Page 19 of Owning Emma

He turned and sat on the desk, facing me. Fine lines appeared under his eyes, the only outward sign of the toll this morning had taken. “We will protect her as long as it takes.”

“You’re never this sure about anything,” he remarked.

“Well, you’re always more confident than this,” I countered.

He rubbed his palms over his eyes. It was her. He didn’t have to say it, I knew the truth. He stood up, stretching. “I hope you’re right.”

I stood closer, hooking my finger into his belt loop and pulling his body closer to mine, letting the heat of his skin burn into me, savoring this moment of closeness with him. “I’m rarely wrong.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, his eyes closed, and his lashes fanned onto his cheek in perfect crescents. He didn’t pull away from me, and I used this time to savor him, to map out this moment of vulnerability and commit it to memory.

When he spoke, his breath brushed against my neck, goosebumps rising on my skin. “Let’s hope you’re right.”

And I honestly hoped I was because the thought of Krank having her, his greasy dirty hands touching her skin, well, it just couldn’t be an option.

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