Page 5 of Where We Promise

“What are you doing here?”

He moved toward the small living room where a salmon-colored two-seater couch faced the wood stove. I realized too late that I had already turned toward him again, like he was the sun and I was a sunflower searching for heat.

“You can’t sleep because you don’t feel safe. I’m here now, you’re safe. Go to sleep.”

His wheat-colored hair was disheveled, his firm jaw, covered in at least a week’s worth of growth and his warm brown eyes were avoiding me.

“Jamie.” I couldn’t let him sleep on the couch.

He’d already done too much for me.

He’d protected me against the club…he’d shielded me from Luke. He’d given me a place to live and made sure I was safe.

But he’d also broken my heart.

Ignoring me, he lay down on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Go to sleep, Pen.”

Emotion clogged my throat. I wanted to believe him, but there was a window in my room, and now that he was here, all I wanted was to curl into a ball in front of him on the floor. I trusted him to keep me safe, but he was out here, not in the room where someone could climb through the window.

He closed his eyes, allowing me to watch as he managed to fit his tall stature onto the tiny two-seater couch that looked horribly uncomfortable.

So instead of arguing with him or telling him that I still wouldn’t sleep, I did as he said, keeping my door propped open, and turned off the lamp.

Then I crawled into bed and placed my palms over my round stomach.

It would be okay.

It would be okay.

I repeated the words in my head, tears stung my eyes and with a shaky breath, I tried to calm my racing heart.

I couldn’t do this every night, not to Jamie and not to my baby.

If this was to be the only way I remained safe from Luke, or his new plans, then I would need to get used to the dark.

I’d just have to take it one night at a time.

The sun bled in through the window along the east wall and parts of the skylight. It bathed the cabin in gold, highlighting the brown logs that made up the walls and the wood running along the floors.

Shuffling into the kitchen, I turned on the coffee pot then turned to face the giant sleeping on my couch. Jameson, being the president of the Chaos Kings, meant he was usually on guard. His face usually held a severe edge to it, his eyes always looked like melted molasses.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen him smile or laugh.

But now, sleeping on the couch, his face was relaxed, his lips were slightly parted, and his thick gold lashes dusted the tops of his tan face. He was beautiful, and if I were the type of person who created art, I’d paint him. As it was, I itched to grab my camera to capture him like this. So only I would know how the great leader of the Chaos Kings looked with his guard down.

I savored the fact that he trusted me enough to let it down at all.

“You’re staring.” His foot lightly connected with my leg in a playful way.

Stepping back, I smiled down at him as he blinked and then stretched.

My eyes tracked the way his sweatshirt lifted, revealing intricate abs, defined and packed on top of one another, outlining him in a way that proved his dedication in the gym.

I remembered what they felt like under my touch.

“Just wanted to see if you were still alive after being stuffed onto the couch last night.”

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