Page 53 of Save Me

It reminds me of our last date when I talked to him about meeting Erika Dalton’s mother. Was it his mother who didn’t want him?

“She died a year before I graduated from high school.”

“I’m sorry.”

The smile he gives me is tight. As if he’s doing it more for my benefit than his own. He lifts my hand and presses a kiss to my knuckles like I’m the one in need of comfort and not him.

“I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories for you.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t apologize for talking openly with me. It’s the one thing I want you to do. Always.”

His sharp gaze burrows into mine. He’s urging me to say something.

“Promise.”

“What?”

“That you’ll never hold back. Not because you think it’s too painful for me. Or that you don’t want to burden me. None of that bullshit. If you have something to say, tell me. Promise me that.”

I want to tell him that whatever’s happening between us, it’s too early to start making promises to one another. The piece of me that wants to deny this is even the development of a real relationship. I want to remind him that we’re in this space together because I need information for my investigation.

But my heart and my head know that’s a lie.

I’ll have time to examine why this man, of all people, who is a walking contradiction of everything I said I wanted in someone I date, is easily knocking down all of my walls.

“Then you promise me the same,” I reply.

He lifts an eyebrow.

“I want your guarantee that you won’t hold back with me either. That you’ll always be honest.” I shake my head. “In my career, I see a lot of people and families destroyed by lies and deceit. I want your assurances that you won’t lie to me.”

Dae’s dark gaze meets mine. I ignore the chill that runs through me from the intensity in his eyes. They’re so dark, but not in a way that repels me. It pulls me in, his darkness. I want to spend hours in it, discovering the layers of its depth.

“I promise,” he says, his voice firm, sturdy, and gripping. “I’ll be upfront with you. Always.”

I run my teeth along my bottom lip. I believe him. It startles me that, for some reason, I trust him.

“Let’s finish dinner,” he says, breaking the silence. “There’s more to see after our meal.”

CHAPTER 16

Dae

“These books are almost a hundred years old,” Kennedy says with awe as we tour the vintage books.

Bars and glass keep the relics away from those who want to touch them. Even my connections couldn’t get the glass removed to allow her to touch the books. The way she’s staring at them, with an easy smile on her face, makes me believe I should’ve tried harder.

“Have you always loved reading and books?” I ask, needing to know more about her. Even after years of watching and wanting her, I still want to know so much. There’s information I only wanted to hear from her mouth, for her to tell me. To confess all of her secrets to me and only me.

“Yes. I can’t remember my life without words,” she answers.

Without thinking, I take her hand in mine. The thought of her being too far from me is unbearable. That, and I need to touch her.

Her hand easily fits in mine. She doesn’t pull away or even give a look of surprise. As if her body knows it belongs next to me.

“My mother’s a librarian and would take us to the library or bookstore every week. I always left with an armful of books.”

“What was your favorite genre as a kid?”

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