Page 362 of One More Kiss

I haul her body into mine the moment we hit the sidewalk in front of the bar, Boston Friday night traffic flying in each direction. I cup her face in my hands. “I was serious. He won’t come near you again. If he does, you call me.”

She shudders in my arms. “Thank you.” A puff of a breath. “He’s been… all over me since the moment we broke up.”

I dip in, our faces inches apart. “Do you feel unsafe?”

Her gaze falls and I hate that. I hate this reaction. It makes me want to tear back into that bar and rip the man to shreds with my bare hands.

“I won’t let him hurt you. Ever.”

Her forehead hits my chest and I sigh as my arms wrap around her and even though while she was with Liam we were sorta close, and friends for sure, this feels new. Different. This feels like a man who would burn down the world for her and maybe that’s not right given the situation, but I can’t take it back either. I want her to know it.

“Thank you for stepping in.”

“Can I take you home?”

And I don’t mean that sexually. Because I know… I know, I can’t be with her.

But then her eyes cast up to mine and she stares straight into me, sweet, hopeful, needing me. “Do you mind? I don’t want to ruin your night. He’s showed up before a few times after I’ve gotten off work and tonight with him being angry...”

My hand is back on her jaw and my eyes are glued to hers. “Then I’m not taking you home.”

“What?”

“If he’s shown up at your place and you don’t feel safe, I’m not taking you home. I’m taking you back to my place.”

The tiniest hint of a smile hits her lips. “You don’t have to. I can always go to a friend’s house or something.”

“I want to take you home with me.”

Her eyes sparkle. “You do?”

“Yes. Well…” Fuck. She thinks I’m saying to my bed and the look in her eyes tells me that’s what she wants and I… want that too. So much. So badly. My dick pulses in my pants, begging for me to kiss her again. To do every dirty thing my mind is imagining. But I can’t. Liam has barely dated anyone since her. He still talks about her. “I’d like to make sure you’re safe and that he won’t show up.”

“Oh. Right. Of course.”

“You can spend the night. I have a spare room.”

A slight frown tilts down her lips. “But, what about Knox?”

“He’s with his mom until tomorrow morning.”

She smirks. “You must hate that.”

And the fact that she remembers…

“I hate that.” Because it means I have no clue who is watching my son. His mother—highly doubt it—a paid, trained babysitter—possible—a random neighbor or the television or even a scrub nurse who doesn’t know how to treat him or work with him and his special needs—far more likely.

“Can I buy you dinner, Silas? Stay a bit at your place? I don’t need to spend the night. Jason won’t show up that late. I know this is likely a little weird. But if you’re okay with it, I’d like to do that.”

“You’re not buying me dinner. I’m buying you dinner. And you can stay all night. I mean it. I don’t want you going back home with the chance that he might show up.”

Especially when I want you to stay so much longer than just tonight.

“Okay. Dinner and we’ll see how it goes.”

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