“I have a guy, Craig, on the force who took Jake into custody last night. I’ll figure out who the judge is and will make sure he pays for what he’s done to you. Then make sure he stays in jail for as long as I can.”
Since Jake is in jail, at least for now, it allows me to breathe easier. “Thank you, Dane. It’s hard to let someone help me. I rarely ask for help, nor do people freely give it. Well, accept my girlfriends.”
“I’m here for you.” His lips kiss my cheek. I can’t help but slide my hand over his beard and face. Grabbing both sides, his caring eyes gaze back at me. The sincerity I see in him steals my breath. I pull his face forward and rub my lips on his. He moves his lips with mine until our tongues swipe each other in a kiss that has my head spinning and throbbing between my legs.
Holding onto the moment before I break away briefly to say, “Hold me tighter.” And that’s exactly what he does—holds me.
He drags his lips over to my ear and whispers, “I will always hold you today and every day after.”
If I’m being honest with myself, I haven’t ever been this happy, and that night with him…I knew there was a connection, but never expected it to amount to anything more than that one night.
His phone rings in his pocket. Digging it out, he looks at the screen and says, “It’s my brother. Let me take this.” I move away from him, and he answers the call. All I hear him say is, “Hey, Logan, what’s up?”
This is my opportunity to text back my girlfriends. They’ve been blowing up my phone, but I’ve ignored them.
Kendall:
Yes, Dane is here! There’s so much more to tell you guys. Here’s the quickie: Jake’s in custody with the police (big story there), Dane slept over, and he’s still here. Oh, and he hired security!
Faith:
My house later today? You can’t drop all that in a text.
Kendall:
He’s coming back into the room. Keep you posted about later.
I was about to text again, but Dane strolls back into the living room. The look on his face—disappointment? No, sadness flashes through his eyes.
Walking over to him and laying a hand on his arm, I say, “Everything okay?”
THIRTY
Dane
Circling my arms around her waist from behind, I nestle my face into the crook of her neck. I press my lips to her neck and say, “I have to go to the office. But for the record, I’d rather stay here wrapped up in you.”
She reaches for my face. “I have a business, too. I know when work calls, you have to go.”
What the…she’s not going to complain? I have to leave and go to work on a Sunday. There’s an odd feeling in my chest—a warmth and tightness. I bring her as close to me as possible, taking in one last smell of her watermelon shampoo, so I don’t forget how she smells while I’m gone. When I was with Maggie, it was a knock-down, drag-out fight when I had to go to the office on weekends.
“Thank you for understanding. You won’t be alone; four guys are patrolling the property, and there’s a car down the street watching who comes in and out of your driveway.”
“Wow! That’s a lot of security. Is it really necessary now that Jake’s in custody?”
I step back, holding both of her hands. “Yes, it is to keep you safe—protected. We don’t know what he was planning to do, and it’s better to be safe. I’m going to give you Joel’s number. He is the head of security for your team, so he’ll want to know when you leave and where you are going. They will follow you everywhere. Is that okay with you? I mean, please say yes. It makes me feel like you’re being taken care of even when I’m not here.”
She takes a deep breath in and pulls my arms straight down so I have to lean closer to her. “Well, it sure isn’t ideal to have a bunch of babysitters…” Staring straight through me, she continues, “But I trust you. Deep down. My gut is telling me your intentions are good. And it helps that I know your grandmother. You should thank her.” She raises an eyebrow at me.
Pecking a quick kiss on my cheek, she tightens her grip on my hands.
“Thank you for trusting me. I’ve known Joel, the owner of this security company, for years. I’d trust them with my family. You’re starting to feel like family, my family.”
Did I say too much? It already feels like she belongs with me, part of my family.
“That’s good to know. Here, put Joel’s number in my phone. Then I guess you'd better head to the office and…”
She pauses and bites her lip. I wonder what she was going to say. Giving her back the phone, I keep quiet in hopes she’ll finish her thought.
