A SILENCE FELL between Ashlynn and Leandro, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. He stroked a hand up and down her back in a gentle, soothing motion. The night suddenly felt too quiet after the cacophony of police officers and ambulance sirens. She sucked in a deep breath, trembling slightly as her mind wandered back to what could’ve happened had Leandro not come in time, and she wrapped her arms tighter around him. She didn’t have words to describe the intense feeling of gratitude radiating through her—not just that he’d answered the phone and rushed over to protect her, but the fact that she was in his arms again when she hadn’t known if that was a possibility for them.
“How come you’re not back in Brazil yet?” she asked, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent as she snuggled in against his chest. Everything with him felt so right, so comforting.
He caressed her hair, his big hand warm and reassuring. “I . . . I guess I was waiting. To hear from you. I didn’t want to leave, not with the way things are, or were, between us.” He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes. “Are you really okay?”
She nodded, swallowing around the lump in her throat at the tenderness in his eyes. Why had she thought this man wasn’t right for her? This man who was strong, and brave, and protective, and sweet? She knew it was because she’d been scared, weighed down by her mother’s baggage, reeling from the shock of losing her job, and she hadn’t been thinking clearly. “I’m really okay.” She glanced back over her shoulder at her broken window. She’d have to pull money out of her savings to get that fixed, and while she’d never believed in alarm systems in the past, she felt the sudden urge to have a top-of-the-line one installed.
“I don’t think you should stay here alone tonight,” he said, following her gaze. “You can come back to my place, stay with me.” There was a pause, and then he dropped his arms from around her, rubbing one hand over the back of his neck. “Not that I’m assuming . . . anything. I just mean . . . Shit. I can’t think in English right now.”
“No, it’s okay. But, uh . . . I don’t know that I’m in the headspace to deal with Thiago right now.” She pursed her lips, trying to think. She didn’t want to stay at her place, and she wanted to talk to Leandro, but there was only so much she could handle tonight.
His expression shifted, and he lifted a hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her chest tightened, and she realized how accustomed to that gesture she’d become during their short relationship. “Thiago . . . Ashlynn, I’m sorry. He was the one who recorded us at the restaurant.”
“What? Why?” She’d known that Thiago hadn’t liked her, but given his loyalty to Leandro, recording them seemed over the line.
“Because he wasn’t the friend I thought he was. You were right. I was surrounded by wolves, but I couldn’t see it.” He paused, pain sifting through his eyes. “I made him leave.”
She shivered as that news settled over her, and he wrapped her in his arms again, giving her some of his warmth. For someone she’d originally pegged as selfish, he gave so much. “I’m sorry, Leo. I know you guys were close. That must’ve been hard.”
He nodded, not saying anything, but not letting her go. She let him hold her for a moment, relaxing into him when he placed a soft kiss on top of her head.
“I’ll go get my stuff, and then we . . . we can talk some more. Okay?”
He nodded, and followed her into the house. He roamed around while she packed, clearly not wanting to crowd her, but not wanting to let her out of his sight either. God, she’d missed seeing him in her house, more than she’d even realized. She’d spent so much time obsessing over the ways their worlds didn’t fit, and not enough appreciating the ways they did.
Her stomach lurched as she moved around her bedroom, once her sanctuary, but now a scene of violence and fear. She was glad she had somewhere else to be tonight; she was especially glad that somewhere else was with Leandro.
“Minha linda, do you mind if I call someone to come fix your door and your window? I don’t want your house to get robbed while you’re away.”
Her heart squeezed at his hesitant tone. She’d told him that she’d felt smothered by him, and he was treading so, so carefully. Even after he’d come to her rescue and protected her. Even after he’d been shoved into the back of a cop car.
She poked her head around the corner and caught his gaze. “Yes. Thank you. That would be great.”
He nodded. “My phone’s in the car. Meet me outside?”
“Sure. I’ll be right out.” She quickly gathered up the rest of her things, not letting her gaze linger on the broken picture frame on the floor, or the armchair tipped over on its side. For tonight, she was safe, and she had Leandro. She’d figure everything else out tomorrow.
As she walked down the stairs, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder, her hands started to shake, and her legs felt weak. The adrenaline was wearing off, and all she knew was that she needed to feel good. She rushed the rest of the way down the stairs and out the broken front door, not stopping until she’d flung herself into Leandro’s arms. He immediately circled them around her waist.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered before arching up on her toes and pressing a gentle kiss to his mouth. He let out a soft groan and kissed her back, tender and slow.
“I know, sweetheart. I know,” he murmured, moving a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I’m sorry too. I was taking over, and I just . . . I screwed up.”
She shook her head, sagging against him. Relief wasn’t a strong enough word for the feeling cresting over her, making up for some of her depleted adrenaline. “No, I’m the one who screwed up. I got scared and I bailed, and that was completely unfair to you. I was so focused on controlling every aspect of my life, always afraid of making a mistake, that I wasn’t really living at all. And then you came along and took my rule book and ripped it up, and that was scary too. I didn’t give you a chance. I didn’t give us a chance. And I ended up making a huge mistake anyway—I never should’ve pushed you away.”
He bent and kissed her again, his lips soft and firm against hers. “And what about now? Will you give us a chance?”
She nodded quickly, threading her fingers into his hair. “I want this. I want you. We’re so good together, Leandro, and I’m sorry that I freaked out. I’m sorry I couldn’t see past my fear to what an amazing man you are.”
His eyes grew bright, and he swallowed. “I love you. Eu te amo. God, Ashlynn. I was so scared I’d never hold you like this again.”
She raised a hand, cupping his cheek, savoring the warmth of his skin under her fingers. “I’m so sorry. What we have . . . it’s special. It’s big, and it’s consuming, and that can be kind of scary. But I promise you, I’m done with being scared.”
“And I’m done with wolves. You make me better, Ashlynn. I need you.”
She met his eyes and spoke the truth. “I love you, Leandro Oliveira. And from now on, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Except back to my house?” He raised a cocky eyebrow, and even though the night air was chilly, she felt that gesture like sunshine on her skin.
“Let me rephrase. I’m not going anywhere without you. We’ll figure it all out.”
He smiled and kissed her again. “Together.”
She nodded. “Together.”