Page 111 of Mr. Dangerous

"Rob?"

The voice was small, behind me. Iwhirled.

Naomi was above me, her legs dangling as she climbed back down the oak tree she'd taken refuge in. I reached up and caught her in my arms, lowering her gently to the ground. Her knees buckled when her feet touched the fallenleaves.

"You're hurt.” My voice came out heated, even though it wasn’t her that I wasangryat.

"I heardgunshots."

"How many of them werethere?"

"Two," she said. "Just two. ThatIsaw."

"Well, I took care of two," I said. "I'm not ever going to let anyone hurt you, Naomi. Not as long as I'malive."

A wry smile touched her lips. "As long asyou’re alive.I worry about someonehurtingyou."

"You don't ever have to worryaboutme."

She rolled her eyes, but she was still leaning heavily on me, her warm weight against my side. "I do, actually. There's a lot of reasons to worry about you, besides the obvious tendency to get yourself intodanger."

I put my thumb under her jaw, tilting her face up so I could study her: those big hazel eyes, that sweet pink mouth, the faint faded freckles over her nose andcheeks.

"You were always a monkey," I said, remembering how we used to climb together in the trees in front of the house. "Who knew that would save your lifeoneday?"

She blinked at me. "It wasn't the climbing that saved my life, and youknowit."

"I'll always come to you," I promised. I was desperate to take away the fear in those eyes. "I'll alwaysprotectyou."

She smiled mirthlessly. "Don't make promises you can't keep,sweetheart."

"Why do you say thingslikethat?"

"Because I know you want to protect me," she said. "But I mostly worry about my heart with youaround."

"Naomi,"Isaid.

"What? You're going to tell me I don't have to worry? That you didn't mean it when you said don't fall in love with me? Because I think you're an honest guy, Rob, and I think that was an honest thing you said to me." Those beautiful dark-lashed eyes were serious. “If I doubted it for a moment–if I wanted to doubt it–the truth was right there when youkissedKate.”

I felt the impossibility of saying the things to her that would matter, that would sum up my fear for her, my affection and mywanting.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," I murmured. I swept her up, holding her against my chest. Naomi let out a small gasp, clinging instinctively to my neck. I liked feeling her arms looped around me like that, her cheek pressed against my shoulder. In the distance, there were sirens. The cavalry. An ambulance forNaomi.

"I think I sprained my knee," she said. "How am I going to change your sheets and wash yourdishesnow?”

"I don't need clean sheets," I growled. "In fact, I don't need sheets at all." With her body held tight to mine, I sat down on the ground, planting my feet. I leaned back, holding Naomi against my chest, so I could kiss those sweet olive-skinnedcheeks.

"You're ridiculous," she murmured. "The police are going to want to talktous."

"Just kiss me once," I said. "In lieu of me trying to tell you anything. You never listen to me anyway... you don’t answer your goddamnphone…"

“You never listentome!”

"Just kiss me," Idemanded.

"You're sobossy."

"I am." I wrapped my arms around her tightly, possessively. "But you have to trust me. You have to believe I'm always going to be here for you. Sokissme."

Naomi shook her head as if she didn't believe I could convince her of anything from a kiss alone. But I had more faith in the chemistry between usthanthat.

Still, she listened, for once, and pressed her lips against mine. Her long dark eyelashes fluttered shut against her cheeks. I could feel her heart, still pounding with adrenaline, with her breasts pressed against mychest.

I put my palm on her cheek, kissing her deeply, and felt her body begin to relax into mine. As if her body knew that I would be her safe place, even if she couldn't believeityet.

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