Page 89 of In Hiding

His eyes snapped open as he felt Sarah’s presence. There, on the veranda of Andersen House, she stood wrapped in a blanket staring up at them with curious eyes. Even from this distance he could feel her in his soul.

“Lucy, you have a special place in my heart. You always will, but that woman down there?” He shook his head in awe at the admiration and love powering through his body. “She owns my soul.”

Lucy patted his arm. “Then you should introduce us.”

~

“I’m going into town,” Jake called from the bottom of the stairs. “Do you need me to pick up anything?”

Leaving her office, Sarah stood at the top of the steps and looked down at him. He smiled as he leaned casually against the handrail. Dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, he’d pulled his hair back into a ponytail and shaped his beard into a point at the chin. It reminded her of her father, who’d done the same thing. She didn’t remember a time when he didn’t wear a beard, claiming it kept his face warm.

“No, but thank you.”

He tilted his head to the side, studying her. The close attention he paid her prickled her skin. “Sure?”

“Is there something you think we need?”

Shaking his head, he climbed the stairs, closing the distance between them. The nearer he came, the stronger his presence felt. When he touched her hand, she glanced down at their union. A need to feel them on her again trembled through her heart, rousing an awareness of the connection she felt to him and the vulnerability that came with it.

“No.” He climbed one more step. “Just want you to be sure, is all.”

“I am.”

He tugged her hand playfully. “I’m taking Will with me. I’ll set the security system when I leave. You’ll be safe.”

Sometimes, his naiveté caught her off guard. “You have your phone with you?”

One more step closer and he stood barely inches away. “And you have my number.” His fingertips grazed across her cheek gently. “I’ve got your back, Sarah,” he insisted, pressing his lips to hers. “Please don’t retreat again.”

It had taken all her strength to pull herself out of the depths that Ryan’s release took her to. She couldn’t deny Jake had persuaded her out of that murky darkness. His persistence was admirable, and she’d grown addicted to the soft place he provided. The tightrope she walked between berating herself for trusting him and accepting his help threatened to snap beneath her weight.

“I promise nothing,” she breathed as his arm snaked around her waist to pull their bodies together. “The feeling of being preyed upon is unbearable.”

“As long as we are united, we’ll get through this.” His free hand cupped her chin and held her in place. “You believe me, don’t you?”

She wanted to.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know what he’d got himself into. She touched the scar hidden by his beard, the scar her ex had delivered. He’d borne the brunt of Ryan’s purely for sharing a cell with her brother. He’d seen the matrix of mutilations her body carried after the attack. If anyone understood the brutality of her ex-husband, it was the man before her.

The same man who’d shown her how to defend herself, how to protect her son. He’d taught William what he needed to know should his father confront him. His attention to detail in equipping the house with all its surveillance needs was unquestionable.

His résumé deserved her trust.

A pity her history made that almost impossible.

“You have earned my respect,” she offered, hoping it was enough.

“I want it all, Sarah. Respect, trust, love. I want it all.”

Love?

She swallowed.

As if afraid he’d said too much, he gave a small shake of the head, kissed her deeply and backed down the stairs. “We won’t be long, and we’ll be back before dark.”

Then he was gone. She heard the front door close and the telltale beep of the security system being armed. It settled her nerves. Knowing it would alert her to intruders and give her time to react was a Godsend, but ultimately, it wouldn’t save her life. The only person who could do that was Sarah, herself.

Returning to her office, she set her second monitor to show the video feed from the security cameras and got back to work. Up to her eyeballs in preparing and lodging tax returns, an hour flew by. It was only when she spied movement out of the corner of her peripheral vision that she looked away from the main screen.

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