Page 60 of Haunted Spurs

He immediately takes that as a yes. Two massive, strong, warm arms wrap around my shoulders and my back, engulfing me completely. He pulls me against him with a protective force that makes my knees buckle. I cling to his t-shirt, burying my face in the crook of his neck. His scent saturates my lungs. He's a lifeline dropped into a sea of madness.

"I think..." he whispers into my hair, "I needed that."

I close my eyes, letting his heat melt the ice gripping my bones.

"Me too," I answer in a broken whisper, admitting, for once, to a vulnerability that terrifies me.

We stay like that for an indeterminate amount of time. But then, I feel the muscle of his jaw tense against my forehead. His grip shifts imperceptibly.

"Selene... listen to me carefully now."

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heartbeat quickens.

Instinct freezes my blood.

"No." It's an instinctive, desperate denial.

"You don't know what I'm going to say," he murmurs, his voice terrifyingly calm.

Pure panic takes over.

"I already know what you're going to say," I shoot back, my voice rising half an octave.

His right hand lifts and begins to slowly stroke the back of my neck. His fingers slide through my hair. I know this isn't a good sign. This caress is a silent goodbye, the gesture of someone about to do something incredibly stupid and noble. I hold him tighter. I dig my fingers into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer, trying to keep him anchored to me, to stop him from moving.

"Listen..." Ron whispers, dipping his face toward mine. "It's just a human being out there. Monsters don't exist."

I cut him off. "Human beings can be worse than monsters, Willers."

I feel a heavy sigh lift his chest. "I'm not going to just wait in here for that psycho to pick us off one by one, Selene. And, more importantly, I am not going to put you in danger."

I squeeze him even tighter, locking my arms around his waist.

The idea that he wants to protect me, that he is willing to go out there against an axe-wielding killer just to keep me safe... is staggering. It's a direct hit to my soul. No one has ever protected me. No one has ever put themselves between me and danger.

"Come on," he starts again, trying to use his usual breezy tone to defuse my terror. "I was a college athlete, you know? I've got a pretty good chance of kicking his ass."

Despite myself, my lips tremble and a tiny, desperate smile forms against his shoulder. Only Ron Willers could make me laugh at a time like this.

"Are you making fun of me?" he grumbles, feigning offense. A warm vibration runs through his chest. "I'm not in that bad of shape, come on."

"I can see that," I whisper, the words slipping out without a filter. "But you're the one kidding yourself if you think I'm going to let you go."

His arms tighten even more around me. He ducks his head and presses a kiss into my hair. A long, firm, disarming kiss.

No. I'm shaking again. He can't do this. He can't play the hero for me and get himself killed.

"I'm just asking you for one thing..." he murmurs, his voice suddenly sounding incredibly fragile. "I'm just asking you to... take care of Ollie... he doesn't have anyone else."

The world crumbles.

A hot tear escapes, sliding quickly down my cheek.

He's the one who doesn't have anyone else. And yet he still takes care of everyone. He keeps smiling and being upbeat and I... I am sobbing now.

A horrible, strangled sob bursts from my chest, tearing at my throat. I'm crying because of his goodness, I'm crying because of his past, I'm crying because I'm terrified of losing him. I'm crying because I'm just an idiot barricaded behind useless fears and I didn't see—no, I stubbornly refused to see—how rare and wonderful this man is.