Page 5

I held up my hands in surrender, but I was still fighting the grin. “Aight, baby. I’m all ears.”

Lakelyn started pacing, the sheet trailing behind her. “And then there’s the fact that you have entirely too many enemies… people who would love nothing more than to hurt you, and the easiest way to do that is through someone you care about.”

I shrugged. “Occupational hazard.”

Lakelyn stopped pacing, folded her arms, and fixed me with the kind of expression that said she was trying to decide whether strangling me would be worth the jail time.

“See? You say things like that like it’s normal… like it’s just part of life.”

“For me, it is.”

“Well, I don’t want it to be normal for me.” Her voice dropped, almost pleading. “People watch you, Caspian. They watch your house. They watch who comes in and out, what cars are in the driveway, where you go, who you’re with. You walk around like you’re untouchable… like nothing and no one can get to you.”

I met her eyes and kept my voice level. “They can’t.”

Lakelyn lifted her hand between us and pointed that manicured finger at me, the nail with the little C painted on it catching my attention because of course she would use the one with my initial to fuss at me.

“That right there… that attitude! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You don’t control everything, Caspian!” She gave the finger a small wag for emphasis. “You can’t control fate! You can’t control timing! You can’t control every bad thing that might happen just because you think you can outsmart it!”

I gently caught her hand before she could point at me again and glanced down at the C on her nail.

“You got my initial on your finger while telling me what I can’t control?”

Her mouth twitched. “That’s irrelevant.” Lakelyn’s expression softened, but she didn’t back down. “Caspian, you can plan everything down to the minute and still have life decide it has something else in mind.”

That part landed a little differently.

I just didn’t know how right she was.

“I control enough.”

“And what happens when enough isn’t enough?” Her voice broke on the last word. “What happens when someone decides the best way to hurt Caspian Black is to come after his girl? You think I want to live every day wondering if today’s the day someone tries something?”

I moved toward her then, closed the distance she’d put between us.

Lakelyn tried to step back, but I caught her wrist, gentle but firm, and pulled her close. She resisted for a second, then let me draw her in. I could feel her pulse racing under my thumb.

“I would never let anything happen to you,” I reassured her.

She looked up at me, eyes shining. “You can’t promise that.”

“I just did.” I tilted her chin up with my other hand, made her look at me. “You think I built everything I got by being careless? You think I made it this far by leaving shit to chance? I protect what’s mine, Lakelyn, and you’re mine. That means you’re safer with me than you’d ever be anywhere else. My confidence may get me killed one day, but it won’t get you hurt.” I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “That’s a promise I'll keep until I’m dead.”

Before she could respond, someone knocked on the bedroom door.

Then her sister Willow’s voice came through, loud and amused. “Breakfast will be ready in fifteen! And Granny said if Caspian plans on coming downstairs to eat, he needs to put some damn clothes on first. Her words, not mine.”

Lakelyn snatched a pillow off the bed and hurled it at the door.

“Go away!” she shouted, covering her face with one hand.

“I’m just the messenger! Nasty asses.”

Willow’s laughter followed her footsteps down the hall.

Lakelyn kept her face covered, groaning. “Ugh! There is no privacy in this house!”

I pulled her hands away from her face, grinning. “Move in with me. That’ll solve that problem real quick.”