Page 222 of Only Be Mine

He noticed.

“I’ve never hurt you before,” he said.

It wasn't a question, but a reminder.

“You know that.”

I nodded.

He leaned closer, his voice lowering. “I would never hurt you.”

The words hung between us.

And for the first time since this started, I understood something fully.

He believed that.

In his mind, control wasn’t harm.

Protection wasn’t imprisonment.

Love wasn’t ownership.

He straightened and released my wrist.

“Tomorrow,” he said, tone shifting back to practical, “we’re going to make a few calls. Together. We’ll smooth this out.”

Smooth it out… like it was paperwork. Like John’s murder was little more than an inconvenience.

My heart thudded hard against my ribs. “I want to talk to Marshal again,” I said carefully.

Trevor stilled. “Why?”

“Because I need to understand what they think they know.”

His gaze narrowed. “And you don’t trust me to tell you?”

The question was soft.

Dangerous.

I held his eyes. “I trust you.”

The lie burned.

He stepped closer again, close enough that I could feel his breath near my temple. “Good,” he murmured. “Because if you didn’t…”

He let the sentence trail off.

And that unfinished threat landed heavier than anything else tonight.

Then, almost casually, he walked to the front door.

My chest tightened.

He checked the deadbolt.

Turned it once. Slow. Deliberate.