A few mornings later you woke up beside Tom. You remembered going to sleep, him with an arm flung around your waist as his legs tangled with yours but somehow you'd now ended up on the right side of the bed, blankets pulled tightly around your shoulders while he lay on the left side, skin exposed.
After the night that he finally found it in him to open up, It was pretty safe to say that you'd unlocked a whole new side to Tom. Not only did he lighten up, but he found himself forming new habits.
He'd gotten into the habit of pulling you into his lap whenever he got a free moment and had time to sit and watch a tv show with you, or gripping your hand whenever you were with him in his office and one of his men happened to walk in to update him on a situation, Even pulling you into his arms in bed at night where it'd stay until ultimately one of you fell asleep.
And whenever you'd have to spend the day with Harrison, he'd check that things hadn't gone south that day, listening to you as you rambled on about the things you and Haz had done, even convincing Harrison to give you a couple self-defence lessons.
Of course, Tom wasn't always the best at explaining his feelings. These acts were all a sign of protection, it was Tom showing you that he had your back without actually having to say that as well as a sign of dominance and while you fell together well, there was a constant fight for power between the two you. You weren't willing to abide and listen and Tom had learned to respect that, just as you had to respect that he was a busy person and usually couldn't stick around for long periods of time and was often rushed off, or came home with an extra bruise or two.
It was almost like that day in the stall had unleashed something else, his feelings perhaps. But seeing you so scared, so vulnerable put a damper on his heart. Tom was always possessive of what was his, never overly possessive. But as a mafia boss, he liked control.
You almost completely forgot about his current mission, the one to find out who was threatening you. The key word in this sentence is almost, you almost forgot. Things seemed almost silent for a while, allowing you to settle into life with Tom and just be happy with him, despite the constant nagging in his gut, the one telling him that things aren't okay yet, his first priority was to find out who sent the note.
He never forgot, not for a second. Things may have been quiet for a few days, that didn't mean they'd stay that way.
You ran your fingers up and down his back softly, your fingertips only ever so gently caressing his skin. He didn't move, didn't even stir.
Tom was tough, he was ruthless. But he was also soft, kind-, to you at least.
He groaned into his pillow, tensing for a moment before rolling over onto his side, inching over so he was mere centimetres away from you and his body heat was enough to make you loosen the blanket that had just been tightly pulled around you.
"Goodmorning, angel" His voice was rough, husky and croaky from sleep and you found yourself melting into his arms. Toms' hair was sticking up in all directions, eyes still screwed shut and you found yourself pressing a light, feathery kiss to his chest.
Times like this you became vulnerable, allowing yourself to let your guard down and simply become someone else. His girl, per say.
"Morning" You mumble, breath tickling his bare chest.
"Sleep well?" He blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the light and even though it was still dark in the room, Tom was able to make out your key features. The small glimmer in your eyes, curl of your lips.
You nod, eyes still heavy as you let him take control, arm securing your waist once again, lips hovering in your hair.
-
You were more than happy to see Tom relaxing, finally getting his head out of the magnitude of manilla folders that sat in his office about god knows what. What you were unhappy about was the man he was sitting with.
His eyes had been trained on you since he made his way into the living room, more so your exposed legs and while you wanted to shy away from his wandering eyes, you simply stayed put. This was your house, after all, not his.
Plus, you still didn't feel all too comfortable about wondering the house by yourself and neither did Tom, who tended to watch you like a hawk. Especially after the bathroom incident.
"You always get the best-looking ones, Holland" A low rumble escape the back of this guys throat and you groaned, listening to the conversation from your place at the dining room table. Tom was flicking you looks every now and then, a hand running through his gelled hair that he'd managed to style that morning, taming the wild tuffs.
If not for the fear of someone else being inside the house, you would've stormed off by now.
"Do I?" he questioned, raising a brow.
The guy had been staring you up and down since he walked in and only two beers later, he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Tom hadn't said anything but surely noticed it and boy was he already planning punishments in the back of his mind.
"I hope you're willing to share" You almost spat out your water at those words, your cheeks growing a light shade of pink as you clenched your fists around the book that was in your hands.
"I don't know about that, mate" Tom looked good, sitting back on the couch with his legs spread, arms flung over the back of the seat. You could also see his face growing red hot, jaw clenching. You were listening intently, half of you wanted to disappear from the man's hungry gaze and the other half of you wanted to walk right over there and smack him.
"I thought you didn't bring your girls back to your place? Let alone let them hang around afterwards" He took another swig of his drink.
Tom was still playing along. "I guess this one different"
"Different how? Better in bed I assume" Tom laughed sinisterly, hanging his head and biting his lip roughly. Oh, the things he was going to do to him.
Harrison kept his eyes trained on his beer, swirling the clear liquid around the bottle instead of focusing on what the man was saying. This was Tom's business, not his. Or at least he was telling himself that. Haz had grown oddly protective over you after spending so long glued to your side and you made Tom happy, he wanted you to stick around.
"I'm dying to get my hands on a body like that, how much did you pay anyway?" He licked his bottom lip and stared you down, his comments making your skin crawl. It made you feel sick, the fact that he had just labelled you as a goddamn prostitute.
You locked eyes with Tom and he gently shook his head willing you to stay put but when did you ever so what he asked? Tom had a list full of things he could do to make this guy pay, his blood racing at the thoughts.
But placing an empty beer bottle onto the table, he watched you closely, the second you climbed out the seat Tom knew he was done for. An idea made its way into your brain, one you weren't about to turn away.
"Tom, Mind If I join?" Tom nodded hesitantly, opening his arms.
You waltzed over to them, walking straight past the man that still watched you as if you were a snack, resisting the urge to hit him then and there. You were filled with an undeniable fire, a spark that you only wanted to further.
"We don't mind, Pretty girl" You hated feeling like nothing more than an item, a play toy for others and your patients were growing thin.
You slid right into Toms welcoming lap, arms wrapping around his neck and without thinking, you allowed your instincts to take over. Toms arms wrapped around your waist holding you close, possibly closer then you'd been in a few days and he didn't have any objections when you kissed him deeply, you hands tugging at the hair on the back of his head.
You felt the other guy's eyes watching you hungrily, taking in every move and if Tom wasn't so into everything that was happening he would've had his head then and there. Harrison stared at his phone, smirking lightly.
Pulling away from Tom a moment later, you ran a hand up his chest before looking back over your shoulder at the man, Tom's hands holding your hips tightly, his eyes staring at you with complete adoration.
To your pleasure he was still staring, practically drooling and you felt a new wave of anger wash over you. "Trust me, you couldn't afford me." You snarl.
Tom places a hand under your chin, guiding you to look at him. "I've got this one, baby doll" to which you shake your head indicating no, you could handle this on your own, you could defend yourself.
You climbed off of his lap, Tom hesitantly lets go of your waist and you ignored the warmth that seemed to leave as you parted him and walked straight towards the other couch, looking down on the man that seemed to be eyeing you up and down like dessert.
You could've easily become shy and ignored his words, moved on or trusted that Tom would deal with it but you were in a safe setting, with safe people so your mind turned elsewhere.
You had to ask yourself why you hadn't been that confident three days ago? Maybe because this time you knew you had the upper hand.
"I don't belong to you" You spit, raising your fist and hitting the guy straight across the face. That seemed to be the last thing he was expecting, his body jerking to the side. You felt powerful, a strong rush of adrenaline flooding through your body and it only intensified when he touched his now split lip, wiping away a drop of the crimson liquid.
Sure, you could fight before but after only two martial arts lessons with Harrison, you knew more than you did before, for example, exactly where to put the pressure and how to angle your fists. He felt proud when you used the techniques he'd taught you.
Tom watched you swing your fist back, saw it come into contact with the guys face and tried to stop himself from laughing when he heard the loud 'Smack'. He'd admit that it was hot, seeing you take control and defend yourself like that. That was his girl.
"You goddamn bitch, learn your place" He looked furious, eyes wide and seemingly darker than before, Getting out of his seat.
Tom stood up abruptly, wrapping an arm around your waist while the man towered over your figure, but you showed no ounce of fear. He pulled you into his chest, away from the guy that was probably currently planning your murder.
"She knows her place. And that place is by my side, as my wife" Tom was still fuming, his body shaking with anger and you found yourself practically melting into his side, fitting like two pieces of a puzzle.
The guy that had previously been speaking to you-, whose name you didn't care enough to know was now staring with eyes wider than saucers, mouth agape. "Tom, Look, I-I didn't know, cmon, mate"
Tom glared. "Haz, see to him, I've gotta sort this one out"
He'd be talking about the fact that your hand was thumping, knuckles aching and bruising more by the second and he was dying to press some ice against your knuckles to relieve some of the pain or at least get rid of some of the bruising. Maybe make sure you hadn't broken a bone in the process.
Harrison tucked his phone away, placing his bottle next to Toms and stood up. "Glady"
"Holland, dude I didn't know just let this one slide, please?"
"It's boss from now on" He growled. "You've crossed me, Ryan. More importantly, you crossed us."
Tom grabbed your uninjured hand in his, his body remained tense and smirked to himself. That was your Bonnie and Clyde moment, he thought, placing a kiss on your conjoined hands when he felt you shiver.
"C'mon Princess, we need to sort your hand out"
-
"Is this like-, a case of Stockholm syndrome?" You joked, trying to ignore the sharp pangs of pain in your hand whenever Tom would apply more pressure to the ice pack.
"I didn't kidnap you, babydoll, you're simply stuck here with me. Unless you're into that stuff" He flicked you a playful wink and you smacked his arm in response, mouth agape.
"No way, you div. If this was a kidnapping situation I would've beat your ass by now"
"After what I saw tonight I'm thinking that maybe I should slow down your training with Harrison for a bit." He flicked you a crooked smile, but even that wasn't enough to distract you from the thumping in your knuckles.
Tom removed the ice pack for a moment, pressing a kiss against your hand, the coolness from the ice pack almost made his lips turn a light shade of blue but he ignored it.
"My badass baby girl" he muttered, gently running a finger over your bruises that seemed to match his now, running a finger over the inflamed skin. You sat on the bathroom counter, legs crossed as he saw to your wounds, refusing to let you take care of it.
"I told you that I can defend myself, he had it coming" You wince when he presses it against your knuckles again. The bruising was worse than you were expecting, but you had no regrets about punching the guy.
What you did regret was freaking out as much as you had the other day when you heard similar things from the guys in the bathrooms. You would've loved to lay a punch to them as you had to the guy today.
"He did. If anything he deserved more." Tom laughed, placing the ice pack in the sink to stop it from dripping all over the counter. "That was quite the show you put on though"
"What? Didn't you like it?"
"Oh I loved it, we really showed him" He placed his lips on yours in a quick kiss, his lips moving against yours but that wasn't enough. You could still feel the adrenaline racing through your veins from earlier so you pulled him back in with your good hand.
He kissed you gently first, just like he had been for the last few days. It was soft, gentle and once again his way of showing you how he felt, instead of telling. His stubble tickled your cheeks lightly and you giggled into the kiss.
But then Tom took it that one step further, pushing you back until your back was pressed against the mirror, the cold instantly making you arch your back, your hands gripping the front of his shirt tightly.
There were definitely feelings between the two of you and while most of those feelings stemmed from lust and desire, he was quickly realizing that those feelings were only the basis.
Tom moved his lips away from yours first, trailing light kisses down your neck. "How am I going to show everyone that you're my girl hmm?"
You didn't respond, allowing your body to practically trip into his net, fall under his spell as his hands roamed your thighs, fingers gently running over your bare skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
"There are a few ways" You whisper, hands moving up to his hair, gripping the strands tightly when he began sucking on the skin for a few moments before running his tongue over the mark. "O-oh, that's one way"
You knew you'd be marked up tomorrow, the blue and purple marks littering your neck exactly as Tom wanted but you couldn't bring yourself to care. He was marking you as his and you would proudly flaunt that.
"God, we're really making the best out of a shitty situation, huh?" You winced when you clenched your hands too fast, a sharp pain making its way to your hand and Tom moved away to look at you, a look of pure eagerness and he once again took your injured hand, staring at the discolouration.
"Like Bonnie and Clyde, angel"
For a while, things felt okay and you'd take that.