Page 53 of Timeless

If she was marrying anyone it would be me. How I was going to pull that off, I didn’t know yet.

“Amber, turn around. Look at me.” I was standing behind her, and she was glaring down at the suitcase on her bed. She was ignoring me. “Amber, do what you’re told!” I yelled at her, my temper getting the best of me, and I gripped her shoulder, forcing her to turn around.

I could tell she wasn’t used to being yelled at because her eyes were wide, and she took a step away from me. That look on her face again, like I would hurt her.

She looked scared, nah, fuck that, terrified. I was triple her size and she knew that.

But I wasn’t going to hit her for ignoring me. I would never lay a finger on her and any man who did… well, they were dead, by my hand.

I reached out to cup her face but as soon as I moved my hand, she flinched and shut her eyes, bracing for impact. I was sick immediately. She actually thought I’d hit her. She wasn’t used to being hit, was she?

Did Will hit her?

Or did she just think I was that pissed off?

I cupped the side of her face, my thumb running over her wet cheek. “Amber, open your eyes,” I said softly. I shouldn’t have yelled at her.

She didn’t open her eyes.

“Sweetheart, look at me. I’m not going to hurt you.” My other hand went to her face.

I needed her to open her eyes. For her to see I wasn’t going to hurt her. I didn’t know what had me thinking I had a right to do it but I was doing it anyway. I brushed my lips against hers. Her lips were warm and sent an instant wave of love through my body.

Tyler was lucky to have been her brother because if any other man had stopped me from taking her this morning, they would have gotten a bullet.

Her lips were still against mine. I think she was still expecting me to hurt her.

She was worked up. I needed to calm her down. Taking her hand, I placed it under my vest, next to the strap of my holster and over my heart. She didn’t know—hell, she would have forgotten by now—but her hand was right over her name, which was tattooed into my skin.

Every day for six years and four months, I would stare in the bathroom mirror at her name. Every time I showered, I saw it in the mirror. And it was the only reminder I had, that my memories hadn’t deluded and made her up completely.

“Calm down, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you.” I held her hand over my heart. If she knew that my heart was beating just for her, she wouldn’t be thinking I’d hurt her. How the heck could she think I would hurt her?

Her eyes opened slowly, and she looked at her hand, which was over my heart.

“You feeling better?” I had one hand over hers and the other on her cheek.

“Jack comes first.” Her eyes went from our hands to look me in the eye. “Which means I move to the UK and I marry Tae.”

Not happening. “How’s that putting Jack first? And what happened to Will, who you were planning on spending the rest of your life with?”

“He got us” She clamped her mouth shut like she hadn’t realized she was speaking. She shook her head, trying to pull her hand away.

“He got you what?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re keeping something from me.” I closed the gap between us. “Tell me what it is?”

I watched her face twist into concern and then wipe of expression. Whenever she hid her expression from me, it was a sure sign she was in trouble or pushing me away.

“You should go, Jax. I can’t have you meeting Jack now. Not when you think it’s okay just to walk in and out of his life. Anyway, I’m planning on getting on that plane with him.”

“And marrying Tae?”

She nodded. “He loves me.” She looked up at me, her breathing now steady. “He loves Jack. Always has.”

“I won’t let you go.” Not now, not ever. Even if I had left, as soon as I heard she was leaving, I’d be back. Making sure she stayed in a country I controlled. “You aren’t leaving.”

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