“Of course,” he said, gently taking her hand from his arm and lifting it to his mouth. His lips brushed the softest kiss against her knuckles, but she felt it all the way to her soul.
“What happens now?” she whispered.
“We caught him red-handed. He’s going to jail for a very long time. And the children’s families will be contacted tonight.”
“That’s great,” she breathed, “but it’s not what I meant. What happens now…with us?”
“That’s up to you,” he said. “There’s a lot to explain, once we’re alone, if that’s what you want. I love you, Hailey, but where we go from here is your choice, and it will always be your choice.”
He loved her. She closed her eyes and replayed the moment, letting those beautiful words wash over her. This perfect, gentle, protective manlovedher. And when she opened her eyes again, it was to find him watching her closely.
“Just promise me that if you decide to leave, you’ll tell me first.”
“I’m not planning on leaving,” she said, and as the words left her mouth, she knew they were true. They had always been true, because she’d never been running from him. She’d been running from herself, from what she felt, but she understood it now. Being loved didn’t mean being scared and being hurt. She’d thought those things before because that was how Michael had acted, but he’d never loved her. It took Chase to show her what it truly was to be loved. “I have everything I need right here.”
Chase leaned down and pressed a single kiss to her lips. It was sweet and chaste, but that one simple touch was enough to light her body on fire.
“Me, too, Hailey. Me, too.”
Epilogue
Chase
Chase paced up and down his kitchen, every so often cocking his ear toward the open door, reassuring himself that his mate was still moving around upstairs, settling Riley in for the night. Fortunately, the toddler didn’t seem too unsettled by the events of the evening. He was tough, like his mom.
As he paced, he thought about what he might say to her.
‘Hey, Hailey, sorry I lied about who and want I am, I only did it because I thought you might run if you knew the truth.’
He snorted. Like that would go down well.
Tell mate the truth,his reindeer interjected.
Which was great…but which truth? The one where he hadn’t trusted in her resilience enough to make time to come clean? Or the one where he’d been too busy playing happy families to show he was worthy of being a part of her life?
That she’s our mate, and that we will protect her.
Chase sighed. It seemed so simple when his reindeer put it like that.
Itissimple,his reindeer insisted. And maybe it would have been, if he hadn’t managed to screw it all up.
He heard the whisper of feet on floorboards and turned, the sheer beauty of his mate robbing him of breath and words. She gave him a fleeting smile as she crossed the threshold into the kitchen.
“I guess we should talk,” he eventually said.
“Shh.” She crossed the room and pressed her lips to his, silencing him. Her taste was exquisite and he drank her in, thrilling in the way her body molded against his, in the way her arms wrapped around him and her hands found his shoulders. He curled his powerful arms around her, drawing him closer still, holding her safely in his protective embrace.
He let her set the pace of the kiss, showing him what she liked, and he committed every touch, every taste to memory as he worshiped at her temple of perfection. With one hand he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, setting it gently behind one ear before moving round to cup the side of her face, and she leaned into his touch with a soft murmur of pleasure.
Then she pulled back, touching her lips to his once more in a chaste kiss. His hands fell away, bereft of her. He searched her face, his mouth opening to ask he didn’t know what question.
“So, you turn into Rudolph,” she said, before he could get a word out. “What else?”
“I’m not security at Santa’s Village. I’m a cop. I work undercover.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, and you’re very bad at the undercover part. I’d worked that much out for myself.”
He chuckled. “Of course you did. You’re amazing.”
