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“Dani, take my hands.”
She didn’t hesitate and immediately felt calluses on his palms, and warmth, and strength.
“This is me, swearing that I won’t let him hurt you. I will protect you with my life.”
The tears rolled. “I don’t want that kind of sacrifice,” she whispered.
“But that’s what I swear to do every day when I go to work. I have sworn to uphold the law and protect the innocent. I’m doing this because I want to.”
She let go of his hands, lifted her chin in quiet defiance, and swiped at the tears on her cheeks.
“Have you eaten?” she asked.
“No.”
“Good. Neither have I. We have choices. Follow me.”
In that moment, Aaron saw the resilience of her spirit. She wasn’t just a pretty face. He’d known that all along. But she’d just given him a glimpse of so much more. His jaw set as he fell into step behind her. He was already attracted to her and knew it would be so easy to fall head over heels in love with her. But the timing sucked. The last thing she needed was another man wanting something from her she wasn’t willing to give.
After eating food from the supermarket deli and cleaning up the kitchen in mutual silence, Dani dried her hands and turned to face him.
“What now?”
He shrugged. “I’m up for anything, or I can leave you alone. It’s your call.”
“TV for a while,” she said.
He nodded. “I’m going to turn on porch lights, front and back. There’s a door from the garage that leads out into the backyard. Do you ever use it?”
“No.”
“Good. Then I’m going to pull my car all the way up against the door. I’ll cover the inside of the houseand keep a lookout outside. Tomorrow, I’m going to get Sean to install some security cameras.”
“Is there a place to buy them here?” Dani asked.
“Yes. I’ll deal with that,” he said.
“Just keep the receipts so I can reimburse you,” she said.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, took his car keys to the garage, and pulled his car all the way up to the exit door, then went inside and found her on the sofa. “Now then, what are we watching? What’s your fancy?”
“What do you like to watch?” she asked.
“You pick first,” he said.
“What if you don’t like it?”
“It won’t matter. This is your house, Dani girl. You’re in charge.”
She picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and began flipping channels until she found the Food Network.
“I like to watch cooking competitions,” she said.
“And I like to eat. Match made in heaven,” he said, and sat down at the other end of the sofa.
“Do you think he’ll come tonight?” Dani asked.
“He’ll scope the place out for sure. But not until later when all the lights are out. Now, back to the contest. Let’s see what they’re doing and get a look at their skills, and then we’ll pick who we think is going to win.”
