“Hey,” she said as she entered the room.
“Did I wake you?”
She snaked her arms around him and dropped a soft kiss on his mouth. “I sleep better when you’re beside me.”
He kissed her forehead. “I need to clear my head.”
Breaking away to give him space, she eased onto the sofa. “I’m a good listener.”
“I know that, but I’m not much of a talker, you know?”
The ticking wall clock interrupted the silence. It was ten after four.
“We’ve had two hours sleep. Come back to bed with me.” She didn’t want him riding around the city alone. But Sinclair Develin took orders from no one.
He held out his hand. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.”
Together, they returned to his bedroom, stripped off their clothes, and got into bed. Rather than snuggle, she laid on her back. “Can I hold you?”
He nuzzled her neck and threw his massive thigh over hers. Now blanketed by him, she relaxed into the mattress. For the moment, he was safe.
“I love touching you,” she murmured while running the pads of her fingers across his muscular back.
After a few silent moments of tender caressing, he sighed. “That feels good. I love your touch.”
In order for her to convey her true feelings, she had to tell him.C’mon, say it. Let him know. Be honest.As she willed herself to speak, she began trembling.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“No.”
He lifted his head. “What’s wrong?”
“I love you,” she whispered. “I’m crazy in love with you.”
A smile spread over his face as her heart raced in her chest. “Terrifying, huh?” Leaning on the pillow beside her, he caressed her shoulder.
“This is all new territory for me.” She rolled toward him. “I don’t know what to think. All I do is feel when I’m around you. I’m concerned something will happen to you and I won’t be able to stop it.” Her chest tightened with emotion. “And I’ll lose you.”
Finding her hand beneath the blankets, he lifted it out and kissed her palm. “I love you so much, it hurts.”
A tender kiss grew into a passionate embrace. As much as she wanted him, she needed to understand him better. Slowing the kiss, she broke away.
“For as long as we’re together, I will encourage you to thrive.” Pausing, she stroked his shoulder, appreciating the dips and striations of toned muscle lining his thick arm. “Until we find Uncle Charlie, I want you safe. And that means not taking unnecessary risks.”
He rolled onto his back, tucked his arm under his head. “I’m not afraid of Uncle Charlie. You and Dakota think about him more than I do.”
“Then, why are you always running? Who or what are you running from?”
* * *
Sin stared at the ceiling, illuminated in a soft glow by the streetlight outside. He’d kept the answer to her question a secret his entire life. Would telling Evangeline free him from his demons? He didn’t fucking know. What he did know was that he’d fallen deeply in love with her. And she had opened up to him. Maybe it was time for the quid pro quo she’d been requesting.
“My past. I’m running from my past.”
She leaned up on her elbow. The love in her eyes empowered him to continue. On a deep breath, he said, “I’d mentioned that my mom got mixed up with the wrong group after my dad died.”
“I remember.” She laid her hand on his chest. Her warmth soothed him.
