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For the first time since I saw her in the parking lot two days ago, I smiled at her. “Yes.”
Several moments of silence passed as she stared at me in disbelief. Then, she stammered, “I… you… no, I can’t stay here.” She stood from the couch, bent to pick up her jacket, and said, “I’ve got to go.”
I reached for her wrist, curling my fingers around the soft skin. When her horrified eyes came to mine, I asked, “Where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Where were you planning to go after you left your mom’s house and went to the cemetery today?” I pressed.
Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know I was at my mom’s house?”
“I went there.”
“You went there?” she gasped. “What did… how did my mom react?”
I grinned. This was the first time I’d ever really seen Sawyer so frazzled. “She actually remembered me.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “She did?”
“Yep.”
Shooting me a questioning look, she pressed, “And?”
I shrugged. “And what? I asked her if you were around, and she told me you had just left, but that you were making a stop before you got on the road. I took a good guess and found you. Now, I’ll ask again. Where were you planning to go after you left the cemetery?”
“I didn’t have a plan,” she admitted. “I just… I wasn’t going to go back to Maryland.”
“Well, now you have a plan, because you can’t leave. I can’t let you leave.”
“My mom doesn’t know what’s happening,” she shared.
I tipped my head to the side, my fingers still curled around her wrist, and I asked, “Do you want to tell her?”
“I don’t want to worry her.”
“So, stay with me,” I suggested.
“How does that help? She’ll want to know why I didn’t leave Steel Ridge.”
I searched Sawyer’s face as I allowed the scent of her to invade my nostrils. I didn’t know how she was going to take what I was about to say, but I didn’t really care, either. “Tell her I found you before you left, and we’re spending some time together,” I suggested.
“Okay. And then I’ll just make sure she’s cool with me staying with her temporarily,” Sawyer noted.
“Right. Well, make sure she’s okay with me being there as well,” I noted.
“Why would you be there?”
I gave her a look indicating I didn’t think she could be serious. But with the expectant look on her face, I finally decided an explanation was in order. So, I tugged on her wrist, urging her to sit down. Then, I leaned in and allowed my voice to dip low before I explained, “Because as long as there is an active threat against your life, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Sawyer responded by licking her gorgeous fucking lips.
That’s when I added, “You need to decide if I’m taking you out for dinner, or if I’m cooking for you tonight. Then, if you want to go home to your mom’s place, I’ll pack my bag.”
Sawyer swallowed hard as her lips parted.
And I let go of the tension I’d been feeling since the day I walked out of Harper Security Ops and saw her standing beside her car in the parking lot.
EIGHT
