Page 83 of Daddy's Wild Girl

That was it.

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

He ran across the road, following her, his heart in his throat. Until he had her safely in his arms, he wouldn’t be able to fucking breathe!

She reached the rail of the bridge and was staring down at the water. He could barely see her between the darkness and fog, but something about the way she stood made him come to a stop.

Caution.

At that moment, she wasn’t the Bebe he’d come to know. The funny, intelligent girl who lit up the room with her smile. Who everyone seemed to gravitate toward. Who loved a challenge and didn’t back down when things got hard.

No.

Right now, she looked fragile. Breakable.

And terror gripped his throat. If he handled this badly, then he might lose that Bebe.

Forever.

All because of that bitch of a mother of hers.

How could she do this? Did she seriously think that she would pressure Bebe into filming the show? And why? It wasn’t like Barb needed the money. So what did she get out of all this?

Was it just to torment Bebe?

Well, mission accomplished. When he looked at his girl right now, all he saw was someone who’d been tormented.

Hurt.

And it made his insides twist even as he promised himself that he was going to ensure she didn’t hurt like this again.

“Bebe,” he said quietly. “Baby, it’s cold and dark out here. Come to me. Come here.”

“I . . . I . . . I can’t.”

“Sure you can.”

She shook her head, letting out a cry that was so full of pain it hit him hard in the stomach.

Was he already fucking this up?

Be careful. Don’t push her. Baby steps.

He took a step forward and she shied back. “Stay away from me, Corbin.”

“I can’t, baby,” he replied gently. But he did pause. “I can’t leave you, but I will give you some space.”

But only for a few moments.

Why hadn’t he realized just how fragile her state of mind was? Several times, he’d noticed that she seemed almost sad beneath her smiles, but he’d written that off as his imagination. Or just something normal.

He wouldn’t do that again.

She shook her head. “You should leave me. I’m a mess. Such a mess. Everything I touch turns to crap.”

“That’s not true.” Why would she say that?

“It is! Which is why you should stay away from me! I’m just going to infect you too.”

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