Then I thought of Bronson. Strong. Steady. In control.
He was the reason I was alive. That thought settled into me, and finally, my nerves started to calm, at least enough for me to stop shaking.
Chapter 5
Bronson
Lucy was sitting on her bed in an oversized t-shirt and nothing else, her knees pulled together, hugging herself.
She looked up when I came through the door, seeming younger than her thirty-six years right now, fragile and scared.
I didn’t say anything about what happened in the bathroom. The way I’d gently tugged her clothes off and helped her into the tub, as I desperately tried to maintain my professional composure.
And I didn’t address the squeaky cot that Ishouldbe getting my ass into right now.
I just pulled back the covers on her side and tilted my head toward the pillow.
She slipped under the covers without arguing, which told me more about how shaken she still was than anything else could have.
I took off my boots, set my gun on the nightstand, stripped down to my boxer briefs, and climbed in beside her.
Neither of us talked about the fact that I’d just climbed into her bed, mostly naked, and hard as rock. Every interaction between us had been leading to this moment, and no words were necessary to know we’d crossed a line together.
My arms went around her as if they’d always belonged there, pulling her back against my chest, and she let out a breath that sounded like she’d been holding it for hours.
She fit against me perfectly, snuggling close.
“I’m frightened, Bronson,” she whispered into my chest.
“I know,” I rumbled back, dropping a kiss into her hair. “But I’ve got you. You’re safe with me.”
“What about after you’re gone?”
She peered up at me, and in that instant, I knew. It didn’t matter that I was nine years older than her, or that she was famous and wealthy beyond belief.
Or that I came from nothing.
I’d grown up in a trailer on Red Oak Mountain. My mom was a hairdresser. My daddy a drunk.
But none of that mattered.
Right now I was her hero, and she was my love.
“I’m not leaving your side until you’re safe again, Lucy. I promise you that.”
The way she held me right now, I wasn’t sure she’d ever let me go.
And for once in my life, I wanted to be caught.
I’d spent years keeping women at a casual distance, dropping them if they got too comfortable.
But my heart was getting all wrapped up in Lucy, and I couldn’t imagine waking up without her.
“Can I ask you something personal?” she murmured into my chest, her lips tickling my skin, as my cock inched higher.
“You can ask.”
“Has there been anyone for you? Recently.”
