder shut, unable to look at it any longer.
"How the hell did she survive that?" Jameson asks, his voice thick with a mix of emotion.
"Where the fuck is that asshole now?" Sully snaps. I glance up at him and see the anger swirling in his eyes. "When was the last time she saw him?"
Clive reaches for the folder and flips through it. "She called the police about five months ago and complained yet again that she was still receiving calls and texts from him, each time she saw or heard from him, she called the cops, but the last time was three months ago. Nothing since then."
"He's just stopped?" I question, something about that doesn't seem right.
Clive's lips thin and he shakes the folder that's in his hands. "This is just the bare bones of what happened. Twice a week she'd call the police and report what was happening. She changed her number three times and each and every time he'd manage to get it. In each report Jamie Pope says the same thing to her. That she's his and that no one else is going to have her."
I push away from my desk and walk out into the lobby and my gaze instantly lands on Tia, she's sitting at her desk typing away on the keyboard. She must sense me staring at her because she raises her head, her eyes wide as she takes me in. "Christopher, is everything okay?"
Okay? Fuck no it's not okay.
I move toward her, needing to touch her, to make sure that she's okay. She gets to her feet as I get closer, As soon as I'm in touching distance my hand wraps around her wrist and I pull her toward me. Her body collides with mine and she gasps but I wrap my arms around her and bury my face into her hair.
"Chris..." Her voice soft but mumbled against my chest. "What's going on?"
"Clive is a PI, I hired him to find Layla, but when the guys came to the office for the first time, you said something to Sully that made me wary and worried. You told him that the police were looking for your ex..." She tenses beneath me, a tremor runs through her body and I hate that she's scared. "I had Clive look into him and in turn, you."
"You know..." It's barely a whisper, it's not a question but a statement.
"Yeah, blue eyes, I know." My arms tighten around her, "I'm sorry that you went through that."
She pulls back and our gazes collide, I see the depth of fear she has, "So now that you know, is this it?"
"It?" I echo, wondering what she's talking about.
"You don't want to see me anymore. Do I have to find a new job?"
What the actual fuck? "Blue eyes, do you really think I'm that much of an asshole? God, no. You're not going anywhere, you belong here, with me and Marcus."
She softens against me and I'm unable to hold back any longer. I need her to know just how I feel. I brush my lips against hers, when she doesn't recoil or tense in my arms, I press harder, her lips are soft and I need
more. She pushes back, her mouth open, her tongue sweeping into my mouth. That's all it takes for me to lose the last bit of restraint I have. I take over, my tongue tangling with hers as I pull her body even closer to mine.
She freezes when her stomach presses against my erection. "Baby?" I ask when I see her pale face and wide eyes. "What's wrong?"
She shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I'm so stupid."
I pull her to me once again, she comes willingly and I just hold her tight. "You're not stupid, T, far fucking from it. What that asshole put you through isn't something that can be just forgotten about. He hurt you and from the report, it wasn't the first time. I'm just fucking grateful that you got out of that relationship."
She once again pulls out of my embrace, this time she puts space between us and I hate it. "I hate talking about what happened, but I'm guessing that you're going to want to at some point, right?" Her voice is so small.
"Yeah, blue eyes, at some point I'm going to want to know what happened. But we'll take it slow." I know that when we do talk about it, it's going to hurt her and I hate that, but there's no way around it. I need to know everything that asshole put her through. I want to know if there's any triggers that could send her into a panic so I know to avoid them.
"Are you okay to come in and talk to the guys? With Jamie still out there, we want you safe."
Her face pales once again at my words but she nods. Fuck. She always makes me so fucking proud. "But I won't have to talk about what happened, right?"
"No, baby, you don't have to talk about what happened, we want to know what's happened since you got free of him. You'll be safe in there," I assure her, knowing that being in a room with four men will be something that could send her into a panic attack.
Until Tia Page 8
