If you let people in, you risk living with the pain of losing them.
Another woman’s face flashed before him, but he pushed it away. Like he always did when memories of her—and what they’d shared—haunted him.
So, no. Jason hadn’t letanyonein. Not since that fateful day thirteen years ago. But he’d also never been tempted...until Sophie.
The woman was standing three feet from his bed. Her mouth less than two inches from his. And Jason found it nearly impossible to hold everything he was feeling inside.
Running his knuckles running down the length of her cheek, he said, “I have to keep you safe.”
“But why?” She reached for his hand. She held onto it with her own as her eyes searched his for the answer. “You’ve risked your life twice for me, now. We’ve known each other for years, yet I barely know anything about you.”
I know everything about you.
Well, almost everything. There was more he needed to know. More hecravedto learn.
Like what she would look like falling over the edge in his arms.
“We’ve had one sort-of date,” Sophie continued with her list.
“Your point?”
“My point is, you’re going through all this trouble for me, and I just...I don’t understand why.”
“Honestly?” Jason huffed out a breath. “I can’t explain it.” Lifting their joined hands to his mouth, he pressed his lips to her knuckles. “All I know is the second I saw your name on that AMOVA list, I knewIhad to be the one to come for you. And tonight, when I heard you scream my name, God himself couldn’t have kept me from running to you.”
Her lips parted at his shocking admission, her small intake of air telling.
“Jason?”
“It’s late, sweetheart. You need to get to sleep, and unfortunately, I need to work. We can pick this back up later, yeah?”
“Promise?”
He couldn’t help but grin. “I promise.”
Framing her face, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. “Are you hurting? I can get one of the pills the doctor prescribed you if you need one.”
“I’m okay, for now.”
“Come find me if it gets worse?” he asked softly. “I hate the idea of you being in pain.”
“I will. Now, go.” She gave him a gentle shove. “Do whatever it is you have to do.”
“I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
With another quick kiss to her forehead, Jason forced himself to turn and walk away. He didn’t even glance back before shutting the bedroom door behind him for fear he’d never leave.
Before heading to his office, Jason made a detour to his kitchen. Fixing himself two fingers of his favorite whiskey, he carried the short glass through the hallway on the other side of the main floor, where his office was located.
As he made his way to his desk, he did everything in his power not to think of the woman upstairs. Or the fact that she would be sleeping in his bed.
Jesus, walking away from her had been hard. A certain area of his body wasstillhard.
A chronic issue he suffered from any time she was around.
He’d seen the heat in her eyes when he’d kissed her just now. Could see the heady beating of the pulse point in her neck.
It would be so easy. All he’d have to do is go back upstairs, kiss her the way he had before all hell broke loose, take her to his bed, and...