Page 46 of Sebastian

“If you are going to keep Emma safe, you need to let go of the guilt you’ve been carrying ever since that mission went to shit.”

* * *

“How are you feeling?”

Gray eyes filled with concern were searching her face for an answer. The only problem was, she didn’t really know. Exhausted? Overwhelmed? So unbelievably guilty she wanted to go crawl into her bed and never move again? She’d had to explain everything from a time in her life that she just wanted to forget. Well, almost everything. Her biggest secret was still tucked away in her heart, aching to be set free. But it wasn’t something that would stop them from catching Marco, or, at least, that’s how she was justifying keeping it from Sebastian.

“I don’t know. I’m wiped out from everything that happened today. Maybe I’ll just sleep on the flight. Would that be okay?”

“Of course, Em. But wait until we take off. Once we’re at cruising altitude, you can stretch out on the couch.” Sebastian nodded to the three seat leather sofa that sat along the opposite side of the plane.

“Did you know?” Her voice was quiet, and she wondered if he’d actually heard her.

“Did I know what?”

“That I wasn’t always Emma.”

He sat silently for a moment before finally nodding.

“Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“I didn’t know until you mentioned your step-father. I had Gage run a check on his name and that’s when he confirmed you’d changed your identity. I didn’t think it was anything beyond you wanting to get away from him, and for it to be harder for him to find you if he went looking.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole truth.”

“You don’t ever have to apologize for trying to keep yourself safe. I wish you had trusted me sooner, but you did what was best for you and when it really mattered, you still put your trust in me and the guys. That’s all I could ask for.”

They fell back into silence as Emma stared out her window. Ten minutes on the tarmac and it was wheels up as they climbed higher and higher into the sky. It felt surreal to be back on Sebastian’s plane. The last time she’d been there, they were on a date that turned out to be so damn romantic she could barely force her head out of the clouds to protect her heart.

Now, she was back, running from a man who wanted nothing more than to see her suffer. But thankfully, she had Hawk and Gage with her this time, too. Out of all the men who watched over her, only Gunner remained a mystery. There was heartbreak behind his eyes, and she was naturally curious about what put it there. It never seemed appropriate to bring it up, and now that he was staying back in Texas while she went to Colorado, it looked like she might not get the chance to before this was all over.

God, she hoped everything would wrap up in a nice, neat little bow while she and Seb were away. How had she gone from trying to despise the steely gray eyed hunk to feeling so incredibly safe with him? There might not be anyone else in the entire world that she felt as safe with. When she’d shared about her step-father after the attack in her apartment, she never imagined how much he’d step up to protect her. And she was so damn grateful for it.

Sebastian’s hand on her arm broke her from her thoughts.

“Everything okay? You’re biting your lip pretty hard over there.”

“I’m just thinking about how this all could be wrapped up in the next few days. It almost seems impossible. Could it really be this easy? To just run away one last time and then be free of him forever.”

“I hope it will be. You deserve to breathe and to stay in Bell Ridge if that’s where you decide you want to be.”

“I love it there so much. It’s honestly the first place I’ve lived since my mom died that really felt like it could be home. The first year, I thought for sure he was going to find me right away. But as time went on and I never heard from him, never felt like he was around, I grew complacent. I should have known it wouldn’t last.”

“Hey,” Sebastian laid his hand on top of hers. “We’re not letting him take anything from you again.”

“I know you’ll try. And that’s more than I should even ask from you.”

“You’re not asking. I’m making sure it happens. Marco is a bad guy. I don’t want him anywhere near you. I protect what’s mine. End of story.”

Her heart skipped a beat. There it was again. She was his. The way he declared it with such a casual air about him made her squirm in her seat.

“I think I’m hearing things. Probably from being so exhausted. Did you just say that I’m yours?”

“Yes.” Sebastian opened the newspaper that lay draped on the table in front of him.

“Excuse me,” Emma pulled down the paper that was covering his face. “That is news to me. Don’t you think we should have discussed this?”

“What’s there to discuss? I know you feel whatever is going on between us, Sprinkles, don’t deny it. The tension, it’s almost unbearable sometimes. I can’t wait for the string to snap.”

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