Vicious Rebel (82 Street Vandals #2) - Heather Long Page 0,44

him? What if he knew I’d been seen at the mechanic’s shop? I didn’t have to go back, but it could lead them to Kellan and maybe to Rome. What if they took pictures?

“Starling,” Rome said, and apparently, he’d been repeating it for a while. He pulled the mug from my fingers and then wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. Eyes closed, I tucked my face against his shirt and just held on. “Starling, you’re safe.”

“You don’t know that,” I finally managed to squeeze out. “What if they called them? What if they know where I am?”

“Then we’ll deal with it,” Rome said, his hand flat against my back before he began to rub in slow circles. “No one will hurt you. We won’t let them.”

But it could bring a world of hurt down on them. They didn’t know. They couldn’t. His arms flexed as they tightened, squeezing me hard, and I craved it, pushing against his chest like I could hide away in there.

I was not a coward. I hated that even the thought of going home reduced me to some quivering mess.

“Starling, I promise. We won’t let anyone hurt you. Not even us.”

I let out a little laugh. They hadn’t hurt me. Yes, they’d kidnapped me, and I’d been hurt when I got there, but that was because Eric hurt me. Vaughn and Kellan had stood up for me. So had Jasper.

They had taken care of me, even when I didn’t know who they were. I still had no idea why they’d taken me or why they were working so hard to make me comfortable, but I had been safe with them.

All the threats I’d faced had come from outside the Vandals, and they’d been there to protect me.

“You’ve had to kill for me twice now,” I whispered.

“I’d kill a hundred men if you needed it,” Rome said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “The only thing that matters to me is your happiness and your safety.”

I believed him. As scary as that declaration was, I believed him and I appreciated it. When I pulled back a little, he loosened his grip and tilted his head down to study me as I gazed up at him.

“I know I was all about escape…”

“That’s over now,” Rome murmured. “You went. You came back. Nothing more has to be discussed.”

I didn’t deserve him.

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” He nodded. “We have three things in life. The people we choose. The work we do. The life we make. You’re one of my people. I will always choose you.”

My heart squeezed. “You don’t know me.”

“I know you enough. I know you here.” He slid his hand over my heart, then raised it to cup my face. “And in here. You don’t see the world like I do. That’s okay. But I see you.”

Apprehension shivered through me.

“I’ve always seen you. I thought you were in a good place. But your eyes…” He stroked my cheek. “They’ve grown sadder and sadder, Starling. It’s like all the darkness that haunts you gathers there, but that darkness doesn’t frighten me.”

I swallowed.

“Your world was supposed to keep you safe.”

A laugh slipped out. It was more of a scoffing sound, but he gave me a slow nod.

“Exactly. Your world wasn’t protecting you. So now we will. I will. You will always be safe with me.” The warmth of his fingers traced up my cheek and then over my brow before he retreated to my jaw line and finally to my lips. My breath caught at the gentleness there. “My world isn’t kind.”

“No,” I agreed. “It’s not. And I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Then another smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “I’m okay. I’ve fought the darkness before.”

My gaze dipped to his mouth, then back up again as he continued to cradle my face against his palm.

“Will you trust me to look after you?” Rome asked. “Trust me even if you aren’t ready to trust all of us?”

I already did trust him. I wasn’t even sure when that happened. Licking my lips once, I nodded, but I didn’t get the words out that followed before Rome kissed me. With his hands cradling my face to hold me still, Rome took possession of my mouth as though kissing me was where he belonged.

His lips were so damn soft and warm where they moved against mine. I opened to the silky thread of