Page 65 of His to Protect

Thus a tug-of-war over two different vehicles began in the parking lot, leaving the salesman more than a little frustrated with the way Declan and I bickered like an old married couple.

But it had feltgood,knowing I could speak my mind and fight for what I wanted and not worry about consequences. A part of me still wondered if that was why Declan allowed the ridiculous argument to continue for as long as it did.

Just to prove I was safe with him.

Eventually, he sighed and looked at the sky. With an exaggerated eye roll, he then said, “Your money, your car, but it’ll be in my garage getting fixed and repaired more than it’ll be on the road taking you where you need to go.”

I didn’t think the idea of having my car in his garage, which would mean spending more time with him, was such a bad thing.

“You’ll fall in love with Betsy someday.” I tipped my head back so I could look Declan in the eyes. Taking one hand from the rail, I pressed it against his chest.

“Christ.” He looked down at me. “You’ve named that hunk of junk Betsy? She’ll break down on the side of the road and leave you stranded.”

My fingers curled into his shirt and I pulled him forward. After making love to Declan this morning, I couldn’t keep my hands off of him. In one way or another, we’d been touching since we walked out of the hotel room. I liked that he seemed to feel the need to touch me just as often as I wanted to touch him. His hand settled on my waist and his fingers curled into the thin fabric of my tie-dyed maxi dress. “Then you’ll just have to save me.”

His eyes darkened and he licked his lips. “Speaking of that—”

“I don’t want to talk about it today,” I said, interrupting him.

His thick, dark brows came together. “Trina, we have to.”

“Did Tyson find anything yet?”

The way he glanced at the water behind me told me everything I needed to know.

“Then there’s nothing to talk about.” My fingers curled into his shirt harder and I tugged him toward me until his attention was focused on me again. I could see the blue water and the bright sun reflecting in his concerned eyes. “We’ll figure it out, but I’m not going to run from Kevin anymore. I’ve been thinking that as soon as I get back, I should find an attorney, or make some calls to Kentucky, so I can figure out how to start the divorce process.”

A muscle jumped in his cheek and his gaze narrowed. “You sure you want to do that?”

I had to. Leaving Kevin officially wasn’t just an option, but a necessity. “At the very least, once he hears that I’m doing this, it will bring him out of the woodwork. Until then, though, I’d like to not talk about him. Spend more time thinking about us.”

“Us?” His eyebrow rose, along with one side of his lips.

The anticipation in his deep voice erased any nervousness I might have had, which was minimal anyway. Declan made it clear this morning that he wanted me. “I’ve been thinking that maybe heading to Canada isn’t such a great idea.”

His shoulders fell, and I knew he’d been worried about this, about me still choosing to leave him.

Instead of answering with words, his forehead dropped to mine and his hands squeezed both my hips, pulling me as close to his body as I could get. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek to his chest.

“I’ll keep you safe, Trina. I swear it.”

I didn’t have to respond. I already knew he would. So I answered him much the same way he had answered me. I pulled him close, held him tight, and hoped like the dickens that we figured out a way to get me free and clear of Kevin before he found me.

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