“What about him? I don’t care if you married him and had all eight of his kids. That doesn’t make you any lessmine.”
“Yours?”
Gold flashed across his irises, the timbre of his voice shifting as he repeated, “Mine.”
“I don’t even know why he wants me back.”
“Doesn’t matter. If he wants you, he’ll have to take you from me.”
My hand found his again, lingering this time. “That’s really it? You feel thisbondand you’ve got your mind made up about me? What if you decide you don’t want commitment?”
What if you get tired of me?
“I wanted you to stay before I knew about the bond. I wanted you because of you. Because you made me feel alive.” He tookmy other hand, drawing me flush against him. “I can’t give you madly in love tonight, Tara. But I’m pretty confident I can make you fall in love with me. I’m nothing if not persistent.”
“I was going to say pertinacious.”
Isaac ducked his chin, putting his mouth inches from mine. “No one knows what that word means.”
“I know what it means. I learned it from myword of the dayapp.”
“I was trying to say something romantic.”
I lifted onto my toes, my lips almost brushing his. “You can continue.”
“Give me a chance to show you how good this can be. Let me keep you safe until Jacques is taken care of, and then we’ll start this over. I’ll do this right.”
“I want to—"
But there’s still so much I don’t understand.
I’m scared you’ll be like the rest.
This feels dangerous.
My heartbeat stuttered. The air caught in my lungs.
This feels right.
But I’ve been wrong too many times to trust myself.
Red and blue lights spilled onto the beach. A vehicle marked “Sheriff” pulled in to block Isaac’s bike. A black SUV followed behind them.
Terror froze me to the spot.
They were back. And this time, they weren’t alone.
Chapter 21
The Choice
Isaac
“What’sgoingon?”Tara’svoice wavered. Her hand shook in mine.
“I don’t know.”
Two deputies jumped from the car.