Page 42 of Redemption

“Attacked you?” I scoffed, determined to keep us rooted in the present.

He’d quickly restrained me, ending any illusions I’d had about being able to protect myself, despite self-defense training.

“And excuse you,” I said, my skin prickling. “The door to your room was closed. I was justified in thinking you were an intruder.”

“If there was a real intruder—” he stepped closer “—don’t you think I’d be there to protect you in a heartbeat?”

“I, uh…” I glanced out at the water. I didn’t know what to think.

“Sloan,” he growled.

“What?” I mumbled.

“Look at me.” By now, he was standing directly in front of me, our toes practically touching.

I swallowed and looked into his eyes. Big mistake.

“I will protect you,” he said with a solemn expression. “Always.” He waited a beat and then added, “You believe me, right?”

Once upon a time, I couldn’t imagine a life without him. Now, after years apart, he was asking me to trust him again. And yet, he’d always been my safe place. My protector.

Regardless of everything that had happened between us, I trusted Jackson to keep me safe. And not just because it was his job.

I nodded.

“Good. Now, I want to talk about the threats. You still didn’t answer my question about them.”

“I answered your questions yesterday.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. That wasn’t what he’d meant, and I knew it. And he knew that I knew it.

“I’m—” I stared out over the water, letting it calm me. “Yeah. I find them unsettling.”

“Unsettling.” He leveled me with a look.

I did not want to get into it. Not now. Not when we were far away from London, and I was in my happy place.

But it was more than that. I hated feeling so…helpless. So vulnerable.

And now, I had to rely on Jackson. Something I’d sworn would never happen again. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I needed Jackson. I needed his protection.

“What do you want me to say?” I asked. “I told you everything I know. Surely between Graham’s…” I trailed off, stopping myself before I mentioned his hacking. “And the team at Hudson, we’ll figure out who’s behind them.”

“Graham’s…what?” He furrowed his brow. “What does your brother have to do with it?”

“Oh, um…” Shit. I glanced away, searching for an answer. “You know, because he’s the head of the company.” And no one could ever know about his hacking skills.

“Mm.” He narrowed his eyes at me, his skepticism clear.

“I just…” I sagged. “I’m exhausted. I’ve been on edge ever since the threats started. And now that we’re out on the water, I feel like I can finally relax.”

I didn’t want to be scared. I wanted to feel free. And sailing helped. So did Jackson’s solid presence, even if I didn’t want to admit it.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”

I knew he was just doing his job, but I wanted to forget all about the threats.

I stood, clearing my plate and heading for the galley. “Thank you for the pancakes.”

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