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“Where are you going?!” he snaps at my back, a mix of concern and demand in his tone.
I ignore him. Now that the house is somewhat safe, I need to get to the only thing that matters—Evangeline.
I make it halfway up the stairs before she barrels into me, already on her way down. She throws herself at me, and I grab the banister to stop myself from falling backward. I gather her in my arms, holding her close.
“I told you to hide, princess.”
“I saw the cars arrive outside,” she answers a little shakily, “and I couldn’t stand to wait any longer. I needed to know you were okay. I heard the guns…”
“If there’s one thing you should believe over anything else,” I say quietly as she buries her face in my chest, “it’s that I don’t break my promises. And those assholes had shit aim.”
That makes her giggle, and the sound soothes me.
“Thank you for protecting me,” she whispers and pulls back.
“Always,” I promise, half the word cut off as she winds her arms around my neck and kisses me wildly, like she’s trying to reassure herself that I’m truly okay.
The kiss tastes of need and blood, and I tighten my grip on her, kissing her back with all the force of my feelings for her.
The sound of someone pointedly clearing their throat breaks us apart, just as Evangeline flicks her tongue over the small split in my lip. My cock immediately hardens at that move, and I have to resist the urge to take her upstairs and show her just how committed I am to staking my claim.
When we turn to face whoever interrupted us, I’m not surprised to find Grant Graves staring at us. Arm around Evangeline’s waist, I lead us back down the stairs to where her father waits at the bottom. No doubt he’s seen everything that just happened between us.
“Enzo, what the—” he begins, but my girl cuts him off confidently.
“I love him, Dad,” she declares.
The confusion and anger in her father’s eyes die instantly, shock chasing the emotions away. The words ripple through me, and my grip on her tightens. Fuck.
I love her, too. Hearing her announce it, like she’s claiming me the way I’ve claimed her, makes me feel fucking feral for her.
“You…what?” Grant sputters, blinking at us.
“Ben betrayed us, tried to hurt me, and Enzo protected me,” she continues, swallowing thickly as she takes in the carnage around us. She gestures to it with a wave of her hand. “Clearly, he’s proven more than perfect for me. Just look at how well he fought for me. He didn’t even get more than a cut on his lip, either. There’s no one else that could have done what he’s done, Dad.”
Grant inhales deeply and rubs his hand over his face. Some of the tension in his shoulders drops. “Evangeline, I was so worried,” he breathes, relief obvious in his expression. “Enzo, thank you for protecting my daughter, even against your own. She’s right, I couldn’t imagine a better person to be by her side than someone so clearly capable of keeping her safe.”
I incline my head in his direction, pleased that despite his shock, he seems not to have any objection to our relationship. He’s probably still riding an adrenaline high from the worry he must have felt for his daughter, and I let Evangeline go so she can hug her dad. Grant embraces her, and over her shoulder, he gives me a single nod of approval.
Which is good because even if he objected, there’s no fucking way I’m letting my princess go.
She’s mine.
Grant and I stay by Evangeline’s side as the rest of the team files the attempted kidnappers into the back of an armored van. As we exit, two guards drag a half-conscious and cursing Ben out of the house. There’s a bruise blooming on his forehead, accompanied by a nasty-looking lump, and the anger he’s spewing barely disguises the fear in his eyes.
I’ll see to it that he receives the maximum punishment possible for his involvement in this.
But right now, my focus is getting Evangeline back home and safe. Everything else can be dealt with later.
6
EVANGELINE
I spend the drive back curled up on Enzo’s lap while he gives the full report to my father. I listen to his heartbeat instead of the conversation, head resting against his chest, the soothing thump thump of the steady rhythm helping me relax.
Relief doesn’t begin to describe the way I feel as we pull up to the house. The threats are truly gone, and, even better, I’ll never have to deal with Ben ever again. I’m so glad that Enzo’s okay. It’s unreal, though I can’t deny the urge I have to inspect every inch of him to ensure that there really is no other injury I can’t see yet.
I meant what I said to my father when I kissed Enzo in front of him.
