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I snorted. Like he was ever a Boy Scout. “You own a gun.”

“It’s only for protection. I swear, angel.”

“You ride too fast on your Harley. It’s reckless.”

“I’ll fucking obey every law when you’re with me.”

Frowning, I was running out of reasons to push him away. “We’re siblings.”

His lip curled into a snarl. “We’ve never been related by blood. Who cares if we lived together for a short time as kids? It doesn’t mean shit.”

That annoyed me. “It doesn’t mean shit, huh?” I shoved at his chest, but he didn’t budge.

“That’s not what I was sayin’, beautiful, and you know it.” His arm slid around my waist, drawing me closer. “I’ve always felt protective of you and missed you. Those eight years we spenttogether mean fucking everything, Katrina.” He tapped his chest right over his heart. “Never forgot you. Not one fucking day.”

“You cuss too much,” I blurted, hating how much truth he exposed with his words.

“I can’t promise that’ll change, my angel. I’ll sure as fuck try.” He grinned. “Oops.”

“You’re hopeless.” I rolled my eyes at his silly expression.

“Baby, I’m it. It’s me and you. Just like it used to be, how it was alwayssupposedto be,” he emphasized.

“This is moving too fast.”

“Then let’s take this at your pace. Slow as you want, Katrina, as long as it still ends with me and you together.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit cocky?” He assumed way too much.

“Baby, I’m confident enough for the both of us.”

“What if you decide I’m not what you desire anymore, and you don’t want to wait for me to figure this out?”

“Not fucking possible.” He shook his head. “You don’t get it yet, but you will.” His lips brushed mine. “You’ve always been mine, Katrina.”

“Yours?”

“Yeah, baby. I knew the day we met that you were special.”

“That doesn’t mean that I belong to you.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Cuckoo. This is crazy. God, what we went through. The shit that almost destroyed us.” I nearly choked as some of those horrid memories tried to surface.

Darkness. A late night with a full moon. Men in masks.

I shivered. “Rain.” My voice faltered.

“Come back to me. Close that fucking door, baby. You don’t have to open it right now. Not ever if you don’t want.”

“What if I stay like this forever?’ I asked, daring to bare a deeply buried secret.

“Like what?” his voice was little more than a whisper.

“Afraid.”

His expression appeared tortured. “Fuck. I’m here. I fucking swear. You don’t have to be scared. I won’t let anything happen to you. They won’t come back.”