Page 34 of His to Protect

And he would worry.

I knew it.

It was that whisper of conscience inside my head that made me head toward the phone in his bedroom.

I’d ignored this room since I’d been here, and yet now, knowing it was the only time I’d be inside his room, I couldn’t stop my gaze from taking in everything.

A rich-gray comforter flung haphazardly over the pillows, blue walls that almost looked gray. They weren’t too dark or too girly, but the perfect masculine blend. It matched the rich, dark wood of his headboard, nightstands, and dresser.

Clothes weren’t strewn all over the floor, but they spilled over a hamper in the corner of his room just outside a door, which I assumed was his closet.

He was clean. Not stuffy and precise, but clean and picked up.

A lump lodged in my throat as I moved on what felt like wooden feet to the far side of his bed, where a landline phone rested on the nightstand. I’d heard it ring in there before, the only way I knew there was a phone in his room.

My fingers shook as I reached for it and dialed the number to Fireside before I could second-guess myself.

It was after seven and the dinner rush wouldn’t really have started yet, but I still didn’t expect him to answer.

He had to be busy.

I only needed to push the Call button on the phone to speak to him.

Or I could leave.

I glanced out his window, saw his fenced-in backyard, and tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

I’d enjoyed being here. This small house felt like more of a home than the mansion I’d lived in for years with Kevin.

Thinking his name sparked me to action.

I pressed the Call button and my stomach rolled with nausea while I waited for someone to answer.

“Thank you for calling the Fireside Grill, how may I help you?” a perky voice answered, and I instantly recognized Maggie. She always answered the phone the same way.

“Hey…” I paused and cleared my throat, willing myself to speak without emotion. “Hi, may I please speak with Declan?”

“Certainly,” she chirped. “May I tell him who’s calling?”

“Trina,” I whispered. “It’s Trina, Maggie.”

Her voice softened. “Oh. Are you okay? He said you were staying home tonight.”

“I’m fine, please. I just…I need him.” I blinked rapidly and cleared my head. “I mean, I need to speak with him.”

But I did need him.

The reality slid inside me and around me, making me shivery with fear and warmth at the same time.

In less than a week, I’d become dependent on another man.

Only more reason to leave.

“Trina? What’s wrong?”

Declan’s deep and demanding tone snapped me back to the present. I was still reeling from the realization that I might need Declan too much, that the only words I could think of to say were…

“He’s found me.”

“We’ll be there in five minutes.”

I shook my head, barely registering his words. “I’m leaving, Declan. I just…I wanted to say thank you.”

“Don’t go,” he snapped, and I heard him bark at someone in the background, the command muffled by the receiver. “We’re coming. Don’t you dare leave before we get there.”

He hung up before I could answer, and I was left staring out the window, somehow unable to move.

We?

Who in the heck could he possibly mean?

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