“I’m going to protect you, because there might be a chance that there are people now who would want to get to me through you, and you know who those people are. You think word won’t get out?” I could feel his breath, all nice and cool on my face. “I’m going to be here for you for the rest of your life. That’s what I said I would do, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
I grabbed his wrist and tried to tug it away. He let me go but slipped his fingers through my hair right above my nape instead.
I froze, surprised. Shocked more like it. And that’s probably why I could barely choke out the words, “What are you doing?” Shushing me was one thing, but this?
I was pretty sure my nipples got even harder, the traitors.
He rubbed my hair between his fingers, I could feel it. Even his breaths were soft on my cheek and nose. His fingertips suddenly grazed my scalp, and I tensed at the unexpected affection.
No. It wasn’t affection. He didn’t even like me.
My nipples were out of control. They needed a time-out. Maybe they needed to get grounded.
It took me two tries to clear my throat and ask weakly, “I’m not kidding. What are you doing?” Did I have to sound like a damn frog?
“Nothing,” he said almost absently, still focused on my hair, back to rubbing his fingers over it.
I felt the “hmm” he let out in my chest. Those purple irises moved back toward me. “You aren’t leaving.”
Get it together, Gracie,I told myself and focused on his cheekbones and not the long fingers almost caressing my head. “Look, you saved my life when you took care of me and carried me away from that place. We’re more than even. I don’t want to take advantage of you. It’ll be better this way.”
“Oh, you’re wrong about that,” he told me, back to doing things to my hair that I wasnotgoing to pay attention to.
“Wrong about what?” I managed to ask.
“All of it.”
I narrowed my eyes, his fingertips brushing my scalp again. Tingles trailed down the length of my spine, but I ignored them and hunched my shoulders. “Would you stop that already?”
His “No” was a straight shot as he did it again. “You aren’t sleeping on the floor again.”
“I’ll sleep outside next time. Try me.” I tried to bat his hand away, but his puff of a laugh made me stop. “What are you laughing at?”
One corner of his mouth tipped up just a little bit. “I thought I had a bad temper.”
“You do. That’s why I’m going to leave you alone.”
That got his chuckle to dry out almost instantly.
It was unfortunate how much of a handsome bastard he was. He had the nicest skin I’d ever seen. He had the nicest everything. All healthy and virulent and—
And I was a burden on him.
On everyone.
“You can’t leave.” His gaze bore into mine. “They’ll come after you to get to me.”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought about that, but I still shrugged. “That’s only if they figure out how we got out, and you said you did something to their security footage. Maybe they won’t know.” And maybe pigs flew and I’d wake up six inches taller.
Get real. I knew how my luck ran.
“I also said that those security guards might figure out I didn’t bleed when they shot me.” That sneaky pinkie finger brushed the skin on my neck. “They’re going to keep searching for you forever. You know that as well as I do.”
He had a point, but it wasn’t anything I didn’t already know.
Plus, why was he being so talkative? And why was he trying to be so touchy-feely and nice? Why now? Because he felt guilty for running me out? “You just said it. They’ve been searching for me forever. I’m used to it. I’ve got this.”
His nostrils flared as he tilted his head to the side. I tried to pull back again but couldn’t. His pinkie rubbed my neck again, and I tried my hardest to not shiver.
