Page 243 of Where We Stay
For years, I thought safety meant locked doors, changed names and checking every window twice.
Maybe it can be this too.
Dean hearing the smallest catch in my breath and immediately stopping.
Someone touching me without taking.
Someone strong enough to overpower me, choosing gentleness instead.
Dean catches me staring at him. “What?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head.
“That’s bullshit.”
“I was just thinking.”
“Dangerous.”
“Shut up.”
His mouth lifts into a grin. “What were you thinking about?”
I hesitate before squeezing his hand. “That this feels different.”
His smile fades. “Different bad?”
“No.” I look directly into his eyes. “Different safe.”
Something raw passes over his face. Dean leans down and presses his lips to my forehead.
“I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you feel that way.”
My eyes sting. “Dean.”
“I mean it.”
“I know.”
That might be the strangest part.
I believe him completely.
His hand returns to my stomach, rubbing his thumb over my shirt. “I still can’t believe you’re pregnant.”
“You’ve had, what, twenty minutes to process it?”
“Not enough.”
“How long do you need?”
“Nine months.”
I laugh. “Jesus.”
“Maybe longer.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
