What man doesn’t want what he can’t have?
But with her it was different. So fucking different. She awakened a need in me I had never known. Back then it had been easier to resist that temptation.
Now, it was proving impossible.
“Listen, you’ll be by my side the entire time. You have nothing to worry about.” Clasping her hand with mine, I lifted the back of it to my mouth, pressing a reassuring kiss there. I don’t know why I did it, but it worked to calm her more, and for some reason, that satisfied me.
I liked that I could put her at ease.
She blew out a long breath and rolled her shoulders back, digging for that steely courage she’d always possessed.
So fucking beautiful.
But then there was something else. Something that tugged harder at my heart when my parents welcomed her into their arms and by the way her nervous smile morphed into an easy one when she slid her eyes up to mine.
The uncompromising sense that she belonged here.
With me.
Shaking the unwanted thought from my mind, I went to join my brothers standing a few feet away. We’d all flown in for my parents’ wedding anniversary. Forty years together. I still wasn’t sure how the hell they’d done it, raising six boys and a girl.
Hell, I couldn’t make a relationship last longer than one night.
“Holy shit,” Benson cursed. “She grew up.”
“A lot,” Asher added with a smirk.
Fuck, the last thing I needed was these assholes circling her.
“That’s a fucking understatement,” I said, giving them each a handshake and a hug before finally making my way to MaryAnn. She’d been our neighbor when we were kids and had recently reconnected with Ryker by some miraculous twist of fate and we were all thankful for it, considering her soon to be ex-husband was a piece of shit who liked to beat on women.
I pulled her in for a hug. “Good to see you again, short stuff.”
“You, too.”
Ryker tucked her back into his side before leaning forward, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. “What’s Cassidy doing here?”
I inhaled a deep breath, folding my arms over my chest before looking over my shoulder. Cassidy was still speaking with my parents but her eyes drifted to mine, silently letting me know she was okay.
My shoulders relaxed, and I turned my attention back to my brothers who were all looking at me with a mix of concern and curiosity. “Bodie’s killer was released on parole a few weeks ago. She’s been on the run ever since. Showed up on my doorstep yesterday morning. She’s been living in state parks, tents… I can’t even stomach some of the places she’s slept in. She thinks he’s after her.”
“Is he?” Denver asked, concerned.
“I’m not sure.”
“She testified in his trial, right?” Justin inquired.
“Yeah, that’s why she’s so scared. He promised before going in he’d take care of her when he got out. That’s why she moved to Florida with her aunt.”
“Fuck,” Asher cursed.
“What’s the plan?”
“Right now she’s staying with me.” I supplied.
“I got a friend with the FBI, Ryder Jameson, I can give him a call, get him to check into things,” Benson offered.
“Yeah, man, I would appreciate that.”
