Page 54 of Let Me Protect You

If only Elias caught on before she quit. They’d at least know where she was. Now they have to start their search with only her name. “What now?”

“Sully is going to see what address the club has on file. Then we need to figure out who hired her,” he says before moving to the windows. He makes sure each lock is secured.

“Who is going to come in through our fourth-floor window?”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “You never know. We didn’t think anyone would do something to your drink, and look what happened.”

Point taken. I pat the bed beside me, but he doesn’t listen. Maybe I can distract us both. “Come sit with me.”

“I can’t relax a single muscle knowing that you’re in danger.”

He finishes checking the last window and prowls over to me. Even with his disinterested words, a heat dances in his gaze. My heart jumps in anticipation. Maybe now I can make him feel good, too.

“What about once the security team arrives?”

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll put that backtalking mouth to work,” Elias says, his voice rumbling out.

I press my thighs together, and my core clenches. Liquid heat flows through my veins. “Is that a promise?”

He chuckles. “I’ve missed you so much.”

I can tell. The outline of his dick is already visible through his jeans. Everything about this. Us. Together. It just feels so right. I can’t believe I stayed away for so long when I had this perfect man waiting for me.

Maybe there’s a way we can make this work. I look down at my hands, any horniness I had vanished. He doesn’t want to leave Granite Falls, and I don’t want to stay. But he has a lot more keeping him here. He has real roots when I don’t even have a place to live when I go back to New York. His family needs him. And he owns a thriving business—which I saw firsthand when I was trying to help sort through his paperwork—and his own house.

All I have to do is accept the fact that my mother is gone. But also remember that she’ll never be forgotten as long as we remember and celebrate her. Then I’ll have Serenity, Summer, and a loving boyfriend.

“What’s going on in your mind?” Elias’s voice is gentle as if he’s scared I’ll flee like a scared baby animal.

I glance up at him. Concern is etched into his handsome face. “Nothing. Everything is okay.”

He kneels in front of me, his face level with mine. “Are you sure? You can talk to me about anything.”

“I was thinking about my mom.” But that’s all I say. I’m not sure if we’re temporary or if he’s in it for the long run, and I don’t want to burden him with my grief.

“She’d be so proud of you.” He grabs my hands and gives a light squeeze. “While you were gone, I visited with her a few times after she got sick. You were all she could talk about.” A soft smile graced his lips. “She always showed me your grades from university. All As, smarty pants.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“There were times you and Serenity were busy, so I dropped by to make sure she was okay.” He shrugs. “It was no big deal.”

My head is whirring with all of this new information. “You probably made her so happy.”

“Your mother always made sure to include me in everything when we were together. It was the least I could do.”

My heart swells so big that it feels like the dam will break and all of the water will come flooding out.

God. How did I ever think I moved on from this man? My heart always belonged to him, even now.

“Elias—”

He stands abruptly, cutting me off, and strides over to his suitcase. He closes his bag a little harder than necessary, and the movement is like whiplash. “Let’s get ready for bed. You probably need your rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

I blink a few times. That sudden change can’t be a good thing. “Is everything okay?”

Elias storms off to the bathroom without a word. A few moments later, the shower turns on. My stomach turns over. Is he mad? No, that doesn’t make any sense. Our last conversation wasn’t bad.

I grab Abigail’s bag and start searching for the wine. My old cow pillow I must’ve left at her childhood home is stuffed inside, and I pull it out. This will make my stay here a little homier. Squeezed to the side, I find the bottle of wine and place it on the kitchen counter. I go back to the bed to find my backpack, and I rummage through it. The lingerie my sister bought calls to me. Not only did she buy what I wore to the night club, but she also got me a second pair of matching panties and bra. The bright red is sexier than I usually wear, but I’m not usually trying to attract a man. Tonight I am though.