Page 64 of The Forbidden Bodyguard

I let her go.

My heart beats so loudly it’s almost deafening as her feet pad across the beige carpet.

“Then walk out that door and tell me you feel nothing for me,” I challenge.

Her mouth parts, and I see fear flash in her eyes.

Fuck.

If she leaves, it's going to break something inside me, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever recover. Even if I went after her, things between us would never be the same.

Do not leave, sweetheart.

Regardless of what she decides, I won’t let this entrapment continue. I’ll do whatever it takes. When she doesn’t move, I cross the room and take her in my arms once more, then cup the side of her jaw.

“Let me help you.”

She breaks down on my chest. “You don’t understand.”

“Yeah, sweetie. I do. This is what I do,” I reply roughly.

I’m going to do absolutely everything in my power to free Stella from this untenable and dangerous situation. Then, if she still wants me at the end of all this...I don’t think that far.

Right now, my job is to protect her.

Things are about to get even more uncomfortable for her, but at least she didn’t walk away from me.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

STELLA

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What I should do is walk out the door. I should pull out of Declan’s strong, safe arms and leave his apartment where there’s no risk of telling him everything.

Of risking his life.

Tomorrow is my last day of freedom. I don’t care about my manuscript or my deadline. I don’t care about my parents who cannot love me if they are doing this. I just want to spend it with Declan and pretend he’s my boyfriend and I’m a normal girl.

One last day of pretending I’m a woman falling in love with an amazing man.

Tonight, Declan has burst that fantasy, and I sort of hate him for it.

You don’t understand.

Yeah, sweetie. I do. This is what I do.

No, this is different. He can’t call his SEAL team buddies and fly in on some helicopter during the wedding and save the girl.

I’m the girl. If I don’t marry Tony, he kills my dad. Nothing can change that. Only me saying I do.

Then walk out that door and tell me you feel nothing for me.

I couldn’t move when he said those words. My heart tightened, and it felt as if I was about to lose the one true thing in my life. I froze as we stared at one another, my heart pounding.

I thought he was going to ask me to leave, and strangely, of all the things happening, I think that would have killed me.

But he didn’t.