I have to take the war to his door and watch the company burn.
Gemma stretches and her eyes flutter open. She tilts her head up but doesn't shift away.
"You stayed."
"I didn't want to wake you."I wanted to keep her in my arms as long as I could.
"Thank you, Dallas," she whispers. Then she stretches up and presses a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth.
I tilt my head, and suddenly our lips are a breath apart. I ache to close that distance, but I don't. She's vulnerable, and I'd never take advantage of that. Not with Gemma.
"Are you hungry?" I ask.
Her gray eyes darken and her gaze drops to my mouth. She licks her lips. "I am."
Shit, I have to put distance between us right now. If I don’t, she’ll be under me in five seconds, and I won’t be able to stop myself.
I try to shut down my emotions the way I've done since I was a kid. It's usually as easy as making the decision. Only this time, it doesn't work.
My dick is hard as concrete, pressed against her thigh, and need burns in my veins. I want to claim her. I want toloveher.
And that scares the fuck out of me.
I slide out from under her and cross the room, scrubbing my hands down my face.
"Dallas?"
“Give me a minute, Gemma,” I say, dragging in a slow breath. “I don’t trust myself that close to you right now.”
My heart is trying to break out of my chest, and my breath is choppy. It's a full minute before I can think straight.
I need to feed her. Restock supplies. Make a plan.
I need to stash her somewhere Roark will never find her. A place where even if things go wrong…
Fury and fear mix in an ugly cocktail in my gut. Goddamnit.No!Nothing is going to harm her.
The battered dresser looks like it hasn't been touched since the last time I was here. I shove it aside to expose the fake vent I installed. The metal plate pops off and reveals a biometric safe. I grab cash and a new phone, then close it and set everything back.
Gemma is sitting up against the headboard with the sheet tucked tight over her body. She tugs her lower lip between her teeth, watching me.
"I'll get us some breakfast." I holster one gun at my back and set the other on the end table, within reach. "Don't open that door for anyone but me."
She huddles deeper into the blankets and nods.
Crossing to the window, I check the parking lot. Same car as last night and no other people lingering. At the door, I glance back.
Gemma grips the sheets in her fists, looking small and afraid. "Be careful, Dallas," she whispers.
I realize then that she's afraid for me, not herself. I don't know what to do with that. The only people who've ever worried about me are my parents, and possibly my brothers. I've limited my interaction with them, so this feels foreign.
Unsettled, I slip out the door and lock it behind me.
The cafe attached to the motel is busy this morning, but an extra hundred to the waitress insures my order moves to the front of the line.
I'm there and back in less than twenty minutes.
All is quiet at the motel. I knock lightly on the door. "Gemma, I'm coming in."
