Page 114 of Receiving His Mercy
“I’m not him, baby. One day you’re going to trust me with his name. And you’re going to know that I can take care of you and of myself.”
She sucked in a breath. “It’s not that I doubt you, Travis. It’s just he . . . he’s a monster.”
He smiled at her. “I’m used to dealing with monsters. I’m going to be your monster slayer, Goldie. I’m going to give you some time to tell me his name. To work out that I won’t let you down.”
“I never thought you’d let me down,” she protested. “And . . . just how long are we talking about?”
“Hmm. I figure an hour or two.”
“Travis!”
“What? You need longer? You really are scared of this guy, aren’t you?”
“It’s probably stupid. At the moment, I feel like he is far away and I’m safe. That as long as I don’t go looking into him, he will leave me alone. It feels like a precarious tightrope that I’m walking and I don’t want to fall off.”
“And telling me will push you off?”
“It could,” she whispered.
“I promise I will never let you fall.”
Yeah. He knew just what to say.
Damn him.
“You’re forgetting that I was a Marine, baby. I saw some things that haunt me sometimes. It changed me. It made me into the man I am now. I know that I can be possessive and overprotective. But I know the dangers out there. I know how cruel this world can be. And I also know that when you have someone of your own, you protect them from all of that. Which is what I will do for you.”
“You saw some terrible things? Do you have nightmares?”
“I used to,” he admitted. “For years after I left. I couldn’t stay in the Marines, it wasn’t healthy. But I still had this need to keep people safe, which is why I started Raptor Inc. I have the necessary skills to keep you safe. And I will keep you safe.”
She let those words sink in. She knew that Travis was strong and skilled. But she still couldn’t shake that feeling that Aadan would destroy him.
“Can I . . . can I just think it through for a while? I mean, longer than an hour.”
“Twenty-four hours?”
“Yeah. Maybe. Are you upset at me?”
“Do I wish you would trust me with this? Yes. Do I also realize that we haven’t been together that long? Also, yes.”
“Hmm, yes, I believe we’ve been in a relationship for all of an hour,” she teased.
“Well, twelve hours if you take last night into account. And I do. I also think that you owe me for being so patient.”
“I owe you?” she squealed.
“Yeah. You owe me.” He moved them so she was lying on her back on the sofa and he was between her open legs. “You’re sitting there in just a bra, tempting me to touch you, taste you.”
“You’re the one who stripped my clothes off!”
“I know. I’m a smart guy.”
“And so modest, too,” she said dryly.
“What’s the point in being modest? Sounds boring,” he said as he slid his hands beneath her so he could undo her bra. Then he drew it off so she was lying there in just a pair of pants and nothing else.
“Fuck, Goldie. You are the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
