His hands slide down to my waist, pulling me flush against him. The moment our bodies make full contact, a soft groan escapes my lips because I can feel just how much this kiss is affecting him. And that, somehow, gives me even more boldness, more courage.
When my tongue touches his, I hear him let out a guttural sound as he deepens the kiss. His lips move to my cheek, then my neck, before returning to hover just above my mouth.
“Never. You never put yourself in danger for me. For anyone. If that danger isme, you take whatever weapon you have and you save yourself. If I tell you to run, you run, Roxanne. Becauseyou don’t want to unleash the monster inside me, which seethes at the very thought of you getting hurt.”
His confession should scare me. It should make me want to run. But if I needed any confirmation that something inside me is broken, it’s this moment when I pull him back to me for another kiss.
My reaction seems to surprise him for a second, but then he takes control, kissing me as if it’s the last time he’ll ever get the chance. When he breaks away from my lips, I see his tormented gaze just before he is about to speak.
“He got away,” I whisper, somehow relieved because I know the man in front of me wouldn’t have escaped without a scratch, and that thought makes something in my chest tighten.
I hear shouts from the direction of the restaurant, and we both turn toward the venue, less than a hundred and fifty yards away. So close to help, and yet so far. I never thought he would come after me in such a public place, with so many people around, but this is just more proof that he won’t stop until he gets his hands on me.
“For someone with a blade stuck between his shoulder blades, he was certainly in good shape,” he says. “Hey, look at me.” Damien’s hand cups my chin. “We’ll catch him,slonko.”
“If you hadn’t been nearby, he would have taken me, and I wouldn’t have done a thing. My whole body just locks up when he’s near,” I say, my words detached from the storm raging inside me. I didn’t fight. I didn’t scream. I just stood there like one of those stupid characters in horror movies who sees the killer and just stares with wide eyes.
“That man killed your mother while you were just a few feet away, Roxanne. The mind has its own tricks for getting usthrough certain moments. Yours freezes. Next time, you’ll be more prepared.”
He speaks so calmly, with so much certainty, that I could almost believe him. But Ivette's voice echoes in my head, telling me I can't think straight, that I'm going to die at the hands of that psychopath. Because I'm stupid. Because I'm incapable.
After I pull myself together enough to look him in the eye, I murmur, “Thank you. Though the only reason you’re here is because you were following me, and that doesn’t make you the hero in this story, Damien.”
A smile touches his lips. “I don’t want to be your hero, Roxanne. I want to be the blade that peels away your fears, your enemies, and your nightmares, one by one.”
Why does that sound so convincing? And why does my heart leap at his words? God, I really need to stop postponing that therapy appointment.
“Marry me.”
His words make my eyes go wide.
“Excuse me? Can you repeat that, please? I think I must have hit my head when I was running from that madman, because it sounded like you just asked me to marry you.”
“You heard me right. You need protection. Your apartment is clearly compromised. If I could, I'd lay my entire organization’s protection at your feet, but I’ve got a goddamn Council on my back that won’t tolerate me diverting my attention and resources to a woman who has no official role in my life.”
“I know I keep asking this, but have you been taking your meds?”
“Not even a whole bottle could make me stop wanting you, Roxanne. Give me six months. Six months for me to find that bastard and to keep you safe. I know deep down you feel this,this pull we have, but I won’t force your hand. I just want you under the same roof as me.”
I look at his face, at the few freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks, at his caramel-colored eyes that glitter when he looks at me.
“Are you actually serious?” I ask, still in shock.
“Deadly serious. It’s six months, Roxanne. In two months, the vote for the organization’s leadership will take place, and I won’t deny that having a wife would play well with all the conservative old geezers on the Council, if it helps you sleep better at night knowing I get something out of this marriage, too.”
I turn my back to him, trying to gather my thoughts. I can’t accept this. I barely know him. He barely knows me. I could ask Luna for help, but the last thing I want is to draw attention to her. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her because of me. My uncle lives in Austin, and while he’d support me through every trip to the police station, he’d be powerless against this monster. If I go home… I don’t even want to think about the uproar that would cause. Ivette would surely lose her mind, screaming that I’d brought a murderer down on them, and my father would probably stay silent, just as he has all these years. He’d probably even agree with Ivette.
The irony of it is that the only person who seems willing to put everything on hold for me is a man who has been stalking me for almost a year.
“I’ll think about it,” is the only answer I can give him. “I have to get back to this wedding now.”
He doesn’t say anything, but as I walk past him, he takes my hand and presses a switchblade into my palm.
“If you’re ever near him again, you stick the blade right here,” he says, pointing to the right side of my stomach. “You’ll hit theliver. The blade goes in easily, and it hurts like hell. It’ll give you enough time to get away.”
I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown. His concern for my well-being is so intense it’s overwhelming. After my mother died, I would have given anything to have someone who cared that much about me. With no other family around, my father closed himself off, and Ivette made sure to show me every single day how unwanted I was.
I’m already several yards away when I turn back and say, “Thank you, Damien.”
