Chapter 41: I will always keep you safe

After she was done tending to his injured hand they put everything back where it belonged and turned off the lights, ready to leave.

She was about to open the door when he suddenly took a hold of her arm, swiftly turning her back around.

"Wait,"

Lydia's brows furrowed a little, evidently confused as she peered up at him. Noticing him step closer into her personal space.

"I haven't thanked you for that," She peered between his hypnotizing eyes, feeling the door press against her back as he took another step closer. Boldly invading her space.

He placed a hand against the door, right next to her head, the girl's heart pounding faster inside her chest. A tiny gasp escaping her as he leaned closer, offering her a soft and lingering kiss on the cheek. One that she felt into the very bottom of her stomach, her nether regions fluttering.

She didn't get to dwell much on that feeling as he grabbed onto her hand and then exited the room, hurrying all the way back outside of the building. The girl noticing in all that crazed running that his friends were already gone. The tattoo parlour was empty now.

She patiently waited as he locked the place and turned on the alarm, watching as he turned to face her with a smile on his face.

"Where are we going now?" She asked, a little too excited. She'd enjoyed this evening so far. She didn't want it to end. Because she knew that then she would have to return to reality. A sad and cruel reality she most definitely wasn't ready to face. Not now. Not yet.

"I've just realized that I made you late for dinner," he said upon pausing to stand right in front of her, his gaze roaming over her features.

"So we're going to grab a bite,"

She timidly smiled, earning herself a sexy one from him in return. She felt like melting all over that pavement. How? How could she stay away from him like this? How was she supposed to get over that face? His smile, his beautiful laughter. That panty-wetting look in his eyes.

She blushed a little, thanking him as he put that helmet on her head again. Right before securing his and the gloves. And then they were riding away again, to an unknown destination.

The sun had already set and it was starting to get a little chilly, the girl instinctively pressing up her body closer to his, her arms holding tight onto his torso. They thankfully didn't travel for too long after that, finally parking in front of a classic diner.

They quickly got off and then got rid of their helmets, the girl visibly shivering the whole time like a cowering dog. She felt so cold now she could barely control the chatter of her teeth!

Julian let out a small chuckle, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her closer to the warmth of his body, softly rubbing his hands against her back as he held her for a moment.

"So delicate," he murmured under his breath, the girl fighting not to gasp at the feeling of his lips caressing the shell of her ear.

"I like it. Makes it easier for me to get my hands on your body like this more often," She faintly blushed, burying her face in his chest as he held her like that for another few seconds. Warming up her shivery body.

"Come on. Let's put something in your belly and then we can go home," he said, her traitorous mind though translating that sentence into a completely different way as he grabbed her hand and led her to the diner's entrance. Making her remember that feeling. Those certain moments they'd shared.

She was torn between wanting to sit in his lap or stay as far as possible away from him by the time they'd reached a more secluded booth, Julian's hand on her back abruptly snapping her back to reality as he coaxed her to take a seat, swiftly following.

He sat right next to her, purposely shielding her away from view and also backing her into the leathered couch's rounded corner. His arm snaking over the backrest behind her into a blatantly possessive manner.

He barely gave any attention to the young and chirpy waitress as she took their order, her moony eyes constantly darting to him; trailing over his body into an openly appreciative manner. It made Lydia want to claw at those large brown eyes of hers. She didn't like the way that she was looking at him. Like she wanted to...

She blinked as the waitress tucked the small notepad into her apron and then disappeared, her gaze finally returning to Julian. Noticing that mildly amused look on his face as he intently peered at her.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm all yours. I've already told you; there's only one girl I yearn for. One pussy that can make my mouth water and my cock throb so painfully hard. Yours,"

Her eyes widened, cheeks heating up so furiously as she quickly glanced around, making sure that no one else had heard those filthy words coming out of his mouth. Embarrassment flooding her, along with a much more fiery feeling.

He only chuckled at the sight of that, leaning even closer as he peered down at her. Those beautiful eyes burning as they roamed all over her features.

"God I love the way you blush when I talk like that. You look so innocent and sweet. It makes me want to make you squirm and gasp," he softly uttered, his lips a hair's breadth away from hers. She could only stare up between his eyes, throat working as she thickly swallowed.

Wondering whether he was about to kiss her or not. There was a part of her that secretly yearned for him to do it. A part of her that already belonged to him. Her heart.

But there was another part of her; a much more rational one that screamed at her to stop, that this was already going way too far and she was so dangerously close to getting hurt. Even more than she'd already been. He was bad for her, no matter how much she seemed to enjoy the mere presence of him. No matter how much her body yearned for his; how her heart fluttered and her panties became wet whenever he laid his eyes on her.

He was dangerous. Sinful. And she needed to control herself around him.

She subtly retracted a little, pretending to be way too embarrassed. Gaze lowering before she turned and sat a little straighter in her seat, her hands clenching around the hem of her dress. A moment of silence followed. Her eyelids fluttering shut as she could still feel the heat of his body, so close to hers.

"I've been meaning to apologize,"

Her eyelids abruptly fluttered open at the sound of that.

"What for?" She turned to face him as she asked.

His eyes roamed over her face again. An unknown emotion glinting in them.

"For the way I left that day,"

"I can only imagine the way it must've felt for you," Her heart sunk. Gaze casting aside.

"I'm so sorry, Lydia," She heard him say, so quiet and sincere. It made her heart so painfully clench.

"I shouldn't have left you like that,"

"Why did you though?" She'd turned to ask before she could even try to stop herself, watching him blink. Jaw clenching.

"I don't really like talking about it," he uttered, so equally quiet. He sounded almost pained. And even though it only brought even more questions into her mind she chose not to press him any further on it. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. She wasn't planning on letting whatever this was between them to bloom into anything more. She had to remind herself that.

Another moment of silence followed, the girl listening to him let out an almost inaudible sigh, his mood becoming a little lighter as he said,

"You've already met my old man,"

That had her refocusing her gaze back on him, cheeks pinching with a little bit of heat. Once again feeling that embarrassment for being caught like that.

"I'm sure he was absolutely charming to you," he sarcastically mumbled with an eyeroll, the sight of him reacting like that actually making her feel less uneasy.

She let out a small giggle.

"Definitely not,"

"He almost made me pee myself," she truthfully admitted, earning herself a chuckle from him. Lightly shaking his head.

"Lucy was a totally different story though, she..." she abruptly faltered upon realizing exactly what she'd just said, blinking as she stared up at him.

Julian didn't express that much of a reaction though. His features remaining calm and composed as he asked,

"What was she doing there with you by the way?"

She hesitated. What could she say? That she was the one who had discovered all those dubious things about him? That it was actually her idea to go there to his father's precinct to dig up some more dirt on him? She didn't want to throw her under the bus like that, no matter what had happened between them in the past. She was still her friend after all. And she had just proven her that she still cared. She didn't want to ruin what they had. What they were still trying to mend.

"You can tell me, Lydia," Julian carefully coaxed her, keeping a calm and composed attitude.

"I'm not gonna get mad, I promise," he swore, expressing a soft and candid smile. She caved like the weak little coward she was. Her innate instinct pressing at her to yield.

"She...suspects that you're...working for your mom..." she stuttered out, suddenly feeling so uneasy and trapped. She didn't like this. She didn't like where it was heading.

"What if I was?" She abruptly startled upon hearing him utter those words, her entire body tensing. Heart pumping faster and faster.

"Would you be afraid?" He asked, those blue eyes peering between hers. Gauging her reaction. She quickly nodded, hands clenching at her sides as she fought not to tremble.

His features softened upon noticing all that, a tender look glinting in his eyes as he quietly said,

"I would never hurt you, Lydia. Or put you in any kind of danger. I want you to know that,"

She faltered, disarmed by that sincerity lacing his tone. Lips parting as he delicately traced the back of his fingers over her cheek, a troubled look taking over his features as he followed that action, those muscles in his jaw clenching again as he passionately swore,

"I will always keep you safe. No matter what,"