sure you
would be safe.”
I tensed and drew my hands into fists. “So,
what? You’re just going to stand out here every night for the
rest of my life?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he
said.
“Right.” I nodded. “And you do
this for all your employees?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what makes me so special that I get
the privilege of your company twenty-four-seven?”
“First of all, you have no idea how to take
care of yourself.”
Anger pulsed through me.
“Don’t even go there,” I
shouted. “I have been taking care of myself since I was five
years old.”
“Not against people like him.”
“No, but from what I can tell, Azure and
most of the staff there at Venom wouldn’t be able to protect
themselves against him. Even you had fear in your eyes when you were
talking about him.”
Rend pushed against the tree and moved a step
closer. I took one step back.
“Just because I’m afraid of him
doesn’t mean I couldn’t destroy him if I wanted to,”
he said.
“You’re saying that’s what you
would do? If he showed up here tonight, right now? That’s what
you would do? You would risk your own life for me?”
He stepped toward me and I backed away. My foot
caught on the edge of the sidewalk and I fell. Rend’s form
blurred and his arms wrapped around me, pulling me to him.
Breathless, I stared up at him, rain falling from
him onto me as he held me. “How did you do that?” I
asked. “How did you move that fast?”
“I told you, there are so many things about
this world you cannot even begin to comprehend.” He stared down
into my eyes and I was glad he was holding me because my entire body
turned to liquid. “You shouldn’t be out here in the rain
like this.”
I cursed my body for shivering against him, but
the wind had picked up and I was soaked through.
“I needed to talk to you,” I said.
“We could talk inside,” he said,
glancing up at the apartment building.
He lifted me and set me back on my feet, but he
didn’t remove his arms from around me.
“I’m not inviting you up,” I
said.
He lifted his chin, his lips pressed tight.
“You’re infuriating, you know that?”
“Only because you make me that way,” I
said. “And you didn’t answer my question.”
“We can talk about it tomorrow. You’re
going to get sick if you stay out here.”
“No, we need to talk about this right now,”
I said. I knew I should push away from him. My brain didn’t
work when he was this close. But the warmth of his body felt so
incredible, I couldn’t force myself away.
“Yes,” he said. His eyes moving over
my face. “I would risk my life for you.”
My heart stopped for a moment and time stood
still. Logically, I knew he didn’t mean that he cared about me.
I knew he had sworn to protect everyone who worked for him.
But there was something in his eyes that defied
logic.
“Why?” I asked, my breath barely a
whisper in the wind.
Against my hands, his chest rose and fell in short
breaths.
“Why am I worth so much to you?” I
felt the door inside my heart opening to him again and even though a
part of me wanted to slam it closed, there was a part of me that
still hoped we could be something more. I realized I wasn’t
ready to give up on that hope just yet. “You barely know me.
Why take this risk for me?”
I swallowed. I was scared to go any further into
this conversation.
He didn’t say anything, but I could feel his
heart beating fast against the palm of my hand.
“I’ve tried to make sense of this in
my mind ever since you kissed me earlier,” I said, unable to
stop myself. “It feels like there could be something between
us. Something real that goes beyond you agreeing to protect me
because I work for you. But every time you get close to me, you pull
away, and I don’t know what to believe anymore. Have I imagined
this? Do you want me? Or are you just playing some kind of game with
my heart?”
He was quiet for a long moment as my
would be safe.”
I tensed and drew my hands into fists. “So,
what? You’re just going to stand out here every night for the
rest of my life?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he
said.
“Right.” I nodded. “And you do
this for all your employees?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what makes me so special that I get
the privilege of your company twenty-four-seven?”
“First of all, you have no idea how to take
care of yourself.”
Anger pulsed through me.
“Don’t even go there,” I
shouted. “I have been taking care of myself since I was five
years old.”
“Not against people like him.”
“No, but from what I can tell, Azure and
most of the staff there at Venom wouldn’t be able to protect
themselves against him. Even you had fear in your eyes when you were
talking about him.”
Rend pushed against the tree and moved a step
closer. I took one step back.
“Just because I’m afraid of him
doesn’t mean I couldn’t destroy him if I wanted to,”
he said.
“You’re saying that’s what you
would do? If he showed up here tonight, right now? That’s what
you would do? You would risk your own life for me?”
He stepped toward me and I backed away. My foot
caught on the edge of the sidewalk and I fell. Rend’s form
blurred and his arms wrapped around me, pulling me to him.
Breathless, I stared up at him, rain falling from
him onto me as he held me. “How did you do that?” I
asked. “How did you move that fast?”
“I told you, there are so many things about
this world you cannot even begin to comprehend.” He stared down
into my eyes and I was glad he was holding me because my entire body
turned to liquid. “You shouldn’t be out here in the rain
like this.”
I cursed my body for shivering against him, but
the wind had picked up and I was soaked through.
“I needed to talk to you,” I said.
“We could talk inside,” he said,
glancing up at the apartment building.
He lifted me and set me back on my feet, but he
didn’t remove his arms from around me.
“I’m not inviting you up,” I
said.
He lifted his chin, his lips pressed tight.
“You’re infuriating, you know that?”
“Only because you make me that way,” I
said. “And you didn’t answer my question.”
“We can talk about it tomorrow. You’re
going to get sick if you stay out here.”
“No, we need to talk about this right now,”
I said. I knew I should push away from him. My brain didn’t
work when he was this close. But the warmth of his body felt so
incredible, I couldn’t force myself away.
“Yes,” he said. His eyes moving over
my face. “I would risk my life for you.”
My heart stopped for a moment and time stood
still. Logically, I knew he didn’t mean that he cared about me.
I knew he had sworn to protect everyone who worked for him.
But there was something in his eyes that defied
logic.
“Why?” I asked, my breath barely a
whisper in the wind.
Against my hands, his chest rose and fell in short
breaths.
“Why am I worth so much to you?” I
felt the door inside my heart opening to him again and even though a
part of me wanted to slam it closed, there was a part of me that
still hoped we could be something more. I realized I wasn’t
ready to give up on that hope just yet. “You barely know me.
Why take this risk for me?”
I swallowed. I was scared to go any further into
this conversation.
He didn’t say anything, but I could feel his
heart beating fast against the palm of my hand.
“I’ve tried to make sense of this in
my mind ever since you kissed me earlier,” I said, unable to
stop myself. “It feels like there could be something between
us. Something real that goes beyond you agreeing to protect me
because I work for you. But every time you get close to me, you pull
away, and I don’t know what to believe anymore. Have I imagined
this? Do you want me? Or are you just playing some kind of game with
my heart?”
He was quiet for a long moment as my
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