Page 20 of Make You Mine

“I won’t, but I have to ask?—”

“How long before we catch him?”

“Had you let me finish...”

Her mock glare pulls a chuckle from me. “My apologies. Go on.”

“Thank you.” Ava pushes a dark, wayward strand of hair behind her ear while a slight blush once again spreads across her soft cheeks. “I was going to ask you about the security of the building?”

Good girl.“No one gets in or out without a key, and the staff knows to I.D. those without one. Of course, visitors come and go,but they are vetted and approved by the residents through the onsite security.”

“So, no strays?”

“No.” Extending my arm toward her line of sight, I lift my wrist so she can see the app at the center of my smartwatch. “This alerts me to anyone standing at the door, and on my phone, there’s a live feed of the same. So even if I’m not here, I’ll be able to see and come right up.”

“That’s a confusing statement.”

“I use the gym downstairs and at times, the conference room.” Tapping the app on the screen, I show her the camera’s view. “I’ll keep you safe. Promise.”

“To serve and protect…right?” The way she words it causes me to lower my arm and fully turn to face her. Placing my hip against the balcony’s veranda, I study the furrow between her eyes and how her shoulders hunch a bit.

“Does that bother you? My oath?”

“It’s the same one officer after officer fed me back in Dallas, Elijah. Each time I gave my accounts of the night, picked him out of a line-up, I was made that promise, and they all fell short time and time again.”

“I’m not them.”

“You’re also human.”

“And so is he.”

“He is.” She’s facing me now with an apologetic expression on her face. Ava’s silently asking me not to take what she’s saying personally. “But it hasn’t stopped him yet. No one’s been able to?—”

“You doubt me?” Because that wouldn’t work. I’ll do whatever it takes to help her find peace again. “What can I do to ease your mind?”

“No. And nothing.” Ava bites her bottom lip and looks away at my raised brow. I hate it. Need that sweet gaze back on mine.“And that scares the hell out of me. I don’t know you, Elijah, but this is the first time in months that there’s a small kernel of hope that this will all be over soon.”

Without conscious thought, I bring a hand up and cup her chin, tilting her face up to mine. Blue eyes meet hazel, and there’s a hint of something dangerous in her stare. For me. For her.

Because that yearning—the hope reflecting back at me—will be our downfall.

This isn’t the time to start anything.

Under different circumstances, I would’ve asked her out. Explored this undeniable attraction.

People meet every day and start something new within minutes, but this time it’s wrong. She’s forbidden fruit as my temporary ward, and nothing—not my cock or need—come before this case.

Keeping her safe is all that matters.

“Explain, sweetheart,” I ask, my tone low as my thumb strokes her cheek. There’s a hint of heat from her blush, and the pink is so tempting.So pretty.“Why does it scare you?”

“For some inexplicable reason, Eli…I believe you.” Ava nuzzles my palm once and then pulls back as if burned. She’s shocked by the act, but at the same time, takes my hand in both of hers, and the soft skin cocoons mine. I feel as though I’m being burned. Just a simple touch sets me ablaze, and it takes a herculean effort to stay as I am. To not kiss her. To not feel her.She needs your protection and nothing else.“…I feel safe inside your home, and that can end badly for me. A few minutes out on your balcony has done more for my stability than every breathing exercise I’ve been taught. More than the armored military escorts.”

“You deserve security and peace.” Ava’s words don’t make a lick of sense, and I know my expression mirrors the thought.

“Complacency will get me killed, Detective. We both know that.” Ava lets go of my hand and steps back, an invisible wall replacing her warmth. Those baby blues are sad as they watch me. “I’m afraid, Elijah. I’ve seen what he’s capable of.”

“I’d kill him before?—”

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