Page 19 of Caught With the Sheriff

“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry.” I hold her tight and try to freeze the terror that’s rippling through me.

She doesn’t need my dramatics. She needs my understanding. Especially when she hiccups and then sobs, her head buried in my shoulder.

My hands tighten on her, my fists clenching. I need to find this asshole and beat him. Kill him. Destroy him, slowly and painfully until he hurts the way he hurt her.

“Shhh. Baby, it’s okay. He’s not here. It’s just us. I promise you he will never get near you again. I swear it. I will never let anybody hurt you again.”

She breathes deep, the occasional hiccup making her shoulder jump against me. Making her ass hit my aching cock just right. My jaw clenches and I have to list a bunch of swear words in my head to keep from saying them out loud. And to keep my damn cock from jumping up and slamming into her pretty, little ass.

Not today, fucker. Not now.

She finally settles in my arms and I pet her soft curls gently. Feeling her take a deep breath and matching her breath for breath.

“Hey, sprite. Why don’t you go ahead and go upstairs and get ready for bed. I’ll stay here until you fall asleep.”

Her red, puffy eyes lift to me and I try not to wince. She looks wrecked. But still so damn beautiful.

Still so perfectly mine.

“I’ll lock up. And I’ll check around outside.” Which will give me enough time to get my ass under control. I’ve never felt the need to hunt someone down to rip them limb from limb before.

Control. That’s the name of my game.

But not with her. Willow Wilder tears my control away from me faster than anything in this life.

She’s my greatest weakness. And she always will be.

I kiss her cheek gently and stand easily with her soft curves in my arms. I set her on her feet one toe at a time until she’s standing in front of me, flushed and desperately sweet.

That will also give me a chance to call my mother and let her know that I’m going to be late and why. Mostly.

Shooing her up the stairs I turn to the door and lock it behind me. I still have a key for the lock because if I need to get to her, I fucking will. Not even a lock will stop me.

But I will never take away her choices. Her decisions. Even if I don’t like them.

Even if it breaks me.

The night air cools my fevered skin. It’s been hot as hell lately but tonight there’s a chill in the air. A fresh, ozone smell that tells me that somewhere out there, a storm is brewing.

I just wonder if it’s inside me or outside.

I don’t find anything and when I’m done, I sit down on the porch steps and pull out my phone, dialing my mom’s cell.

“Hello, Jasper. Care to tell me where you went tearing off to in such a hurry that you neglected to tell me where you were going?”

Wincing, I stand up and pace. “I’m sorry, mom. The notification went off at Willow’s place and I came out to make sure there wasn’t anybody trying to get in again.”

“How did you know that?”

“She told me.”

“You’re lying. Did you get the app too so you could track that poor girl’s movements around her own home?”

“It’s complicated.”

“That you’re in love with her? I imagine it is since you just met her. But sometimes that doesn’t matter. Time is relative. When you know you know. When I met your father I knew within the first seconds that he was the one.”

“So I’m following in your footsteps, huh?” I chuckle.