Page 35 of Protective Assignment
“You ruined it,” she repeated, the lump in her throat making it hard to speak.“Because I… I couldn’t risk caring about anyone, Cade.I couldn’t risk getting sidetracked along the way.But now I’m here, and I… I really care about you!And I don’t want to leave, even though I know I have to.Even though the Shepards are going to come looking for me, even though—”
Before she could say another word, he reached out and pulled her to him, planting his lips firmly against hers.She let out a surprised squeak, but then, closing her eyes, leaned into the kiss.
When he pulled back, he caught her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes.The way he stared at her, it was like he was trying to see all the way into her soul.Her breath caught in her throat at the intensity of his gaze.
“You’re safe here, River,” he told her.“I’m going to make sure of that, you hear me?”
“Cade, you can’t—”
“I can,” he replied with conviction.“You don’t know what I’m capable of.But I know I can protect you.Whatever it takes.And then, we’ll get you back to your family, okay?”
She gazed at him for a long moment and, to her surprise, she found herself starting to relax.Even though she knew she should be terrified right now of what could happen, when he spoke those words to her, she believed him.
“Okay,” she breathed back, and he kissed her again.And this time, she knew it was more than just a kiss.Now that she had laid herself bare to him, she wanted nothing more than to take their relationship to the next level.
To give herself to him utterly and completely.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Are you okay?”he murmured to her, tucking her hair back behind her ear as they lay next to each other in bed.
She nodded, leaning over to put her head on his chest.“Yeah,” she whispered back.“I really am.”
He smiled and wound his arms around her, pulling her in close.Being this intimate with her was a dream he’d never thought would come true.But the moment he had seen that desperate, helpless look in her eyes, he knew he had to take the chance to show her how much he meant it when he said he was going to protect her.She needed to know he was all in this with her.
Sleeping with her for the first time had been incredible, their bodies matching with each other as though it was the most natural thing in the world.And now, as they lay together in his bed, it was like the enormous weight of everything that had been holding them back was starting to drift away.
She had finally told him the truth, and though he could hardly wrap his head around the vastness of it, he was grateful that she had.It meant she finally trusted him completely.He could only imagine how hard it must’ve been for her to come clean to him like that.But it made everything abouther just fall into place.All the questions that hadn’t added up suddenly slotting together in a way he could make sense of.He was so glad he finally knew where she was coming from, even if it had been hard for her to tell him.
She had escaped from a cult.A damn cult.He couldn’t imagine how painful it had been to lose her father like that, to be left behind by the rest of her family, and then having to rely on the people who had killed him to survive.And then to be told she was going to be married off to some psycho?From what he had heard about the Shepards, Ryker was a real piece of work, and the thought of him getting anywhere close to River was enough to make him feel sick.
He’d told River he would protect her and he meant it.He was going to do whatever it took to keep that promise.No one was going to lay a hand on her, not on his watch.
He smoothed his hand over her hair, letting his fingers drift down her back and follow the curve of her body.He was sure Lawson was waiting for him to return so he could fill him in on everything he had found out, but right now, he didn’t want to break this moment.He didn’t want to share her with anyone else.He wanted their time to last a little longer.
“So, now that you’re going to be staying a while longer,” he remarked.“Do you think you’ll keep working on mending clothes, or see about doing something else?”
She smiled, snuggling into his chest.“I don’t know,” she replied.“I like sewing, it’s what I know and I don’t mind doing it.But also, I think I’d like to try something else.I was talking to Sarah, that therapist?”
“Yeah, I know her.”
“Well, she said I could maybe help out with some of herpatients.Peer mentorship-type work,” she replied, shaking her head.“It sounds crazy to me, but I…maybe I could help.It did feel nice to help that man the other day.”
“Man?”he questioned.“What happened?”
She let out a small sigh that tickled the hair on his chest.“When I put my bag down to refill my water in the lodge, a new group of people were coming in and it made a loud bang noise when it hit the ground.It startled one of the men and he started having an episode.No one else was around, so I tried to talk him down.Bring him out of it.I felt so bad for causing him distress, but it felt really good to help a little.”She shrugged and smiled into Cade’s chest.“Anyway, Sarah was there and saw us and approached me about helping.”
“That sounds amazing,” he replied, stroking her hair.“I think you’d be really good at that.”
“I don’t know…”
“I do,” he told her, and she smiled up at him.
It was clear it had been a long time since someone had actually talked to her like she was worth something.To give her praise or even a compliment.It killed him to think of how much she had been through already, knowing she never deserved anything that had happened to her.Cade wished he could take those burdens off her shoulders.
“Thanks,” she murmured.“Maybe I’ll take her up on it once things have calmed down.I’ll think about it.That also will depend on if Lawson and Xavier will even let me stay here after this.”
“You should,” he urged her.“You would be a great help to her, I’d bet.And don’t worry about the guys.Once they understand what’s happened, they won’t turn you away.”
