Page 3 of You Are My Every Reason

I enter the room, locking the door behind me to make sure no one decides to come in. There’s a couch on one side of the office, and I walk toward it. The girl shivers, snuggling closer to my body, trying to get warm. Fuck.

“Dollface, we need to get these wet clothes off of you. I need you to open your eyes and help me.” The last thing I want to do is let go of her, but she’ll freeze if we don’t get her out of those wet undergarments.

I sit down on the couch with her in my lap, my fingers coming up to once again brush her hair from her face. I should probably keep my hands to myself, but I can’t when it comes to this girl. I stare down at her, willing her to open her eyes.

“Where am I?” Her voice comes out in a whisper.

“Safe,” I reassure her. She takes a deep breath before she opens her eyes for me. The greenest eyes I’ve ever seen stare back at me, taking my breath away and knocking me down for the count.

An overwhelming feeling of protectiveness and something else I can’t explain fills me. For the first time in my life, a sense of calm comes over me, and I know she’s the reason.

ChapterThree

FALLON

Safe. That’s far from true. I don’t think I have ever been safe. The word is almost foreign to me.

I stare up into dark eyes that are filled with shadows. His dark hair is cut short, revealing a small scar near his temple. It’s such a contrast to the rest of his handsome face. The man's features are all perfect. So perfect it’s almost painful to stare at. He gives me a soft smile, but there is a feral tilt to it. It should scare me, but it doesn’t.

“There you are.” His voice is gruff, and he once again brushes his fingers against my face, letting them glide down my cheek in a soft caress that doesn’t match his big, paw-sized hands that have angry marks on the knuckles. All of him is a contrast that is fascinating and impossible to read.

“You got a name, dollface?” I keep my lips pressed together, not daring to speak, not sure what I should or shouldn't say. “All right, that’s fine. I’ll keep calling you dollface then. It’s fitting.” He tucks me in closer to him. His huge body is warm, dwarfing me in comparison. “Name's Emmerich, but everyone calls me Rich,” he tells me. Rich stares at me for a long moment, letting out a breath.

“You scared the shit out of me. Can you tell me if you’re hurt anywhere?” I bite the inside of my cheek. “All right, I don’t know if I need to call someone.” I start to shake my head no. “A doctor?” I shake it faster. I don’t want him to call anyone. My father and the man I was arranged to marry both have a far reach. There’s no telling who can be trusted.

“Hey,” he says in a soothing voice. “I won’t call anyone. Damn, you’re scared of something, aren’t you?” He has no idea. I should probably tell him that he should leave me alone, not to help me because it could put him in danger, but the selfish part of me can’t. I want to enjoy this feeling of comfort for as long as I can.

I tense when I hear a banging sound. My eyes fly over to the door. I grab hold of Rich’s arm, turning my body more into him and pressing my face against his bare chest.

“Hold on!” Rich shouts, making me shiver at the ferocity, but the banging stops. “Shit, sorry. You’re okay. I promise.” I pull back to stare up into his eyes, wanting to believe him. “I think we should get out of here. Away from the dock.”

Rich tries to move me, but I don’t let go of him. “I’m going to slide this hoodie over you to make sure you’re all covered and to help keep you warm till I get you someplace else.” Reluctantly, I let my hold on him go because I do want to get out of here. I need whatever space I can get from my father’s boat. I’m sure people are already looking for me, and if they aren’t, they will be soon enough. The dock will likely be one of the first places they search.

"Good girl." Rich slides me out from his hold and sits me on the couch.

He pulls away the hoodie that was lying across me, reminding me that I'm only in my panties and bra. I don't get a chance to try and cover myself before he’s putting the hoodie over my head, covering me up. His rich, warm smell surrounds me, and I know it belongs to him. Oddly, the sweater helps calm me.

“Now, I’m going to open that door.” My hand flies out and grabs his forearm to stop him before I can think. He mutters something under his breath, and I pull my hand back, not wanting to upset him.

“Hey.” He grabs my hand. “You can touch me anytime you want. I’m just pissed that you’re so scared, all right?” Rich ducks his head, leaning in closer. “Got me?” I nod my head. “Good girl,” he says again. I don’t know why the two words warm me from the inside, but they do. “Now, I’m opening the door because my sister and her husband are on the other side, and I’m sure she is freaking out.”

My eyes glance from the door back to him. Why would she be freaking out? I want to ask, but still I can’t bring myself to speak.

“They’re worried is all. And I’m going to need them to drive us home because?—”

Home? I wrap my arms around myself, not wanting to go home, but I think he’s talking about his own. “Fuck.” Rich scoops me back into his arms and into his lap. “Come in.” He says it loudly. A few seconds later, I hear the sound of the lock clicking before the door opens.

A girl with dark hair and glasses comes rushing in with a man right behind her. “Is she okay?” I can see the concern in her eyes. I recognize her voice, and I’m guessing they are the two other people I heard vaguely on the dock.

“I want to get her out of here.” Rich stands. I wrap my arms around his neck to hold on to him.

“Is there trouble following her?” the man behind the girl asks.

“Don’t know, but I’m not chancing it, and she’s not too chatty.”

“Princess. You wait here while I pull my car to the back door,” the man says to the girl. She nods up at him. He drops a kiss on the top of her head. The two of them look like night and day, and I mean that literally. He’s in all black, tattooed up and down his arms, and she is in a bright pink sweater and has a bow in her hair.

The man disappears back through the door. “You think someone is after her?” The girl shifts on her feet. She and Rich might not look much alike, but you can see some of the similarities in their features that they are related.

---