Page 110 of Between Never and Forever

“What’s this memory trying to tell us then?”

“For me? It’s reminding me not to fuck up protecting you again.”

“That’s not your job. We’re not really together.” She was still coming to terms with the fact that we were, it seemed. “And even if we were, Dex, you don’t have to protect me.”

“We’ve always been together. Even when we weren’t. And we always will be too, Kee. I’m always going to protect you.”

ChapterThirty-Four

KEELANI

He keptme close through the night, his arm tight around my waist as he spooned me. He didn’t jump with the thunder, but I felt his muscles tightening with each crack.

I rubbed his arm as his fingers drew circles on my stomach. I drifted off to sleep wondering how I could ever again be without the man who understood me more than others.

When this contract was up, would I really be able to leave him?

And did he want me to? Would he be able to let me go? The truth was, I think Dex believed it was his calling to protect those he could. I didn’t know if I could burden him with that even though he wanted it. He wanted to marry me to help, to fix the problem.

That’s what he did. The man had created security systems for a luxury Las Vegas resort and casino and the whole HEAT empire. He’d worked with the best in the world to make sure his systems were state of the art too. He protected people and fixed problems.

I didn’t want to be his problem though. And that’s exactly what I was with my family and now with someone stalking me.

* * *

I wokeup the next morning to find him in his home office, staring at more screens than he’d had there yesterday that he must have had set up. And he hadn’t left for the day even though it was past six o’clock. He was in our hotel suite acting as though it was completely normal.

“Why are you here?” I said, my voice groggy with sleep.

“In my own place?”

“No.” I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. “You leave in the mornings for work. Why are you here?”

“Because you’re here.” His tone was so light, almost carefree, like he’d figured it all out.

I sighed. “You can’t work from home now because of a letter.”

“What about working from home because my fiancée was nervous about a storm the night before?” He lifted a brow.

“You can’t stay home for that either,” I said.

“I can do whatever I want, Kee.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and then worried over a wrinkle in my shirt. The man was stubborn, but I could be too. “You know, Mitchell hasn’t called me about my contract. I’m going to call today and get it all ironed—”

“It’s fine.” He stopped me. “I’ve already talked with him. I told him we’re getting married in our hometown, we’d squash the rumors, and our PR will work together to come up with a good spin. He’s for it.”

“Dex, you’re not going back to that town you hate. They were assholes to you. And for what? To marry me when this isn’t your problem? It’s ridiculous.”

“It’s perfect. Every problem you have is now my problem.”

“You’re taking this agreement with me to a whole other level, you know that, right? It was an engagement so you wouldn’t be jealous and to get me out of your system,” I tried to remind him.

He nodded slowly. “And you know that’s not what I want anymore right? Is that still what you want from me?”

My heart beat too fast with hope. I’d already tried to forget how he’d talked with my father and called me his family. It felt too perfect, too easy. It felt like something bad was bound to happen. So, I admitted, “I’m not sure.”

“Well, let’s keep moving forward until you are sure. It’s just a little marriage after a little engagement. What could go wrong?” He gave me those dimples and my heart practically tried to gallop toward him.