Page 42 of Target Me
“Do you think we could stay at your farm? I know it’s not really move-in ready, but I feel safe there. Is that okay? I just can’t face going back to the house any time soon.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I think that’s a great idea,” I said, ignoring the urge to puff my chest with masculine pride. She felt safe in my run-down farmhouse. By extension, she felt safe with me. Hell yes.
At last, we turned onto the long drive that led to the house, and I watched in awe as Avery’s shoulders dropped from around her ears. The frown that had marred her face softened as the building came into view, silhouetted against the backdrop of a sky full of stars and, just kissing the roofline, the full moon.
“I have some sleeping bags in the back of the truck. If you want to head straight inside, I’ll bring in some supplies.”
As soon as we rolled to a stop, Avery wasted no time complying with my orders. I almost missed the brat she’d been less than twenty-four hours ago.
Shaking my head, I crawled over the back seats and took stock of my supplies. I had a few old MRE’s, left from God knew when tucked in the bottom of my equipment trunk. They would save us some trips into town until we came up with a better plan to keep Avery safe.
The sleeping bags were exactly where I left them, and beneath them was a bulk pack of candles. So we had lighting, bedding, and food sorted.
Hopping out of my truck, I carried everything inside, noting there were still two large drums of fresh water in the corner of the decimated kitchen. If I’d known we were going to have to stay here, I would have held off on the renovations.
Avery took the sleeping bags from my hands, disappearing down the hall toward the bedroom while I piled the rest of our supplies in the cleanest corner of the kitchen I could find.
“What are we going to do about this?” Avery’s voice floated out of the hall. Following the sound, I found her staring bleakly at the bathroom.
“I’ll prioritize it tomorrow, but in the meantime, if you need the toilet, you’re going to have to dig a hole. There’s toilet paper in the MRE pack.”
She grunted, a cute little noise of displeasure that made a grin tug at my lips.
“Sorry, hen. Not exactly five-star accommodation, but no one knows about this place. You’re safe here.”
“I’m safe with you.” The words were so quiet I didn’t think they were meant for my ears, but the effect they had was profound.
I may have taken this job out of loyalty to her father, but circumstances had changed beyond anything I could have predicted. Avery had burrowed under my skin and become a part of me that I couldn’t afford to lose.
Powerless to resist the pull she had over me, I dragged her body against mine and slammed my mouth down over hers. Stealing her breath and demanding she return the control she had unwittingly taken. I felt undone. The events of the day crashed over me, clouding my eyes with a red haze that wanted blood without knowing the target.
A dropped piece of paper.
That was the difference between a bullet in her brain and her standing in my arms right now. Warm. Alive. How the fuck was that possible?
I wanted to get closer to her. Wanted to bury myself so deeply inside that we coudn’t tell where she ended and I began. As if I could protect her from the inside out.
“Logan.” The word filled my mouth, plea and promise all wrapped in one. I drove my tongue deeper, eating at her, searching for her supplication.
A bite of pain at my scalp pulled me out of my obsessive pursuit as she tugged on my hair again.
“Logan, make me forget. Please. Use me.”
Guilt curled in my gut. “Avery.”
“Please.”
15
AVERY
Logan had been brooding for hours, and it didn’t take a genius to guess he was blaming himself for the latest developments. The guilt was coming off him in waves of ridiculous self-flagellation, and I didn’t know any other way to stop the thought process than to insist he do something that would distract us both. I couldn’t take the distance he was putting between us, so I was going to reclaim that territory with my body, if necessary.
His scowl intensified for a moment, his eyes clouding in indecision, and I worried he’d gone too far. I didn’t think I could handle him walking away again.
My heart pounded, the silence of the world outside making me feel as though I was hurtling through space, alone and terrified, in search of ground.
“Okay.”
