Page 73 of Cruel Ice

“I lied to you.”

Her eyes narrowed in the dark. “Not cool, Declan. Not cool.”

“I never needed a PI.”

Oh, wait, was that statement supposed to be a stunner? “I’ve seen your security team. Kind of figured that part out on my own.” But she’d wanted the gig desperately and not just because he would have been her first major client. Though, sure, that had been nice.TheDeclan Flynn and all that. Only…I wanted to make sure he was safe.Just like in the hospital, when she hadn’t been able to leave him because she’d been so worried about an enemy sneaking in and hurting him.

No one can hurt Declan.

“I can protect myself, Marley.”

“Well, youdidwind up drugged in a basement.”

He curled his fingers around her wrist. “You have a giant target on your back.”

She actually didn’t have anything on her back but his shirt.

“You saved me, Marley. He’s going to try and kill you.”

“You think I didn’t figure that out when my place got trashed? It was certainly easy enough to connect the dots.” And as for the dots… “You whisked me away to Chicago because you were trying to protect me. Being your PI isn’t about me helping you to solve the case.” Damn him. “It’s about you protecting me.”

Silence. Then, “You’re sure I’m not using you as bait to draw him in? He’s eliminated three people already. You got in his way—twice—so he’ll be determined to eliminate you, too. Maybe I have you close because I want him to come for you…all the better so that I can trap him.”

She snorted. In the dark. Pressed to him. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Didn’t realize I was.” So mild.

“You would never use me as bait. You’re hardly the type of man who would do that.”

“Marley, Marley, Marley…you’re back to saying you think I’m good.”

Actually, she hadn’t said that. She’d just said he would not use her as bait. “You’re the main target. Doesn’t make sense that you’d need to dangle me like a worm on a hook. You hired me because you were trying to protectme.You brought me with you to Chicago for the same reason. Now you’re getting James to tell the world that I’m your fiancée because that’s like a neon sign way of saying…don’t dare touch what belongs to me.”

“You do belong to me.”

“Because I’m your PI.”I want to be so much more to you.

“The engagement doesn’t have to be fake.”

Now she was the one stunned into silence.

“I can give you anything in this world that you want. More money than you will ever spend. The biggest houses. The fastest cars.”

“I tend to bargain hunt,” she whispered. “Can’t stand to buy something if it’s not on sale. And big houses just require a lot of cleaning. I also don’t drive fast. Speeding is against the law.”

“Right. You always follow the law.”

“And you…don’t?”

“I have broken more laws than I can count. To keep you with me, I’d breakanyrule. I intend to possess you completely, Marley.”

Possess. Possessing something or someone wasn’t the same thing as love. And he’d warned her before that he didn’t think he could love the way others loved.But who is to say that the way Declan loves is wrong?

“Marley?”

She’d been silent too long. “I didn’t hear a marriage proposal.” She turned away from Declan, but caught his arm and pulled it around her as she snuggled back against him. “You should work on that. Do better next time, and maybe you’ll get a different response from me.”

A jolt went through him. Shock? Maybe. She was pretty shocked herself. For now, though, time for bed. She wasn’t sure she was up to sharing more of her soul with him at the moment. “It’s late. We’ve got a killer to hunt tomorrow. No more sidelining. Your brother is a target, too. From here on out, we go on the offensive. We don’t wait on this creep any longer. He’s not slipping away.”

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