“Me?” She glanced at him in surprise. He felt the connection between them like she did? “You could do much better than me. Even if I didn’t have an out-of-his-mind stalker.”
“Never talk badly about yourself, Brooklyn,” he told her in such a stern tone that she shivered in reaction. “You should know that I’m a daddy.”
His blunt words caught her off guard. “A daddy? Like of little…” Brooklyn’s voice trailed away as she realized he’d called her a little girl several times. She hadn’t remarked on it because she was younger than he was. She’d figured he considered himself like a father to her—not a ‘daddy.’
“Yes, Brooklyn. A daddy. If I haven’t read you wrong, you are a precious little girl.”
“I’m twenty-three, Caden. Fully grown,” she told him, not answering the implication in his words. She tore her gaze from his and focused on the keys in her hand.
“Brooklyn. Please look at me.”
She shook her head. Could this day get any worse? A car chase, Brent finding her, now a guy who somehow guessed her secret fantasies.
“Brooklyn, have I shown you any sign that you can’t trust me?”
“No,” she whispered and peeked up at him.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I can’t let you run. If you’re right and they release Brent today, tomorrow, whenever, your chance to make this endless loop of harassment end will evaporate. Come home with me. I can protect you.”
“He’s dangerous.”
“He hasn’t met dangerous yet, little girl.”
“You?”
“Yes. I can make sure you’re safe. And we can explore this link between us,” Caden suggested.
“I’m really tired of running. It sucks.”
“Then let’s stop it.”
Before she could stop herself, Brooklyn stepped forward into his arms. He squeezed her tight and ran his hand over her hair. “This is the day everything changes for you, little girl. Thank you for being brave.”
CHAPTER 3
“Let me get out to open the door and we’ll stash your car in the garage,” Caden urged when they arrived at his house. He’d already called his team to request that the guys drive his car over for him from the base. They’d agreed without asking questions.
Her body vibrated with nervous energy. Caden couldn’t imagine her stress level after months of Brent’s targeting. The military had equipped him with skills to handle the impact of enemy attacks. Caden could endure a lot, but he wasn’t under a constant threat. And he had his team backing him up. Brooklyn was alone and vulnerable.
He kept his explanations calm and simple, trying to soothe her. He would need to reinforce that his intentions were supportive to reassure Brooklyn that she was safe with him. Guessing that her safety required always having an escape plan, he pointed to a glowing white box on the wall and told her, “The control for the automatic garage opener is there by the door into the house.”
She nodded and whispered, “Thanks.” Her rigid posture softened slightly.
After pulling slowly into the garage, Caden turned off the engine and popped open his door. She stepped out as well and studied his meticulously clean and organized garage.
“Wow. I think you could eat off the floor out here.”
“Military training at its finest. Come inside. I’ll show you the guest room, and you can decide what you’d like to bring in.” The guys had packed her things in the trunk alone. She hadn’t had much—a suitcase of clothes, a set of sheets, a few boxes, and some cleaning supplies.
“I guess we could have brought my food over instead of tossing the fruit and stuff,” she told him, looking around as he led her into the house. “Good heavens. Dust doesn’t stand a chance here, does it?”
Caden chuckled. “Thinking you’ve moved in with a clean freak?” he asked. “Don’t worry. I don’t expect anyone else to follow my routine. When I moved in, I set up different tasks for different days. Monday is mop day. On Tuesdays, I clean the bathrooms. And so on.”
“I can help with that. And I’m a pretty good cook,” she rushed to tell him.
“Little girls don’t cook in my house, Brooklyn. Your room is down the hall here.”
He stopped at a closed door and met her gaze. “Whatever you don’t like, we can change, Brooklyn.” He turned the doorknob and caught himself holding his breath. Would she like it?
