With Kol (Daniels Family 2)

“I want to be here for you, Thea. I want to be with you. Don’t you feel this pull between us?” If she says anything other than yes, I know she’s lying. She melted into my arms when I held her. “I can be your safe place, hold you through the storm.”

Her back straightens, and her blue eyes darken. I’d kill to know what’s going through her head right now. “Maybe I don’t want that.” She’s lying. She averts her gaze.

Brushing a hand across her silky blonde hair, I allow the soft strands to envelope my fingers as I gently tilt her head back, so she must look me in the eye. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. I’m not sure what’s happened to you, but I know you’re running.” Her eyes widen, and my suspicions are confirmed. “If you’ll just trust me, I can help you, baby.” Leaning down I rest my head against hers, waiting for her to say something. When she doesn’t, I coax her. “Open up to me. Tell me what’s happening. Trust me, blue eyes.”

Fuck do I want to kiss her. She’s so close that I can feel her sharp exhales of breath as panic attempts to subdue her. Gazing down at her lips, I lick my own and watch as her eyes follow my tongue.

“You’ll leave,” she finally murmurs as I hear Noah and the team trudging up the stairs.

“Never,” I vow. Nothing could drag me away from her.

Chapter 7

Thea

I don’t know how it happened. I barely remember giving my consent. One minute, I’m answering questions from Noah, and the next, I’m sitting on the spare bed in Kol’s house. The comfort I feel from his presence, his strength, has allowed my tired mind to ignore the panic threatening to consume me over being in a bed for the first time in years.

Kol had my bag packed before I even arrived at the apartment. He was fully in charge and ready to convince me to come home with him. He’s not pushing for anything I don’t want and seems to understand I need space.

Noah was suspicious of how vague my answers were. When I gave him my name, he raised an inquisitive eye at my last name. I think he knows it’s fake; nonetheless, he didn’t comment on it.

Which means, I really need to run.

Even if he doesn’t find out that Matthews is my great, great-grandmother’s maiden name and not my legal one, it’ll only be a matter of time before he knows for sure that it’s not real.

Kol is understanding yet dominating at the same time. He pushes me in a direct but gentle way. I get the feeling he could talk a rattler out of a bite.

Sitting in the middle of the bed, legs crossed, my bag still in my lap, I don’t know what to do. I shouldn’t be here. He could be in danger because of me, and the very last thing I want is to hurt Kol. He’s too good for someone like me.

But he’s a cop.

He’s prepared for things like this.

He’s also a cop.

He could side with the police back in Joplin. He could easily be convinced that I’m a lying runaway. I could be charged. I’m using a false name. I sort of faked my death.

I’ve made a mess.

“You’re thinking awfully hard over there?” Kol’s raspy voice startles me out of my thoughts.

“Sorry,” I mutter. This uncertainty is nearly more than I can bear.

“You ready to talk to me?” Walking into the room, he sits on the edge of the bed.

Picking at the frayed edges of my bag, I don’t know what to do here. I don’t know how to explain what has happened to me. Hell, I can barely say the words in my head, let alone out loud.

“Have you ever buried something so deep, so personal, that even saying the words in your own mind sends you into a tailspin you can’t find your way out of?” I can feel my body vibrating at the mere thought of vocalizing the words.

“Thea.” His voice is soft. “Please, look at me.” I shake my head, unable to meet his gaze. I can’t stand the thought of him looking at me with any kind of pity or sorrow. “I can’t pretend to know what you’ve gone through, what you are still obviously going through, but Thea…” I peek up through the cascade of my hair. “Dammit, Thea, I can be here for you. I can be the strength that you need; I can be your everything if you just talk to me.”

My tears slip free because against my better judgment, I do trust him. More than I’ve ever trusted anyone else in my life. Kol has an innate goodness about him that he wears as proudly as his badge.

“I do trust you, Kol,” I confess.

“Good.”

“But I can’t tell you.” The words simply won’t come, and I don’t know how to make him understand.