'I Do' For Revenge
Chapter 207: I Want Us
CHAPTER 207: I WANT US
~HELENA~
There was sunlight. A lot of it.
I groaned, burying my face in the pil low to escape the bright beam hitting my eyes. The s h eets smelled like sandalwood and man, and sex?
Wait.
My eyes snapped open. I wasn’t in my bed, nor the safe hous e. This wasn’t my apartment.
I sat up quickly, clutching the s heet to my chest as I realised I was naked.
The memories of last night ca me flooding back in a rush of heat: the dinner, the k iss by the car, the drive he re, the way Tye had traced every s car on his body and then mapped every inch of mine while saying my name like a praye r.
"Wow..." I whispered to myself.
The soreness between my legs was a pleasant reminder that it hadn’ t been a dream.
I loo ked around the roo m, noticing de ta ils I hadn’t registered last night. It was masculine and minimalist, dark wood furn iture, gray walls, black sh eets that were now tangled. There was a single photo on the dresser, Tye with Axel, both you nger, both grinning.
And the space beside me was empty.
My heart gave a little l urch. Had he left? Did he wake up and realised this was a mistake? Was I just a stres s-reliever for him? A way to blow off steam after the chaos of the past few weeks?
Just t hen, the bedroom door opened.
Tye walked in, and I forgot how to breathe.
He was wearing gray sweatpants that hung low on his hips, showing that mesmeri sing vee line that led down to his...
I stopped my thought at t hat.
He was wearing nothing else; his chest was bare, displaying all those tattoos and scar s we’d explored last night. His hair was damp and messy, like he’d just showered; w ater droplets still clung to his shoulders.
And he was holding a tray.
"Morning, princess," he greeted in a warm voice.
"Hi," I squeaked, pulling the sheet tighter around me, suddenly shy despite everythi ng we’d done in the dark.
He walked over and set the tray on the nightstand. There was a mug o f steaming co ffee, a glass of orange juice, and a plate with what looked like a perfectly flaky croissant dusted with powdered sugar.
"I didn’t know how you took your coffee," he said, sitting on the e dge of the bed near me. "So I brought sugar and cream. And I ran down to the bakery on the corne r. They say their almond croissants are the best in the city. I figured you could critique them. Professi onal opinion."
I looked at the tray, then at him. He looked kinda nervous if I’m not wrong, I ’m still learning to read him. But this big, bad ex-mafia security chief looked g enuinely unsu re of himself, like he was worried he’d done somethin g wrong.
"You got me breakfast?" I asked softly, even though my throat felt tight.
"I didn’t want you to wake up alone," he admitted, rub bing the back of his neck in that endearing way of his. "I didn’t want you to think..."
"Think what?"
"That last night was just a thing," he said, meeting my eyes. "A hookup. A stress relief after a crazy week. Because it wasn’t. Not for me. You weren’t j ust... that wasn’t just physical for me, Helena."
My heart swel led so big I thought it might burst out of my chest. I reached out and took his hand, threading my fingers through his.
"It wasn’t just a thing for me either, Ty e," I said, squeezing his hand. "Not even close."
He let out a breath he seemed to have been holding since he walked in. A slow, lazy smile spread ac ross h is face, lighting up his eyes in a way that made him look younger, lighter.
"Good," he said, so undin g relieved. He leaned in and kissed me softly, tasting of coffee and mint toothpaste. "Now eat your croissant before it get s cold. I have a me eting with Layla in two hours, and I need to drop you off at home so you can change into your ’professional’ clothes."
I laughed, reaching for the pastry. "You make it sound like what I wore last night wasn’t professional."
"Princess, what you w ore last night was designed to drive me insane," he said, his eyes darkening with the memory. "And it worked pe rfectly."
I took a bite of the croissant. It was flaky and buttery and absolutely perfect, the kind that melted on your tongue.
"So," Tye said, watching me intently. "What’s the verdict? Does it live up to the hype?"
I chewed thoughtf ully, considering. "Th e lamination is excellent. Good butt er qu alit y. The almond paste is perfect ly sweete ned, not too cloying. The bake time is spot on, golden without being overd one."
"But?" Tye prompted, reading my expression.
"But it’s missing something," I said. "A l ittle orange zest maybe. Or a touch of ca rdamom to make it memorable. It’s good, but it’s not extraordinary."
Tye stared at me. " You reall y do know your stuff."
"I told you," I said, wiping crumbs from my li p. "I’ve been planning this bakery in my h ead for years. I know what works."
"I think," Tye said hoarsely, his ga ze dropping to my mouth, "th at I’m going to need a second opinion on ho w that tastes."
He leaned in and kissed me again , deeper this time, his hand coming up to cup my face. I could taste the sweetness of almond and sugar on his lips as he kissed me thoroughly.
When we pulled apart, we were both breathi ng hard.
"Definitely tastes better th is way," he m urmured against my lips.
"Definitely," I agreed breathl essly.
He pulled back slig htly, his th umb stroking my cheek. "Stay with me for a bit longer. We have time."
"Don’t you have that meeting?" I as ked, though I was already leaning into his touch.
"I’ll text Layla. Tell her I’m running late. She’ll understand."
"Will she t hough?" I asked, smiling. "She seems very punctual."
"She’ll und erstand when I t ell her it’s your fault, " he teased, kissing the corner of my mouth. "That you distracted me with your expert pastry ana lysis."
I laughed, swatting his chest. "Don’t you dare bla me me!"
"Too late," he said, grinning as he kis sed me again.
We spent the next hour tangl ed in his sheets, talk i ng and laug hin g and k is sing. He told me stories abo ut his childhood, about his father and the Syndicate.
I told him about my mother’s bak ery dreams, about raising my brothers alone, about how terrified I’d been in that safe house .
"You’re incredibly brave, you know that?" Tye said, tracin g patterns on my bare shoulder. "What you did, giving up that driv e, and standing up to Henry, th at took guts."
"I was terrified," I admitted.
"Bravery isn’t the absence of fear, princess," h e said softly. "It’s doing the right thing despite it."
I looked up at him, at this com plicated, scarred, beautiful man who’d bought m y brothers video games and brought me breakfa st in bed.
"Can I ask you someth ing?" I said.
"Anythi ng."
"Last night and then this morning, when you said this wasn’t j ust a thi ng for you..." I paused , gathering courage. "What did you mean?"
Tye’s hand on my shoulder stopp ed moving a s he went quiet for a moment. Then, with serious dark eyes, he shifted so w e were face - to-face with other.
"I meant that I want this," he sai d. "You. Us. Whatever this is between us. I want to see where it goes."
"Even though it’s complicated?" I asked. "I have two kids to raise. I work for your boss. I’m baggage, Tye."
"You’re not baggage," he said firmly, his hand moving to tilt my chin up. "You’re a woman who takes care of her family. Who’s loyal and brave and sweet a nd fierce. And yeah, it’s complicated. But t he best things usually are."
He took a breath.
"I’m not good a t this, Helena. The relationship thing. I’ve got a violent past and trust issues and enough ba ggage to fill a cargo pl ane. But I want to try w ith you. I wa nt to take you to dinner again. I want to meet your brothers proper ly. I want to be the guy you call when you need something. I want..."
He paused, looking vulnerabl e in a way I’d nev er seen .
"I w ant to be so meone you can trust," he finished quietly. "Someone who doesn’t let you down."
My eyes filled with happy tears.
"You already are," I whispered. "You saved us, Tye. You believed me when it mattered."
"So," he said, his thumb wiping away a tear that had escaped. "What do you say, princess? You willing to se e wher e this takes us? Take this thin g slow; do it ri ght?"
I looked at this man, this dangerous, sweet, complicated man wh o’d bro ught me cr oissants and made me feel safe, and I knew my answer.
"Yes," I said, smiling through my tears. "I w ant to see where this takes us."
Tye’s face br oke into a wide and genuine and absolutely beautifu l grin. H e kissed me again, pulling me close.
"Good," he murmured against my lips. "Because I wasn’t taking no for an answer anyway."
I laughed, and he kissed me deeper, and for the first time in a long time, I let myself believe that maybe, ju s t m aybe, everything was going to work out.