Page 303 of Lodestar

“I do.”

“Kat’s special.”

“I know.”

“I don’t… You can’t…” She stopped rubbing. “Could you take off your glasses? They’re distracting.”

With an eyeroll, I dropped them on the desk and rocked back in my chair. “My lap’s more comfortable than the desk. Or did you forget that already?”

Biting her lip, she propelled herself upright and then stumbled over to me. When she settled heavily in my lap and her face instantly burrowed into my throat, I just held her, knowing that I’d inadvertently overwhelmed her and that she needed a moment to process.

I tried to multitask, but without my glasses, the lines on my monitor were blurrier than ever—damn, I needed a nap—so I just rocked back in my seat and closed my eyes, taking the respite where I could grab it.

After at least five minutes of silence, I drawled, “Getting maintenance to install a lock on the bedroom door.”

Her chuckle was low. “You’ve got your priorities straight.”

“I like to think so seeing as I also cleared out that desk over there for you,” I murmured into her hair.

“Which one? There are several in here.”

“You liked the glass one.”

“Maybe I like this one.”

“You’re so fucking contrary. If you like this one, then we’ll get you this one.”

“I was only pulling your leg.”

“You can pull something else. My leg has to remain attached.”

“But your dick doesn’t?”

“Some things are worth the sacrifice.”

“You’re lucky I’m not a cannibal,” she spluttered around a laugh, but I could hear the easing of tension in her voice and that made me smile—job done. A couple minutes later, she whispered, “I need you to mean that, Conor.”

“Mean what? About my legs needing to remain attached?” I teased.

“No.” She shoved my other shoulder. “What you said about working on keeping things alive together.” She sucked in a breath. “I’m used to everyone leaving me, Conor, so to hear you say that is… I, just, I need you to mean it.”

“Some women are too much of everything,” I said slowly. “Too intelligent, too strong, too capable. Some men can’t deal with that. They think they need to compete. To be more intelligent, stronger, and more capable. But my self-esteem isn’t so miserly that I need to putyoudown to feel like a man.

“You’ve lived in the fakest places on this planet—Hollywood and the CIA—so it makes sense that you don’t understand what I am.WhoI am.

"I’m an O’Donnelly, Star. We cherish our women. We protect them. We kill for them. We don’t compete with them because there’s no competition between us. We are on the same team,and you’ve just never experienced that before because for all the crap Da taught us, that was one lesson he rammed home more than any other.

“You aremine, Star.

“Whether you accept that or not, whether you run off tomorrow, whether you try to push me away, I’m not going anywhere. I’m by your side. We’re in this together and we always will be.

“And that means Kat is too. She’s mine as much as you are. We’ll keep her and the cats alive because we’re a team, and what did I tell you the other day?”

A soft laugh escaped her. “That teamwork makes the dream work?”

“Exactly.”

When I felt the tears against my throat, I stopped talking and just continued holding her.

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