Concealed Force

Chapter 15

An hour later, the TV was on, the shower running, but they hadn't really begun to talk yet. "Don't you have guard duty?" she asked, just for something to say.

"Not till two." He checked the time on his phone and then tossed it on to the bed, walking into the bathroom so he could run his split knuckles under the cold tap.

Laura followed him, wincing at the sight of his blood running into the sink.

The ride back had been tense. There'd been five of them heading to the compound, so no chance at any kind of escape attempt. She was so ruined she doubted she'd have been able to run at all anyway. She'd wished she could have talked to Reid, but it wasn't possible on the noisy bike, so she'd pressed her body against his instead and hoped she wasn't causing him any pain. He hadn't seemed terribly badly hurt after the fight, but it was hard to tell, he kept everything so hidden.

"How are you?" she asked now. "Are you okay?

"How are you?" he countered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She shrugged.

He looked doubtful, raking his eyes over her. "They touched you."

"That doesn't matter."

"It matters."

"I could have handled it."

He turned off the tap. "How d'you mean, handled it?"

"I mean," she sighed, "obviously I didn't want either of them to...you know. But I can cope with being touched. I've been on the Tube in rush hour." She said it to lighten the atmosphere, but if anything he looked angrier.

"You've been groped on public transit?"

"It's been known. Try going out for a day with boobs and a vagina."

"Motherfuckers."

They were getting off-track. She grabbed a towel and dabbed at his hands. "So the point is, you didn't have to take a stand for me, back there. You didn't have to get so mad."

He stared down at the towel, where she was carefully drying him. His long lashes shielding his eyes. There were moments when she looked at him that she couldn't believe he wasn't a saint rather than a sinner. He was like an old master painting, sensuous, seductive, but angelic too, in an angel of divine vengeance kind of way.

"Why don't you want me to defend you?" he said finally, with a quick glance at her.

"It's not that I don't want it. It's just that you took me there knowing this might happen. Right? That seems dangerous. And, to be honest, Reid, I don't understand. I don't know what's going on. I don't even know why you're doing this. That fight... I'm not worth that. You're going to get bored with this hero role soon, too soon. I'm no one to you, and you're all bloody now, and you hurt people and threatened to kill everyone, and surely you don't want to go making enemies? Not for my sake. That can't be clever."

He took the towel out of her hands and held her wrists, looking deep in her eyes. "Firstly, you're not no one to me. You're someone to me. You're important. And secondly, I will never get bored of making sure you're okay. I promised I'd protect you and I will." He took a step closer, bringing her forearms to press against his hard chest. "I mean it Laura."

Her stomach was flipping at the contact, the words. She was someone to him, important. "Okay," she said, trying to keep her breath steady, "but I thought the thing at the clubhouse was meant to be a friendly meeting, like you were persuading them to join you. Won't you have ruined it?"

He chuckled, the tension leaving him, his hold on her wrists loosening. "Nah. Fighting's not a big deal. It's expected. It's... what counts as fun around here. That's not gonna cause me any trouble." He dropped her and swung away and she felt the loss of his touch on her arms. "Also, those guys were assholes who had it coming." He smiled at her. "I promise, Laura, throwing a few punches is never a bad idea. Lonnie wants me here because I can fight? He'll have to take me as I come."