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ALEX
As Katherine reaches the front door, I lean past her, bracing a hand against the thick wood panel so she can’t open it yet. My chest is tight and aching. All my instincts scream for me to keep her safe. To protect her at all costs.
“I don’t like this.”
She turns in the circle of my arms, her gaze raking me from shoulder to wrist.
I should step away and give her space. I have no right to crowd her. Cage her in.
But I want to.
“My plan?” she asks.
Why does she assume the problem is with her? Her ideas? I hate that she doubts herself. Her worth.
I brace my other hand against the door, trapping her. With a tiny sigh, she leans back, but I can tell by her body language that she’s not trying to get away. She’s relaxing.
See. This is exactly why I want to be by her side. So she can relax and enjoy herself. And so I won’t be playing worst-case scenarios over and over in my head.
“No. That you’re going to be out there by yourself, and I can’t watch your back,” I admit.
But she’s a woman on a mission. Breathtaking in her intensity and utterly charming when she turns on that smile.
“It’ll be fine. You trust your guy, right?”
Roman? Hell yes.
There aren’t many people I trust to watch my back, but he’s one of them.
I hand-selected him. He’s cool under pressure and doesn’t attract attention.
I nod. But I still don’t like the idea of her going without me. I wasn’t joking when I said she had a target on her back.
Katherine places a soothing hand against my chest. “Then I trust him. I’ll be with Ford, and your guy won’t be far away. Besides, no one knows I’m here.”
And I like it that way. The greedy part of me wants to keep her here, away from the spotlight, away from the chaos. Where she’s safe.
She pats my chest. “And try to stop feeling guilty. None of this is our fault.” She waves a finger around.
“Isn’t that the point?” Gabe asks, sauntering into my peripheral. Katherine’s gaze flicks his way. “You’re trying to attract attention?”
She closes her eyes, and I feel the tremble wrack her body. I drop the arm closest to him and shoot him a what-the-fuck look. He shrugs.
“I just want people to know you did not kidnap me,” she says, sounding urgent.
She’s tempting me to do just that. If she keeps touching me so innocently. All gentle, like I’m her savior and she’s mine. I might just toss her over my shoulder and call the helicopter back. We’ll find a truly remote island where no one will think to look for us.
“There are other ways?—”
Her chin snaps up, and those blue eyes pin me with a defiant look so fiery it takes my breath away. I bite off the words and study her expression.
She needs me to trust her. To let her stand on her own two feet and do this her way. At least try it.
I can give her the one thing so many others obviously haven’t. Faith.
“Right. We’ll try it your way.”
“You’ll come back after?” Gabe asks, hedging closer, and she glances up at him.
