AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A man who wanted more despite the little I’d given him.
A man who had defended my honor as though we’d been dating for years.
Never, in the twenty-eight years of my life, had anyone ever stood up for me the way he just had.
But it went even deeper.
What this situation just proved was that, as long as he could help it, he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
He was protection.
Security.
A guardianship that took away every one of my worries.
That was something I’d always wanted and never had.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what? I didn’t do anything.”
You did everything.
Instead of explaining, I said, “I thought you were going to strangle him.”
His hand slowly slid up to my cheek. “I was going to do far worse than that.”
Why was that response so incredibly perfect?
Why did it satisfy so many spots in my body, places that had been starving to hear words like those?
My eyes closed, and I nuzzled into his hand, a warmth swishing through me.
One that brought a calmness.
Reassurance.
But it only lasted a few seconds before the whys kicked in.
What am I doing?
“Brady …” My eyes opened, and I clasped his wrist, carefully pulling his hand off my face.
“It’s been a year.”
It took a moment, but I understood what he was saying. That twelve months should be an adequate amount of time to heal or move on from … whatever was stopping me.
He was right.
Except my situation was anything but normal.
“I know that seems like an eternity. And it is.” I took in his eyes. His lips. The way it felt when they were on me. “But things aren’t settled at all. They’re?—”
There was a vibration in my back pocket.
A notification, a sensation that made my spine straighten, like a string was attached to my head and someone was pulling it upward. My butt wavered over the seat of the chair, my balance still off, even after I stilled.
Like clockwork, my throat narrowed, every hair on my body rose, my heart pounded as though I wasn’t just running, but screaming at the same time.
