Page 41 of Scarred Heart

And there was one second, no more than that, when I saw myself pitching him over the railing and letting him fall after putting my baby in harm’s way.Now I understood the urgency.The secrecy.The fact that we had to go straight to the hotel without even stopping off for clothes.

A shockwave rolled over me, making me grip the railing to hold myself upright.“What you’re telling me is…” I whispered, shaking.“Hannah and I could’ve been in danger because of you.And that if you had left us alone, we wouldn’t be in danger.Does that about sum it up?”

“He might have found you either way.”Just when I was about to scream, he added, “But yes, I sped up the process.I know that.I should have known he would get desperate once we squashed all the shit he dug up on Miles.”He raked a hand through his hair, groaning.

“You knew this man was dangerous, and you neglected to add that part when you told me about him?”

“I didn’t think?—”

“That’s right!You didn’t think!You pulled our daughter into this, and you didn’t fucking think about it!How could you be so oblivious?”

I wanted him to fight.To shout and defend himself.I wanted an excuse to tear into him.What he gave me was a resigned sigh and slumped shoulders.“You’re absolutely right.I lost sight of what mattered.”

“That’s a nice way of saying you dropped the fucking ball,” I muttered.

“You think this isn’t killing me?Do you think my stomach didn’t drop when I heard about that photo?”

“Poor you,” I retorted, shaking my head and looking him up and down.It was like I had never seen him before.Just when I thought I understood him.“It’s killing you?I have a child in there who depends on me, and you put her in danger.Sorry if I don’t pity you.”

He straightened slowly, his features twisting in disappointment when he looked down at me.“She’s my daughter too.You don’t think I’m afraid for her?You don’t think she was my first thought?”

My heart swelled despite me very much wanting it not to.I needed it to harden, not to melt over a few empty words.“How would I know?”I countered.“You can decide at any point that you would rather walk away.”

He threw his arms into the air, barking out a laugh.“What do I have to do to prove I’m not interested in walking away?I don’t do that unless I’m forced into it by asshole parents, or have you forgotten?”

When he reached for me, I backed away, refusing to be touched.No matter how much I wanted to be in his arms and rest my aching head against his chest.This was all so much, and I needed something to cling to.

But this was also his fault.“What do we do?”I asked, wrapping my arms around my trembling body.“How am I supposed to give her a life if we have to worry about this guy following us, maybe hurting us?”

“I swear to you, I’m working on that.This is going to end soon.”He lowered his brow, nostrils flaring, teeth grinding.It was both chilling and strangely exciting.“He’s going to regret ever drawing his first breath by the time I’m finished with him.The point of getting you two here was making sure you’re safe while we figure out what comes next.I’m going to arrange for security in the meantime.”

His hands cupped my shoulders, and this time, I couldn’t fight him off.Not when I needed his nearness more than anything.Something real, solid, strong.For too long, I’d had to rely on myself and my family for Hannah’s needs.But what about me?For once, I just needed the physical support, the comfort for me.And here he was, offering me what I so desperately wanted.And as I let my body take what he was offering, my mind drifted back to how we got here, the frantic phone call.It was enough to know he was in this.That he cared.

I let him pull me in and wrap his arms around me tightly enough to squeeze the air from my lungs.His heart pounded wildly under my ear when I touched it to his firm chest.The throbbing in my head eased like magic.We would get through this.How did the impossible seem possible now that I was with him?

“I’ve got this.I’ve gotyou.” His lips pressed against my forehead, then my temple, turning the iciness in my veins to something warmer and very familiar.Maybe it was so many days spent without his touch, his kiss.Maybe it was the heightened emotion and excitement of the day.

Whatever it was, it convinced me to tilt my head back and be kissed by him.To let him sweep me away with his lips, with his soft, urgent breaths.With his tongue, once it stroked mine, delving into my mouth, claiming it the way he had so many times before.I would never get tired of it.

What was happening to me?This was the man I should’ve resented to my last breath.Instead, I was clinging to him, kissing him hard, searching for some connection in the middle of so much confusion.He buried a hand in my hair, his touch tender and passionate.My pussy warmed and went moist as deep desire flared to life.Pleasure replaced fear, promising escape.Oblivion.I craved it with all of me.

There was one problem.

“I’m walking into the living room now!”Hannah’s voice rang out, echoing in the suite thanks to the way she raised it.“So if any grown-ups are kissing, they should stop!”

She must have already come out and spotted us.We laughed together before I ran my hands over my hair, putting it back into place.“Good thing nobody’s doing that!”I called out, extricating myself from Spencer’s embrace and opening the door further.It was time to put on a happy face again.“I have an idea.Let’s order room service.I skipped breakfast, and I’m starved.”

Hannah and Spencer exchanged a glance that contained a thousand words.“Do they have ice cream on the menu?”she asked.

For once, I wouldn’t put up an argument.Not this weekend.

15

SPENCER

Throughout the day, I’d started forcing myself to push it to the back of my mind for Hannah’s sake, but over the course of the afternoon and evening, I had been able to forget about it once in a while, even as Hannah went on an endless monologue about her favorite pop singers.Wasn’t she too young for that?I didn’t know shit about it, apparently.

Roughly twelve hours after I learned about the break-in, Bruce finally had a report for me.When the call came through, I stepped into one of the two bedrooms and closed the door while Rowan and Hannah played around on the piano in the living room.The sounds of their laughter mingled with the tinkling of the keys.Somehow that made the reason for the call seem that much darker in comparison.

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