Seeing the joy and vulnerability in her face nearly levels me. This is it. This is what my life is now: making her happy. Nothing else matters. I slide down and wrap my arm around her, pulling her close to my chest. Then I lean in and press my lips to hers.
It’s not a lustful kiss. It’s the kiss between two lovers who have shared their souls together. It’s a kiss of trust and acceptance. A kiss I never thought I would have been capable of until she drove past me that night and changed my life forever.
“Yes, the love of my life,” I whisper. “That’s you. And you know it.”
She makes an adorable little squeaking noise and nuzzles my neck. She starts to say something but stops. A giggle escapes her lips as I thread my fingers through her hair.
I have it memorized now—the way she feels. The way she smells. I may be the rough bastard that knows just how to wear her beautiful body out, but I am also the loving, caring, partner in her life that will do whatever it takes to protect her.
“That’s okay,” I tell her. “I’m sure you’ll have a real zinger for when Felch’s career is brought down thanks toyourrecording.’
My soul lights up with every one of Briar’s laughs, and my body warms when she looks at me. It’s all I can do to keep myself from taking her right here and now. But there’s still one thing left to do.
Taking her phone, I open a fresh e-mail and enter in a new address. “I’ll send the recording to my friend Carol. She used to work at the newspaper, and now she runs her own political blog with a section on police corruption.”
Briar lets out an excited murmur as I attach the recording and send the message.
“Please, Lord, don’t let us go viral too,” she says softly. We both laugh and I sweep her to the floor, pressing her down with my body, feeling every one of her luscious curves.
“I don’t want you to worry anymore, Briar,” I tell her, staring deeply into her eyes. “You’re gonna come live with me now.”
Her lips part, her jaw drops, and she stiffens beneath me. Even her pupils dilate. She looks up at me like she’s trying to figure out if I’m pulling a prank on her.
“I’ll take care of everything,” I continue. “You’re not going back to that trailer, that truck stop, or your mother. You’re moving in with me. You’ll have a parking spot in my garage and a phone I’ll pay for. You’ll finish your degree on my dime, and I’ll get you a job at the hospital where my mom was treated. The staff know me there, and they’ll keep an eye on you. You’ll be the most well-protected RN in the state. You understand?”
Briar looksback at me like she’s about to say something, but she pauses, holding back. She’s thinking. Did I come on too strong? She knows how I feel about her.
No. It’s not that.
She’s just a girl who’s used to providing for herself. She grew up hard, and she doesn’t know what it would be like to rely on someone. Someone she cantrulytrust.
Maybe she doesn’t want to give up her waitressing job. But the thought of those greasy men tossing lewd comments her way makes me boil with anger. I can’t have that. Not anymore. I need her with me.
“You’d do all that for me?” she asks slowly, almost like she can’t believe it.
Holding her gaze, I nod purposefully, showing her just how much I mean my words. “I’d tear the world down for you, baby.”
The tears that have been pooling in her eyes finally spill over and fall down her cheeks. She nods vehemently, pulling me closer. “Yes,” she cries. “Yes, Daddy, I’ll live with you.”
“You’re mine, aren’t you?” I ask, swelling with passion and the limitless love I hold for her in my heart.
“Yours,” she whispers.
“Say it again.”
“I’m yours,” she repeats.
I bring my lips to hers, kissing her as her tears wet both our cheeks. This is it. The vision of the rest of my life. I can see it. It’s her. Stirring inside, I lift her off the floor and carry her into the bedroom.
My phone buzzingon the floor wakes me. I blink several times and look to my left to find Briar sleeping soundly beside me, wrapped up in my arm. Without disturbing her, I manage to grab my phone and answer it.
“Hello?” I whisper.
It’s Jason. “Yo, turn on the news.”
Moving gently, I manage to get up and slip out of bed without waking Briar. She looks so adorable lying there, eyes closed, the soft skin of her shoulder exposed, that I just want to climb back in beside her. But I can tell by the sound of Jason’s voice that something important is going on.
So I quickly head downstairs and flip on the news. And that’s when I see it.
