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I regret my impatience. Had I stopped and thought for one second, I would have never followed her into that club. I would have paced myself, introduced her to this life slowly, eased her in with proper planning, security, warnings. It’s too late for that now. Last night’s exit ensured the peace and quiet of the life she knew yesterday is now gone.
The hounds will be on her from here on out. As long as we’re linked together, they’ll want a piece of her, and that knowledge kills me.
What kind of selfish bastard subjects someone he cares for to this life? It’s bad enough that Caleb will suffer thanks to me, but I don’t want that for Raelynn. I wish there were another way.
A quiet voice inside my head points out that there is another way.
I could give her back.
I could have my security team drive her home and set her right back into her old life. I could concoct an elaborate diversion with my PR team, be seen around town with another girl, and let Raelynn drift right back into anonymity.
The thought makes me sick to my stomach.
I’m not the man I wish I were, someone honorable and good.
I want her too much to send her back. I’ve been living and suffering without her for so long. Surely I’ve paid my dues. Surely I’m owed an ounce of happiness.
I trace a finger down her arm as my throat squeezes tight.
Ultimately, it will be her decision whether she stays or goes, I know that. But I won’t do the right thing; I won’t push her away to make it easier. I can’t.
I drag her closer. She moans quietly in her sleep as I wrap my arms around her and kiss her hair. Her scent fills the air around me, and I breathe deeply as she falls back asleep beside me, her hand flat on my chest.
A little after seven AM, she finally stirs and sits up, rubbing her eyes as she takes in her surroundings.
“How long have you been awake?”
I damn near blush. “A while.”
“Just watching me sleep like a weirdo?”
I chuckle, but I don’t deny it.
She sits up a little more, tucking her hair behind her ear and looking away, almost self-conscious. I reach for her, cupping the back of her neck and tugging her closer to me so I can kiss her cheek.
I tell her she looks so fucking gorgeous just to see that red creep up her neck and color her cheeks. She’s so easy to tease, so responsive and earnest in bed. I’ve been hungry for an hour, was contemplating what I could make us for breakfast, but now I drag Raelynn down onto the bed and decide we’ll stay here a little while longer, just kissing, nothing more. God. It’s torture to keep my hands in check, to resist the urge to dip my hand beneath my shirt she’s wearing.
It’s nearly eight before we manage to get up and leave my bedroom.
“I’m so hungry I feel lightheaded,” she says, half teasing.
I grab her hand just in case she’s about to pass out on me and lead her toward the kitchen.
Nina is in there, meal-prepping some lunches and dinners for me. She’s slightly younger than Donna, not quite sixty, with a tiny bit of gray overtaking her short black hair near her temples. She’s petite, but she makes up for it with her personality. She’s got a lot of it crammed into her small frame.
She beams when she sees me coming, then that smile drops completely, replaced with slack-jawed shock when she sees Raelynn tucked by my side.
“Ben, good morning! I didn’t realize you had company.”
She’s already flying, grabbing for a towel so she can wipe her hands clean before rushing over.
“Nina, it’s fine. You keep doing what you were doing. I was just going to make breakfast for us.”
“Of course. Yes.” She nods and reaches out her hand for Raelynn. The smile on her face says it all. “I’m Nina, Mr. Castillo’s housekeeper.”
“And right-hand woman,” I add.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Raelynn,” she says, beaming.
Nina has been with me for years. She’s the one who connected me with Donna. They’re cousins and thick as thieves. When they’re both here, the house is never quiet, and I like it that way.
“You’re beautiful,” Nina tells Raelynn. “Look at you. Pure sunshine.”
I smile, glad someone else sees it.
Raelynn blushes and shakes her head, glancing down at the clothes she’s wearing. “I’m…this isn’t…I usually look more put together.”
Nina waves away her explanation. She’s old school and traditional, but she doesn’t seem to mind one bit that I had a woman stay over last night.
“Tell you what, I’m already in cooking mode. Why don’t you two grab some coffee and head outside and I’ll bring you breakfast?”
She’s already shooing us along, not giving me a chance to protest.
