Page 82 of Merciless Protector

“I hate you,” she said, yanking away from me and giving me her back.

“No, you don’t.”

I hadn’t meant to sound cocky as she spun and narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re dead to me. Remember?”

I glanced down. She had a point. I met her gaze again and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Matt. Nice to meet you.” I wanted more than everything to be Matt. Matt was worthy of Tayla. Shawn wasn’t.

She stepped forward. Her hand came out, but instead, I got the slap I’d been expecting earlier.

“Not nice to meet you. You broke into my apartment—”

I stopped her rant by cupping her face and kissing her. She melted against me immediately. Her soft skin and body were a lightning rod to my cock. I was insta hard and knew she could feel it.

When we finally came up for air, I said, “I love you enough to walk away with you hating me as long as I know you and our kiddo are safe. I had a choice, and I made it. But now you, your family—”

“And ours,” she completed.

“Are safe.” The kingpin thought I was dead, too. Leaving no threat looking for Shawn.

“Who do you work for?” she asked. I knew this question was coming. When I didn’t answer, she asked another. “Are you an undercover agent?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” I said but held her gaze, hoping she could read the answer there.

She nodded. “Shawn is dead. What does that mean?”

“It means Matt is a free man.” I rubbed my newly clean-shaven face. It was funny how most people wouldn’t link my new look to my old one. Shawn mostly wore jeans. Matt dressed like the million-dollar man he was. Boss pants and button-down shirt and Gucci loafers. The outfit was a couple of grand. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent that much on my entire wardrobe, let alone one outfit.

“I fell in love with Shawn.”

I pursed my lips. “Then I guess Matt will have to win you over.”

“Can you stop talking about yourself in the third person?”

I bobbed my head. “It’s a little weird for me, too. I’ve been Shawn so long…” I feared a part of me would always be him.

“Shawn wasn’t a bad guy,” she said and took my hands in hers.

“You don’t know what I’ve done,” I said.

“I do. I read about Shawn. I also know from firsthand experience what Shawn did for me. I don’t know Matt. And if Matt is anything like his father, I don’t want anything to do with that version of you.”

“I need you to know that every time I was with you, I was me. The real me, whether that’s Shawn or Matt or a mix of the two. I felt myself when I was with you.”

She looped her arms around my neck and lifted on her toes. I met her halfway as we kissed again.

“I have something for you,” I said when we came up for air.

I pulled out the bracelet I’d removed from her wrist. “It was you?” she said.

“I didn’t want them to take it from you.”

“I didn’t even notice.”

“You were a little busy being abducted.” I screwed it back on her wrist.

“Were you a part of the op?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” I said.

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