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She fought to keep her hands in her lap, to keep from touching him, just to make certain he wasn't hurt, even though she knew he wasn't hurt. She felt his lips against the top of her head, his hand warming her arm under the sweater she wore. And she was terrified. For Chase.
"Protect me?" Chase lifted her face. Something in her voice, in the set of her body, filled him with a heat that threatened to burn him alive.
When his eyes met hers he felt that heat consume him. She wasn't worried about herself; the fear wasn't for herself. It was for him.
He felt his expression tighten. He couldn't help it. Emotion tore through him like an explosion, tightening his arms around her and clenching his t
eeth with brutal force.
Fuck. Damn her. She was ripping into his soul and there wasn't a damned thing he could do to stop her. No one had ever cared about his protection.
With the exception of Cameron, there had never been anyone who gave his life a thought above their own. Until Kia. It was her life in danger. She had been attacked, hurt, everything she owned brutalized, but she was worried about his protection?
"You watch my back, and I'll watch yours. " He lowered his head and whispered the words to her as Khalid and Cameron found something fascinating to watch outside the car windows.
He felt her start, her eyes dilating in surprise. The slightest lessening of tension, the hint of her heart rate easing.
"You would let me?" Her whisper low enough that he knew only he heard.
He touched her cheek, experiencing the same rush he always felt when he touched her skin.
"Any day of the week, any hour of the day. Keep your eyes on me, Kia. Mine will always be on you. "
Kia let her head rest against his chest then, inhaling with a slow, measured breath. Nothing could happen to him, not because of her, especially because of her. She couldn't live with herself if it did.
The drive back to Chase's apartment was made quickly and Kia had nearly managed to regain her balance when they pulled into the underground parking lot and she realized her parents were there.
"Who called Dad?" She wanted to scream in frustration then.
She loved her father and her mother. They were the bedrock of her life, but she knew exactly what was coming.
"Kia, I couldn't not let your father know," Chase chastised her gently. "He'd kill me. "
"He'd only hurt you a little," she snorted as the chauffeur opened the door. "I would have made it worth your while. "
She was aware of the surprised looks as the men moved from the car and Chase helped her out gently.
"He would have killed me," he reiterated. "And then you'd really have to make do with just the electric blanket. "
"There was more than that. " The brief byplay was easing her nerves, giving her more to concentrate on than her mother's tearful face.
"Remind me to spank you again for that one," he murmured in her ear as they neared her father's limo.
And of course he made certain he got in the last word.
"Kia, sweetheart. " Her father pulled her into a bear hug, his big arms wrapping around her like they used to when she was a child. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. "
"Oh God, Kia, I can't believe this is happening. " Her mother was next. Her small body trembled as she pulled her daughter into her embrace. "Thank God, Chase was there. "
"I'm fine, Mom. " She pulled back, shaking her head. She didn't want to talk about it. She couldn't bear to.
"We brought the clothes you had at the house. " Her mother gripped her hand. "Your closet was full there, remember? I brought your favorites for now. "
Her father and the chauffeur were pulling several suitcases and dress bags from the trunk of the limo.
God, all her clothes. She shook her head and lifted her hand. "I need a drink. "
