Page 43 of Protection for Rowan

"Thank you for having us over. It was nice to sit with Frog. He made me feel better."

Thario shook her hand and then pulled her into a hug. "Come back any time. I know Frog would love to see you."

“Thank you.”

Shine took her arm and led her outside. Visiting with Thario and especially Frog had been just what she needed. The dog was very intuitive, and Thario was a good person. Maybe he’d had some rough spots before the event that changed his life, but he’d smoothed out rather nicely. She wished women would see him for who he was, but he was happy for now. She just hoped he stayed that way. Bitterness could creep up and make life difficult.

She needed to move forward with her life. She’d had something terrible happen, but she couldn’t get lost in the weeds. She had to recover from what had happened. Otherwise, she might just lose herself.

Chapter 33

Shine didn't wantto go back to work, but he had to leave. Worry for Rowan ate at him. He woke way too early and was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and trying to figure out what was going on, when the door from the bedroom opened.

“Oh, hey. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

"No, I'm up. It's okay." Rowan blinked and then narrowed her eyes. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. Putting this on Rowan would be wrong. She had enough to worry about without his worries multiplying her real problems. “It’s nothing.”

Her lips thinned. “No, be truthful with me. That’s how this works.”

He blew out a breath and stood. “I don’t want to leave you.”

She moved to him and cupped his face. "That bastard doesn't know about you. I'm not scared here, just distracted. I'll be okay. You're letting me use your computer, and I have a session set up with someone I know."

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

“I woke up in the middle of the night and contacted them. They were awake and set up an emergency session with me. I know I’ll be fine as long as I stay here. I’m not going back to my place for clothes or anything else. If I need something, I’ll order it and have it shipped here.”

Shine felt better but still worried. His past hadn’t prepared him for how deeply he felt for Rowan. He pulled her into a hug, breathing her in. This woman was his future. He just had to get there without frightening her.

She seemed stable enough that he felt she wasn’t hiding anything from him. He would have to trust her to tell him if she felt afraid. He also would make sure she knew he was there for her.

“I need to shower.”

“Really, Shine, I’m good. Don’t worry about me.”

He pulled her into a hug. "Of course, I'm going to worry about you. I wouldn't be human if I didn't."

“Okay, but don’t obsess about it. I’ll be fine. I know I’m safe here. There isn’t anything that would lead him here. He doesn’t know about you, and he won’t come looking here.”

Shine heard her, but worry still filled him. She would be okay because she had to be.

Distraction held him throughout the morning. The guys weren't too hard on him, but by lunch, he could tell they were tired of his shit. He headed outside and set up a barbell with weights, intent on lifting heavy. He was about five minutes into his first set when Sharp joined him.

“You need some distraction?”

“God, my mind is turning over everything that could go wrong. This could really fuck up her life. I could lose her.”

“That guy, Charles, he has no idea where you live, right?”

Shine shook his head. “No, he doesn’t know about me as far as I know.”

Sharp shrugged. “Then there is no way he can find her. I mean, how could he? You have that alarm, right?”

Shine wiped his hand over his face. “Yes.”

“And she knows to use it?”

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