“Eloise…”
Large hands are resting on my shoulders. How did he catch up with me? Surely he wouldn’t be able to follow me so quickly. Isn’t his nose broken and bleeding?
I twist as hard as I can, bucking and screaming.
“Eloise! It’s me. Cannon. You’re safe.”
Cannon?
Finally, I’m able to open my eyes. I find myself staring into the deep brown kind eyes of my rescuer.
Cannon.
Not Marcus. Not Drake.
Cannon.
All the air leaves my lungs as he releases my shoulders.
He’s sitting on the mattress next to my hip and cups my face. “It was a dream, Little one. You’re okay.”
I’m panting as I stare at him, slowly returning to my new reality. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, Eloise.” He pats his thighs. “How about a hug?”
I push the covers back and scramble onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Safe. Cannon is my safe place. I press my face against his neck and inhale his scent. I love the gentle roughness of his beard against my cheek.
Safe.
Cannon rubs my back over my nightgown. This one is yellow with a princess on the front. When I changed into it before bed, I felt light and sunny. For some reason, it made me think of daytime while I sat under the windows reading. This time, I had both a lamp and a booklight. Cannon doesn’t want me to strain my eyes.
Safe.
When my heart stops racing, I speak. “Why did everyone think they could take from me just because I’m pretty?”
“I don’t know, Little one. They weren’t good people.”
“There are a lot of people who aren’t good,” I point out.
“Unfortunately, yes. But you won’t ever have to deal with anyone like that again.”
I lean back, sniffling. “I want to believe you.”
He smiles. “I promise. Even if you decide you don’t want to stay with me, I’ll make sure you are safe.”
I lower my head, but now I’m faced with his chest. He’s not wearing a shirt. He’s so masculine. So muscular. So sexy. I’m drawn to the scar on his throat, and I lift a finger to touch it. “Did it hurt?” I ask softly.
“No. Not at the time. I was choking to death, so panicked that three men had to hold me down while the medic cut an incision and put a tube into my neck. My adrenaline was pumping too hard to feel the cut. The moment I was finally able to breathe, I was so fucking relieved that I still didn’t experience the pain.”
“You must have been so scared,” I say, lifting my gaze.
He smiles. “I was a soldier. I wasn’t supposed to show fear. But, Eloise, I was terrified.”
I like that he’s honest and real with me. He could have shrugged and given me some bullshit about being too tough for pain, but instead, he told me the truth.
I lick my lips. “His name was Marcus.”
