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“Please...I can’t...I can’t do this right now,” she said with a whimper.

Furrowing his brow, Kade wrapped his arms around his love and gently pulled her onto his lap. He hadn’t meant to cause her distress. He was just so excited to finally tell her about that night and their connection. It was obvious that she wasn’t ready to accept what she was, he would have to ease her into things. It was alright, though. They still had time before Bloodbayne requested a meeting with her.

“Shhh, it’s ok. You’re alright,” he purred, nuzzling his lips against the crown of her head. “You don’t have to worry, I took care of the cleanup for you. I made it look like it was a hit by the Fratelli’s. Bloodbayne still has no fucking clue. See how much I love you? I’ll never let anything happen to you. Please don’t cry, I hate seeing you cry. Hey, let’s go back to sleep, hmm? In the morning we’ll go into town and just enjoy the day together. We’ll get some breakfast and do some grocery shopping. How does that sound?”

Burrowing her colorless face into the crook of his neck, she nodded her head and choked back a sob. Whatever he had planned for her wasn’t going to work. She wasn’t a murderer, anymore. She was a good girl with a stable life filled with loving people. He wasn’t going to twist her mind. She would find a way to escape once they were in town. He couldn’t have her.

Not now, not ever.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Settling herself into the passenger seat of Kade’s black SUV, Lexi followed him with her tired eyes as he made his way towards the driver’s side. She had found herself unable to sleep after his confessions and was now paying the price. She thought about asking him to leave her behind so she could rest and recharge. That thought was short-lived however, once she realized that he had given her the perfect opportunity to escape. All she needed was the tiniest window and she would be gone.

Opening the frozen door to his Mercedes, Kade slinked his large form onto the driver’s seat and quickly pushed the SUV’s ignition switch. Shutting the door with a curse, he turned to his love and offered smile as the vehicle’s heater roared to life. Even with dark circles under her green eyes and her chestnut hair wrapped into a messy bun, she was the most radiant thing he had ever seen. They hadn’t spoken much since their heavy conversation, but she seemed to be in good spirits. It pleased him to know that she was slowly coming around.

“We’ll just let her warmup for a few minutes before we head down,” he said, rubbing his bare hands together.

Turning her attention towards the defrosting windshield, she arched a brow and surveyed the winter wonderland surrounding them. There was at least six inches of fresh snow covering thegravel driveway. Perhaps heading into town wasn’t the smartest decision, the last thing she needed was to freeze to death alongside a homicidal maniac if they became stuck.

“Are you sure it’s safe for us to leave?” she asked, genuinely concerned.

With a nod, he let out a small laugh and reached over to cover her hand with his own.“You have nothing to worry about, Sweetheart. I’m an excellent driver,” he replied, giving her cold fingers an assuring squeeze.

Pursing her cracked lips together, she hummed a reply. She wasn’t comforted in the least by his words.

“No, really,” he said, moving his calloused hand to rest against her cheek. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me, Lexi.Just trust me.”

Leaning slightly into his touch, she lifted her gaze to meet his dark stare. He had a look of absolute sincerity on his handsome face that she hadn’t seen before. Deep down she knew that what he was saying was true, she was safe in his presence. It was a sudden awareness that caused her heart to skip and a million butterflies to fill her core. It was the same feeling she remembered the first time she realized she was falling in love with Leo.

Fuck,she thought, terrified of the new hurdle placed directly in her path.

Fuck, indeed,her alter-egotaunted inside her mind.I must say, your plan is going rather smoothly. Bravo.

Doing her best to ignore the bitch in her head, she grinned at her captor and gave him a small nod.“Ok,” she said in an almost whisper. “I trust you.”

Grinning in triumph, Kade bent over the SUV’s center console and gave her a tender kiss. It thrilled him to hear her meaningful admission. Her stone wall was finally tumbling down, this moment had been worth the excruciating long wait. She was his.Finally.

“Good,” he breathed, brushing his mouth over hers once more before pulling away.

Licking the remnants of the kiss from her lips, Lexi kept her focus on him as he sat back in his leather seat and readied the vehicle to leave. She was skating on extremely thin ice. Why the fuck was she feeling this way now, when she was so close to her goal?

He’s the enemy,she repeated to herself again and again.You don’t love him. You don’t love him.

Oh, if only that were true,her alter teased from the corner of her mind.

Shut up, Nikki! Nothing has changed! Absolutely nothing!she spat back in defense.

Good God, you are so pathetic! But yeah. Ok, keep telling yourself that,Nikki said with a dark laugh.

Unaware of his lover’s inner turmoil, Kade gave her one last glance before putting the SUV into drive and easing it down the snowy driveway. While the conditions were less than ideal, he knew he would be able to make it into town safely without anyproblems. After all, he had precious cargo he needed to take care of.

“You know,” he began, clearing his throat. “It will probably take us about forty-five minutes to get into town. Why don’t you close those beautiful eyes of yours and take a nap?”

“Huh?” she mumbled, blinking herself back into the present. “What? Sorry...I guess I kinda zoned out for a second.”

Keeping his eye line glued to the slick driveway, he let out a worried sigh and tightly gripped the steering wheel. As much as he would love to hear her scream his name all night long, they would be turning in early. It was apparent that she was more sleep deprived than he originally thought.

“I know you’re exhausted, Sweetheart. Please get some rest,” he urged as they crossed the property line of his family’s old ranch.

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