Page 112 of Daddy's Wild Girl

Of rightness.

He removed his thumb from her mouth. “Do you understand what I’m saying, baby? I don’t want to be friends anymore. Well, I want more than that. I want to be your everything. Your protector, your champion, your man. The person who chases away your nightmares. Who stands in front of you when you need my protection. Beside you when you need my hand to hold. And behind you when you need my support and someone to cheer you on.”

Bebe felt the tears slipping down her cheeks. “I’m not sure I’ve ever had that.”

“I know, baby. And I want to give it to you. So let me. Please.”

A sob broke free from her lips.

He really wanted her? He felt the connection between them? The attraction?

Well, he has been calling you baby and darling. They’re not exactly nicknames you give to someone who is just a friend.

“Hey, that wasn’t supposed to make you cry.” He sat on his butt and lifted her down onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he rocked her back and forth.

“It’s not your fault . . . I just . . . I feel overwhelmed. It’s like you’re offering everything I ever wanted. However I’m so scared, Corbin.”

“There’s nothing to be scared of.”

“There’s everything to be scared of.” How did he not see that?

Maybe because he doesn’t know everything about your past? Because you haven’t told him about the asshole.

She just didn’t know how to do that. She was so humiliated by what had happened. Embarrassed that she’d been such an idiot to fall for the asshole’s words. That she’d let him . . . she took a deep breath and let it out.

She owed it to Corbin to explain some of what was going on in her head.

“What are you scared of, Bebe?”

Losing you.

Losing me.

But those words felt too vulnerable as well.

“I’m not . . . I’m not good at relationships.”

He reached down and tilted her face back with his finger under her chin. “You want to expand on that?”

“Not right now.”

“Hmm. I’m going to let that go for the moment, but I will want to know more at some stage.”

“It’s too big a step. Me moving to the Ranch with you.” She started to feel panicky at the idea.

Would she be trapped there? What if she wanted to leave, could she?

“Hey . . . don’t go into your head and start freaking yourself out. Just take one step at a time. I want to take you to Sanctuary Ranch with me because someone attacked you.”

“I wasn’t hurt. You were!”

“Yes, because I’m your bodyguard. They came for me first in order to get me out of the way and go after you. And now we don’t know if this house is safe.”

“He could know where I live,” she whispered.

“Yes, he could.” He didn’t sugarcoat his words. “He likely does since it seemed like he was lying in wait for us. But you don’t need to worry because he’s not getting in here. Hayes will take watch overnight. He’s going to stay awake, and I’m going to sleep in the hallway outside your room. Okay?”

“You . . . you can’t do that. Your injury . . .”

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