Page 111 of Heir

I wanted to cry, but I didn’t want to lose it in front of Dominic.

“I found her in front of the bar,” Dominic said. “Lost. It seems she came here for you.”

Kai took me into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, wishing he would hold me tighter and tighter still. Just a little tighter.

“Thanks, Dad,” Kai said, his chest rumbling.

Dominic said something, but I didn’t hear.

The door closed behind him.

“Baby, are you all right?”

I shook my head.

“What do you need from me?” he asked.

I gripped my hand around his shirt.

“Hold me tightly,” I said. He tightened his arms around me a fraction. “Tighter.”

He tightened a little bit more.

“Kai, please. Tighter. Hold me as tight as you can. Hold me so there is not a single inch of space between us.”

He tightened even more, to the point of pain. A good kind of pain.

Finally.

I could finally breathe again.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I could do this.

I closed my eyes, and I lost it.

18

KAI

Fuck,what the hell happened between the moment I’d dropped her off at work and now?

What could have put the haunted look in her eyes?

Who the fuck did I need to kill?

I tightened my hold around her, remembering what she said, while she broke down in my arms.

Each tear that hit my chest was like a fucking whip to my skin.

Anger coursed through me as my need to protect her and take away the hurt came through, but I didn’t know who the fuck I was protecting her from.

Finally, her sobs trailed off before they finally quietened altogether.

I rested my chin on the top of her head. I would stay standing here all fucking day if that was what she needed.

But then she shifted against me. I loosened my hold, and I lifted her up without saying anything.

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