Page 40 of The Collector's Temptation

ASTON

Staying away from Kerrigan was torture. I barely made it half a mile from her apartment building after dropping her off before I turned back around and parked in her lot.

It didn’t matter that Rafa had promised to keep a couple of guys on her around the clock. I needed to stick close to make sure she was safe. And so I was near when she decided she could live with the secrets I’d been keeping. I wouldn’t consider any other possible outcome.

Kerrigan had quickly become the center of my universe, and I would spend the rest of my life with her. Once she came to terms with the darkness of the world I lived in.

I killed the engine and sat in silence, my hands gripping the steering wheel as I stared up at her window. The blinds were open, but I couldn’t see anything from this angle.

As I fired off several messages to get things rolling with Kerrigan’s plan to trap Ellis, a sleek black SUV pulled into a space a few cars away from mine. I tensed until I recognized the vehicle. It was one of Rafa’s.

Adam was behind the wheel, with Vincenzo in the passenger seat. Both of them were enforcers for The Family.

The driver’s door opened, and Adam stepped out. A second later, Vincenzo joined him. They spotted me instantly and strolled over. I got out of my car to meet them.

“You couldn’t stay away?” Adam asked dryly.

“Not even for an hour,” I admitted, shaking my head with a rueful chuckle.

“Or even to do a better job cleaning up.” Vincenzo jerked his chin toward my arm. “You missed a spot.”

I went to my trunk and popped it. Stripping out of the shirt I was wearing, I used the inside to wipe away any bloodstains I could see on my skin. “Better?”

Vincenzo nodded.

Tossing the dirty shirt into my trunk, I pulled out a clean one and put it on. After slamming the door shut, I leaned against my rear bumper and crossed my arms over my chest. “Rafa assigned you two to guard Kerrigan?”

This time, Adam was the one who nodded. “Nothing will happen to your woman on our watch.”

“It better not,” I growled.

“You didn’t work out your anger by killing at least half a dozen people barely an hour ago?” Vincenzo asked.

“They took her,” I bit out through stiff lips.

There was a beat of silence while Adam studied me. “You’re in deep with her.”

“And there’s no going back,” I replied.

Vincenzo cracked the faintest of smiles. “About damn time someone knocked the French out of you.”

I huffed a laugh, low and grim. “She didn’t knock anything out of me. She just makes me a better man, even the dark parts.”

The men exchanged a look, one that said they understood. Then Vincenzo gestured toward the building. “We’ll do a sweep. Make sure no one’s been sniffing around. We’re close if you need us.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

They peeled away into the shadows, their movements soundless despite the gravel underfoot. I turned toward the building again, bracing myself. Every step I took felt heavy with hope and dread.

I didn’t even make it halfway down her hallway before the door to her apartment flew open.

Kerrigan came running out, barefoot, in leggings and an oversized shirt, her wild red hair a halo of chaos. She barreled straight into me with a gasp, her momentum sending us stumbling back a step before I caught her in my arms.

“Kerrigan—”

“I love you,” she blurted, breathless. Her hands clutched at my shirt, her chest heaving. “I can’t—I don’t want to live without you. I’ve tried thinking of every reason this shouldn’t work. Why I should be scared. Why I should walk away…”

I stood frozen, my heart lodged in my throat.

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