Page 25 of To Keep

Tears welled up in her eyes. Nothing else mattered anymore. She had nothing and no one. The one man she began to feel something for had just walked off after admitting they could have been great together in another life. But this life was all they had.

She completely forgot about the danger she was in when a heavy hand came down on her shoulder. Skye yelped and whirled around, almost falling to the tiled floor. He reached out and saved her before she hit the ground.

“This is the men’s bathroom. The women’s is just down the hall,” he said.

Skye exhaled all the built-up fear and felt like putty in Galen’s strong arms.

“I thought you’d left me,” she said.

“I considered it.”

“Really?”

He ignored her, shifting the topic. “Why are you in here exactly?”

Then she remembered the bodyguards. “I think someone recognized me out there.”

“Who?”

She bit her lip. “One of Petrov’s bodyguards.”

His brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”

Skye nodded. “He kept staring in my direction. I was freaking out and didn’t know what to do.”

He stood straighter, pulling her close. “Show me,” he said, leading her back toward the patio area. The table was empty and her heart sank.

“Oh God, they’re gone. Is that good or bad?” she asked.

“In our case, likely bad.”

“Should we leave?”

“Probably. But I’m hungry. Come on.” He led her back to their little table, but she didn’t feel lighthearted like when they first came.

She was expecting danger to pop out around every corner. She’d never been so jumpy.

“Relax,” he said after sitting down across from her.

“How can you say that?” she asked.

He smirked and it melted her heart a little. “Because I’ll protect you.”

Skye tried to keep her voice down. “You’re giving me whiplash. One minute you’re planning my death, and the next you’re ready to protect me?”

“Things change,” he said.

Had he talked to Viko? What elements had changed? She was certainly not complaining but still confused. “Like what?”

He wet his lips and her pussy instantly reacted, a rush of energy forcing her to take a breath. What was wrong with her?

“How I feel about you.”

It took her a minute to realize he felt sorry for her. They’d spent so much time together that he had a soft spot for her, like a puppy or something. The goal was to stay alive, so why wasn’t she happier?

“Well, that’s good news. I’d take life over death any day.”

“So you’re okay with it?”

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