Page 41 of His to Protect

Now that I knew the truth, had seen her for who she really was, I wasn’t sure I could stay away.

I was definitely sure I didn’t want to.

There was something about this woman, with her southern drawl and kind eyes, that made me despise any man who would lay his hands on her.

She was the kind of woman you cherish.

The kind of woman you wanted to protect.

And hell if I didn’t want to do both of those…while also acquainting my hands with her soft and curvy flesh.

I didn’t even care if it was the right time to start something with her. She had loads of baggage I would need to help her unpack, and that had nothing to do with the duffel bag she was trying to haul out of here last night when I returned home.

But as I sat and stared at the early-morning news broadcast, not actually hearing anything I was watching, I no longer gave a shit.

No good relationship was without its share of troubles.

We’d just have to fight our battles early on and hope for smooth sailing later.


My breathing was ragged when I finished my morning run. I had used all the frustration inside me and pushed myself harder and faster than I usually did. It was necessary, and the results were worth it.

I no longer felt like slamming my fists into something hard and unforgiving as I unlocked the front door to my house.

Before Trina, I would have left it unlocked.

Since Trina began staying with me, I was doing a lot of things differently.

Like keep her safe, as if it were some inherent instinct inside of me. Knowing the truth about who she was, where she came from, and what she’d endured only strengthened that desire inside of me.

Fortunately, she told us that Kevin had only called her phone number and goaded her by asking if she really thought she could run away from him. Since she also told us that she had ditched her old cellphone and bought the pay-as-you-go phone before she left Kentucky, there was still a good chance he didn’t have a clue where she could be.

I’d managed to get her to agree to stay until Tyson could look into things a bit further, to figure out if Kevin really knew where she was.

I was careful to open the front door quietly, in case she was still sleeping. It was early, before seven, and I’d learned that Trina was not a morning person. She often zombie-walked her way down the stairs around nine.

Between the stress she was under and being at Fireside until the early morning hours, I figured her body needed to adjust to a new routine.

Plus, I suspected sleeping in wasn’t possible for her before. From what she’d said, she had been expected to wait on her husband for every one of his needs and wants or face the consequences.

I believed her, too. Not only did she not have a reason to lie to us last night, but the fear in her eyes was evident as she relived some of the times where Kevin used a hand, or foot, to reprimand her.

The thought made me growl and, at the last second, I thrust the door open harder than necessary, making it bang against the wall.

I cringed at the sound and then at Boomer’s bark as he barreled around the corner from the kitchen straight into me.

His front paws hit my chest, forcing me to brace myself to keep from taking a step back.

“Boomer!” Trina shouted from the kitchen.

“I’ve got him,” I called back. With my hand on the top of his head, I gave him a playful shove. “Down, boy.”

“Woof!”

His tongue lolled to one side of his mouth as he pranced in place, waiting impatiently for me to shut the door. When I turned back to him, dropping my phone, earbuds, and keys on the small table with the ugly purple bowl, I rubbed his head again. “I’ve already fed you,” I told the dog, and walk passed him.

The rich scent of bacon assailed my senses and my stomach growled. I generally had a protein shake before I headed out for my run and workout, but this morning I had extra adrenaline to burn off and I didn’t waste the time.