Page 28 of Make You Mine

“Yes. I’m here.” His arm around my waist maneuvers me until I’m closer, and my back meets his chest. In this instance, there’s nothing sexual about our position, even if we’ve never been this close before. This is about comfort, and when he lays a tiny kiss on my temple, I open my teary eyes and look back at him. “There you are.”

He lets out a relieved sigh and I can’t help but shiver, a bit from the lingering effects of my dream and partly because of the man holding me close. As if I’m precious. Important to him.

Don’t overthink it, Ava. Elijah’s just being empathetic.

“I saw him, Elijah,” I say, voice rough and shaky. “He promised to come for me.”

“Nothing and no one will hurt you again, Ava. I’m here.” A promise and conviction, and for some reason, I believe him, even if I fear Jason just as much. It’s what I’m clinging to as my body loses some of its rigidness and my breathing becomes even. One of Elijah’s hands runs soothing circles up and down my arm; he also waits until I’m a lot calmer before speaking again. “Do you believe me?”

“I do.” Honest and without hesitation.

“Then let me be here for you. I’ll keep the monsters away.” Another kiss, this time on my tear-stained cheek. “Sleep knowing that I’ll protect you. That I’m not leaving you.”

Snuggling against him, I bring the comforter up to my chin and exhale shakily. I’ll worry about propriety later. Right now, I need this. To not feel alone. And maybe it’s my exhaustion and the late hour, or simply because I feel safe in his arms, but it doesn’t take long for me to be lulled by his warmth.

Even between layers of clothes, I feel him. He’s all muscle and comfort.

“You promise?” My voice is low. Almost a whisper.

“Yeah, Ava. I do.”

Nodding, I close my eyes as the last tears fall. I breathe him in and exhale slowly. “You’ll stay until I fall asleep again?”

“I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Thank you.” A bit slurred now, but his chuckle against the back of my head tells me he heard me just fine. Eli’s response to that comes through as nothing more than a rumbled grunt. I’m sure there are words in there somewhere, but sleep has taken over.

Yet, one word comes through right before it all goes black:

“…mine.”

10

ELIJAH

Son of a bitch, it was a mistake, but I couldn’t help myself.

Not when every inch of her body calls to mine. When I’m attuned to the smallest noise she makes and her every smile. The real ones and the fake ones, because to me, she’s an open book with a never-ending story I want to read.

Today and tomorrow.

Ava Perry calls to me in a way no woman ever has, and I fear that once this case is closed, no one will captivate me as she does. We met under the worst circumstances, and yet, I wouldn’t change it.

Even if I can’t have her the way I need her.

“I’m truly fucked over this sweet little morsel,” I whisper against the crown of her head, nuzzling her soft skin while she sleeps in my arms. I haven’t left her room, and I won’t, no matter how hard I am—the way my cock throbs with every rise and fall of her chest—because right now, it’s not about me. What matters is her comfort, not the aching of my balls.

I never want to hear her cry out like that again.

The way shewhimpered out a “no”and “this can’t be real”earlier tonight broke my iron-clad restraint. I couldn’t sit in theliving room, a repeat of an earlier basketball game playing on the TV, and not react to her distress.

I moved toward her room without a second thought, my body thrumming with anger at the asshole who caused her nightmare.My fingers turned the knob, pushing open her door before I could stop myself, and the thrashing sight before me ignited every protective instinct within my DNA.

Fuck not crossing the line. Nothing but soothing her mattered when Ava’s sweet face was pinched tight in distress, her comforter pushed down past her knees, and tears slipped from beneath closed lids.

“He’ll pay for your tears with his life.” Her head turns in my direction as if she heard me, and those luscious lips part on another whimper. The sound causes my chest to ache, and before second-guessing myself, I’m lying on the bed and tucking her close. We’re both fully clothed—this isn’t meant to be sexual—and I’m ignoring every carnal need she evokes in me, especially when she fits perfectly against my harsher planes.

Her being in my arms feels right.

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