I wait, holding my breath with my eyes on the rearview mirror. I wait to hear the car drive past. I wait to hear more gunshots. She is frozen next to me, not daring to move or say a word. The entire car is charged with anticipation.
Finally, the car drives past, and I breathe a sigh of relief.They didn’t see us turn in here.
Kayla does as well, reading my body language.
“Are they gone?” she asks in the softest whisper.
“We’re at a safe house. I can’t know for sure that they won’t be driving the streets tonight in search of us, so we’ll stay here until morning,” I tell her, pushing the car door open.
My body is shaking, but I clench my muscles to hide it.
“Come, let’s get inside,” I tell her, offering her my hand as I pull her door open.
She climbs out of the car and follows me through three security gates, each with its own security code.
She doesn’t release my hand until we are in the apartment, and even then, it’s not by choice.
Ipull my hand away from hers because I can feel the shaking getting worse now that we are safe inside. Adrenaline mixed with an intense fear is pulsing through my veins.
She reaches out and grabs my hand back into hers, glaring at me.
“You’ve been shaking since you got out of the car. And now it’s worse. Why would that scare you so much?" she demands. "A man with a bulletproof car who lives the life you live?”
Her voice is stern and confrontational.
I clench my jaw and shake my head, trying to control my thoughts.
But the emotions are surging inside me. My head is spinning.
Don’t shout at her. Stay calm.It’s impossible.
“This!” I blurt out. “This is everything I wanted to keep you safe from!”
She lets my hand go, and I push both hands against my face, trying to calm down. But I can’t.
“Don’t you get it, Kayla, can’t you see? I was so fucking in love with you, and the idea of losing you, of anything bad happening to you because of me…because of who I am…I couldn’t risk it. That’s why I pushed you away. That’s why I had to make you think I wanted nothing to do with you—I couldn’t risk you coming back. But it broke me. I was devastated afterwards. Destroyed. I have never felt agony like that in my life. It ripped me apart inside, and I have never been the same. I…I can’t stop loving you.” My voice becomes soft as the energy slips away from me. I wait for her to shout at me. To rage and protest. But she is just staring at me in shock.
She doesn’t say anything.
“I had to choose you over my own happiness. I had to choose your safety over my selfish desire to keep you,” I mutter, trying to make sure she understands this time.
“Josiah,” she whispers my name. It falls from her lips softly, delicately. She takes a step towards me and lifts her hand to touch my face. I lean into her outreached hand and let her fingers brush over my skin. Closing my eyes, I am drowning in longing. I feel her step even closer to me, and when I open my eyes, my heart leaps in my chest.
She threads her fingers around the back of my neck and pulls my lips to hers.
The entire world fades to nothing as I lift her in my arms.
Chapter 18 - Kayla
My heart is racing as I press my lips against his. His words are still spinning in my mind.I can’t stop loving you. It’s something I have dreamed of hearing. Something I have longed for in my hidden fantasies. And in this moment, I let those words cradle me in comfort, and I ignore the fear in my heart as he lifts me in his arms and holds me closer.
Josiah groans with need as he steps backwards towards the sofa and sits down, pulling me onto his lap so that I’m straddling him. My pink dress rides up, and the slit falls open. He doesn’t hesitate to brush his hands over my thighs, rubbing them slowly up my legs and causing ripples of desire to wash through me.
He cups one hand around my hip and pulls me forward, rubbing me against his cock. His other hand travels up my spine to the back of my neck. Josiah’s grip is firm, and as his fingers press into my skin, I feel the emotions spilling from his body.
Rocking my hips back and forth, I slide myself over his engorged cock, monstrous beneath me, as it pushes against my pussy and sends sharp currents spiking through my body, making me shiver.
He brushes his fingers over my shoulder, and the strap of my dress slips off. He does the same to the other shoulder.
