But now? Harper’s words changed it all. She didn’t want to hurt me. If she knew my past, knew what I was capable of, she’d know that was impossible. I could take care of myself. I had my whole life. But now I wanted to be the man she saw.
Somehow, Harper recognized something in me that I didn’t. That no one else did. And that made me want to prove she wasn’t wrong, that I really was the guy she saw. There was nothing on earth that would stop me from kissing her. My mouth met hers, and for a second, she was stunned. So was I. It was better than I imagined, that kept me awake at night. Her lips were so soft, just the feel of them against mine had me groaning. I cupped the back of her head, held her there, gently. Reverently.
This.
Fuck, this. I kissed across her closed mouth, learning every bow and curve from corner to corner, flicking my tongue out to lick, taste. When she opened for me, I didn’t hold back. I took, but I gave, too. Fuck, this was what I’d been aching for since the moment I saw her. All the time, I knew she was thousands of miles away, and I couldn’t touch her. I’d wanted to ease that fear, even of a damn elevator, and I’d ease it now. As long as she was sitting in my damned lap, everything was going to be fine.
She whimpered and began to shift in my lap. There was no chance she could miss how hard I was. I wanted her. Literally ached with the need to be inside her, but it wasn’t the right fucking time. When I claimed her, I wanted her mind solely on me. Hell, I wanted her mind completely blank.
I pulled back but held her head still, took in how her long, dark lashes were fanned over her pale skin. Her eyes opened slowly, met mine.
“Hey,” I murmured.
She offered me a small smile—this time genuine. I loved the way her cheeks flushed, and her eyes had lost the fear.
“This… thing between us?” I slid my thumb over her cheek. “It’s my job to protect you. That’s how this works. You give me your problems, and I take care of them.”
She licked her lips, and I stifled a groan. “Just like that?”
“Just like that. Do I look like I’m not strong enough to take care of you?” Her gaze raked over me, and she shook her head, her silky hair sliding over my fingers. “Tell me.”
She looked down, but I wouldn’t have it. I easily lifted her, so she straddled me, but this time she was wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a thick hoodie sweatshirt. My hands went to her hips, held her in place, but my thumbs stroked over her taut muscles. She wasn’t going to avoid me any longer.
“Beautiful, tell me.”
“I told you about my brother, at least a little bit on the phone.”
I wouldn’t forget what he’d done, giving her to his friend to fuck.
“He’s always been in trouble of some kind. Cheating in school when he was a kid. A gambling ring in high school. He went to three different prep schools before he graduated because he kept getting kicked out. He went out of state for college, so I don’t know much of what he did there, but I’m sure it was a lot of the same thing. Only worse.”
I watched as her throat worked when she swallowed.
“Two years ago, he got in over his head with this guy. Owed him tons of money.” Her dark eyes met mine… then dropped,,, then she lifted her chin, so she looked at me dead-on. “I was at a family wedding. A distant cousin. One of the hotels in downtown Denver. I was leaving, going to my car in the parking garage. Cam was there with some men, but I ignored them. I… I don’t like my brother, so I always stayed away from him.”
I didn’t say anything, and I tried as hard as I fucking could not to grip her hips. I had an idea of what was coming next, and while I didn’t want to hear it, to know it had happened to her, it had to come out. Like a damn splinter under the skin.
“The men—not Cam—got in the elevator with me. They stopped it between floors and… came on to me. Said they were taking me back to their boss as payment, but they’d try me out first.” Her eyes went hazy at that, as if going back to that moment in her mind. “I… I panicked, obviously. The one who’d been touching me, I kneed in the crotch. He let go, fell to the floor. The other guy grabbed me, and I fought him. He ripped my dress. It’s a blur after that, but I jammed my stiletto into the top of his foot. It stopped him long enough, so I could push the button to get the elevator moving. I swiped all the floors, and the door opened. By then, one of them had me, and I fell. I screamed, kicked and got away. The doors closed, and I was on the valet level of the parking garage, and they’d continued down. People were there, and I got help.”
Fuck. No wonder she was scared of elevators and freaked out the first time she saw me.
She took a deep breath, all of that having come out in a rush. “The men got away.”
“And your brother?” I stroked my thumb over her cheek.
“When I told the police what happened, that my brother was behind it, my parents got involved. Got him out of the charges by saying I’d willingly gone off with the men.”
My thumb stilled, and I couldn’t help the way my fingers gripped her hip. “Your parents said that? They chose your brother over you?”
She nodded. Her hair was sloppy, as if she’d fallen asleep with it wet at some point, but I wanted to touch it, so I tucked a tendril behind her ear. “They always have.”
“You flew home on Christmas because…”
She bit her lip. “Because I was spending it alone. At least on the flight, they gave out free drinks.”
“Beautiful,” I said, drawing out the word on a sigh. I pulled her head in, our foreheads touching. I could feel her heat, her breath. “All you had to do was come to me. I was waiting for you.”
She pulled back her eyes wide with fear again. “That’s just it. I shouldn’t be here. They’ll hurt you.”