Dare to Take (Dare to Love 6)

“What are you doing here?” she asked, seeming genuinely surprised to see him.

Which pissed him off to no end. She hadn’t believed he’d be here for her. “We agreed I’d be checking in on you after work today.”

“You said you would but—”

“You didn’t think it was important for you to be here when I did?” he asked.

She blinked up at him, giving him his first real glimpse of the exhaustion lining her face and the dark circles under her eyes, causing much of the anger to seep out of him. Instead, he wanted to take her in his arms and ease the strain she was obviously under. And when had that ever happened? When had he ever wanted to take care of a woman who wasn’t family? She’d gotten under his skin, that much he knew.

“Of course not. I just didn’t…” She trailed off, and he had no problem filling in the blanks.

“You didn’t think I was serious about stopping by,” he said, unsure whether to be more hurt or annoyed that for the second time in as many days, she hadn’t taken him at his word. Another first, that he cared what she thought of him.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that—”

“Don’t worry about it.” He’d deal with her trust issues later, because it was clear to him she had many. Just as clearly, he intended to be the one to fix them. No, that hadn’t been his intention in coming over here. But one look at her and all his priorities had shifted. He hadn’t seen her since leaving yesterday, hadn’t heard a word. And other than Avery thanking him again for looking after her best friend, his sister hadn’t given him any more information about Ella either.

Not knowing how she was, whether she was in pain from the concussion, whether she was scared because she’d been mugged and her room vandalized left him edgy. He wanted nothing more than to park himself in her apartment and just be there for her, merely cementing what his gut had been telling him from the minute he’d walked into that hospital room and seen her lying there, helpless and vulnerable. He cared. A lot.

He might not be able to commit to anything long term, but he knew he could fix the emotional damage he’d done to her when they’d slept together last, and that suddenly became his goal. But getting past her defenses was going to be more difficult than any op he’d faced while in the Army.

He’d have to start slowly and gain her trust, especially after the way he’d shattered it all those years ago. Get her to open up to him. First he had to get her relaxed and settled, because she looked dead on her feet.

“Give me the bags,” he said, not waiting but taking the plastic sacks from her hands. “Open the door and let’s get this stuff put away.”

“Tyler, it’s not that I didn’t believe you,” she said, sadness in her tone.

As crazy as it seemed, he understood. “You didn’t have reason to believe me, and I get why, but that’s going to stop now. When I say I’m going to do something, I always mean it. And I’m telling you, I’m here to help. You clearly aren’t taking good care of yourself and need a keeper. I’m taking on that role.”

“Why? Because Avery asked you to?” This time, she sounded pissed off as she fished through her purse for the key to her apartment. “I don’t need you to look after me. I’m not some obligation you need to take care of.” She shoved the key into the lock and opened the door, letting it slam against the wall. “I can take care of myself. I’ve—”

“Been doing it for a long time, yeah, I know. I got the message.” And he wanted to strangle the parent who’d left her so alone and vulnerable.

His chest hurt at the matter-of-fact way she believed this was how things had to be. He pushed past her and headed inside, hearing the door shut behind him as he put the bags on the counter.

Drawing a deep breath, he turned back to face her. She’d come into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, arms folded across her chest as she studied him, uncertainty in her wide-eyed gaze. Uncertainty he was determined to erase for good. Drawn to her, he stepped closer, until he was in front of her, invading her personal space.

Her eyes widened and her breath hitched at his nearness. His was coming in shallow pants, and the urge to kiss her, to taste her, was almost overwhelming.

He knew he was moving too fast, for her, for him, but he couldn’t stop himself or the words that came next. “Maybe you have been on your own for a long time, but you don’t have to be anymore. Not if you open yourself up and trust me.”

She narrowed her gaze, her soft lips lifting in disbelief. “Trust you. Because you rescued me after your sister asked?”

God, she was stubborn. And that defiance turned him on even more than he cared to admit. “That’s not why.”

“Really?” she pushed, clearly trying to keep those emotional and physical walls erected between them. “Look, I’m not ungrateful, but so far everything you’ve done for me has been because Avery begged you to help me.”

“Yes, it seems that way—” But he was here because he wanted to be. And from the way his heart pounded hard in his chest, he needed to be.

“Well, I’m not some charity case and—”

He shut her up with a kiss. A hard, long, tongue-dueling, dick-hardening kiss. She braced her hands on his shoulders, and he prepared himself to be pushed away, but instead, she curled her fingers into his skin and gave in, her lips and body softening beneath his onslaught.

He didn’t let up, sliding his lips back and forth over hers, his tongue learning all the deep secrets of her mouth. He didn’t want to leave her with a single doubt that he was here for her and only her, because he wanted to be, not because she was some obligation he had to fulfill. Because not only did he want her but he needed to show her how different things could be between them. Replace the bad memories with good ones, so when they inevitably parted this time, she wouldn’t doubt herself, how desirable she was, or her ability to please a man. Not that he wanted to think about other men when she was in his arms.

At the thought, he grew more possessive, angling his head for a deeper kiss. She slid her hands up his shoulders to his head, her fingers tangling in his hair, her lips warm and supple beneath his. He hoped like hell she was getting the message, because his cock was throbbing and his heart pounding hard in his chest.

He tipped his head, coming up for air for a brief second before diving back in for another kiss that lasted until she hit her head against the cabinets above her head.