Page 31 of Corrupted Lies

“And you’ve always done your best to do that,” she reminded him, reaching out to rest a hand on his forearm.

“I've failed. So many times.”

“You haven’t.”

“Have so. How many times have you cried over your parents over the years?”

“Oh, Jake.” Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his large body. She could feel ripples of fear trembling in his chest and held on tighter. They were both afraid, and arguing wasn't going to make things better or make them safer. “What about a compromise?”

“A compromise?”

“I agree that I'm not safe, and I don’t want to die in a fire. But I have to consider my future because I don’t intend to die. I need my gym, and I have to be somewhat close to it.”

“Doesn’t sound like a compromise is coming anytime soon, sunshine.”

She smiled at his surly tone. “I was getting to that. What if I took out my boat? That way these men wouldn't know where I was, so they couldn’t get to me, but I could still be close enough if I had to come back. If you give me the names of some people you trust, if I have to come back, I can call them to come and protect me while I attend to the gym.”

A large hand palmed the back of her head, guiding it backward until she was looking up at him. “You're crazy, sunshine, if you think it will be anybody but me protecting you.”

“But you’ll be with your family, staying with Delta Team,” she reminded him.

One of his fingers tapped the end of her nose. “You're cute when you're confused. If you're dead set on going away on your boat, I’ll go with you.”

Her heart warmed at how seriously he made his declaration. “But your family, Jake. They need you.”

“And I promised to protectyou. The others will be safe enough without me. There is no way I’d let you go off on your own, sunshine, you should know that.”

There was warmth in his dark eyes that she hadn't seen before, and as they stared at one another, it was like a string materialized out of nowhere, drawing them together.

Maybe she should have fought it, but she didn't.

Her head tilted back further, and she lifted onto her tiptoes, her lips already tingling in anticipation as Jake’s head dipped.

Somehow, this was wrong and yet right.

Because one thing Alannah was sure of was that she wanted this kiss and the consequences of what could happen could just be damned.

Chapter

Eight

October 16th

4:57 P.M.

Was he really going to do this?

Was he really going to kiss his best friend?

Was he really going to risk losing her by messing up their friendship with a kiss?

For some reason, none of that mattered as Jake leaned down. It was as though an invisible cord was pulling him toward Alannah, and he seemed powerless to do a single thing about it.

Like two magnets drawing closer, his lips hovered mere millimeters from hers, from what he somehow knew would be the sweetest kiss of his life, when his front door suddenly banged open.

As though they were teenagers caught making out by their parents, they sprung backward, and he saw Alannah’s cheeks turn bright pink.

“Umm, are we interrupting?” Jax asked, his gaze darting between them.

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