Page 106 of Catch Me When I Fall

She shook her head. “I—who is Monty?”

I jerked my chin to the cat.

Her eyes bounce back and forth between Monty and I. “Absolutely not.”

“Carrie, we’re not arguing about the cat right now. You’ve just told me you might have a fucking stalker. We have bigger things to worry about,” I scolded.

She folded her arms over her chest, her breasts rising higher underneath my shirt. My cock twitched, but I needed to ignore it—for right now. “Tic-Tac is my kitty,” she shot back.

“Carrie.”

“No, you aren’t—”

My arm shot out and I grabbed her jaw before I yanked her to me. I bared my teeth, peering down at her as I growled, “You are in danger. Shut up about the damn cat.”

She opened her mouth to spout off some more bullshit, but I shifted my hand, my fingers squeezing her soft cheeks, making her lips pop out. I got close, fury igniting inside me. “I take care of you. I protect you. I’m trained in this, Carrie. You are not. Not saying you can’t handle yourself. You and I both know you’re one of the strongest people I know, and I respect the hell out of you for that, but baby? Even strong warriors need protection, and that’s what I’m here to do.”

I leaned back and dropped my hand, rising from the couch in search of my phone. I needed to get to work. There was a huge possibility the woman following Carrie was the author of the death threats, but there was also the small possibility we might be dealing with two different issues.

That worried me. Carrie’s father had a lot of fucking enemies, and Robert Hale was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. That meant he had enemies too.

“I don’t need you to protect me,” she said to my back, her voice hard. “That’s not why I want you here.”

“Not having this discussion with you again,” I told her, heading into the kitchen.

“I know I’ve made some mistakes in the past, but I can help you with this. I remember the people my father used to surround himself with, Robert’s old friends. I can help. We can work together. Just let me.”

There wasn’t a chance in hell that was happening. The thought of something happening to her nearly sent me off the deep end. I’d almost lost her already. There was no telling what Leo would’ve done to her when he was finished. I wasn’t there to protect her, and I was ready to spent the rest of my life making sure nothing would ever touch her again.

I looked back to her, jaw tight.

“I don’t want to be a burden to you, Grayson,” she whispered, standing up, the blanket falling down to reveal her legs.

A burden?

How did she not get it?

“Let me clue you in, Sunshine,” I began, turning to face her fully. I put a finger to my chest. “I protect the people I love. They don’t protect themselves. I do.”

She reared back, eyes wide as my words hit her.

My arm fell as I cocked my head to the side. “Isn’t it obvious, Carrie?” I continued, my voice rising as I raised both my arms out wide. “You told me to catch you when you fall, but Sunshine, I fell a long time ago. I told you I caught you, but clearly, you don’t think I have. Apparently, I’m still at the bottom waiting for you to make the fucking jump.”

“That’s not—”

My chest ached, like a dam had been opened, letting out emotions I’d never felt before. Then again, everything I felt for Carrie was foreign. It scared the shit out of me, and I thought she got it. She didn’t.

“What do you think this is?” I asked, cutting her off. I gestured to her body. “My fucking cum is inside you right now. No one—no other woman on this fucking planet—has ever fucking had that—me. Don’t you fucking get it? You’re it for me.” I leaned forward, my heart thundering in my ears. “Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I wanted to fall for my damn mark? You were supposed to be a job. Do you know how crazy I felt when I couldn’t get you out of my fucking head?”

Tears were shining in her eyes now, starting to fall down her cheeks. I couldn’t bear the sight of them. “Fuck, even your tears have power over me,” I murmured, shaking my head. I ran a hand through my hair as my chest heaved. She opened her mouth but shut it again as the sound of my cell ringing echoed through the house, coming from our bedroom.

I swallowed. When I spoke again, my voice was calmer. “Finish the movie, baby. I have work to do.”

Chapter 28

Carrie

“You’re nothing to me, Carrie,” Robert thundered from across the kitchen island.

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