Page 64 of Ballrooms & Blackmail

Help me protect her. Help me keep her safe.

Because River is everything the Lyons would love to destroy.

“You know the security we have in place is more than sufficient,” he says as I climb into my car.

I want to tell him fuck that, tell him to double everything, to triple it.

But he’s right.

Even now Pascal’s men are watching. I can feel their stares burning into me.

Gritting my teeth together, I hit the button to start up the engine, start backing out of my spot.

“But you need to think about something else,” Pascal says.

“What?” I ask quickly. What angle have I missed? What risk am I not protecting her from?

“Protecting her isn’t just physical.”

I frown.

“Her heart, Thorn,” he murmurs when I don’t ask. “You need to take care with her heart.”

God, I’ve been nothing but careful.

Except, I don’t get to tell him that. Because the fuck is still talking, still speaking, saying words that tear through me.

“You can’t protect her by shutting her out.”

I grit my teeth together. “That’s not what I’m doing.”

He sighs heavily. “She’s not stupid, son.”

No, she’s not. Because she already knows I’m keeping things from her, already knows they’re heavy and painful.

But if she knows everything…

No.

She can’t know everything, can’t know what I’ve done to survive, the horrible things, the manipulative things, the things that will make her look at me like I’m a monster far worse than her asshole of an ex.

“I know she’s not stupid,” I hedge.

“Well, she’s also stronger than you think.”

“I know that too.”

Pascal is quiet for a long moment. Then he sighs, says, “Then think about what it will mean to her if you trust her with every part of you.”

I suck in a breath, but he’s not done destroying me.

“And what it will mean if you don’t.”

Twenty

River

Heart full, I turn away from the elevator to see that Girls’ Night has taken over.