Page 139 of Dangerous Men

She draws in a quick breath, staring at me in shock.

“Why?” she breathes. “Why me?”

There are so many reasons. Everything I learn about her leaves me wanting more.

“When did you know?” I ask her. “When did you know you wanted to open your own store?”

Sydney’s so shocked by the question, she almost laughs. She blinks a few times, considering.

“Way back in high school. After my parents died, I… I spent a lot of time at Jade’s,” she says. Her lips quirk up into the ghost of a smile. “I’d just hang out and read, and she … she would bake things for us. I think it started as a joke. Our little shop, just for the two of us. But then… the more we talked about it, the more it became real.”

Another tear slides down her cheek, and this time, I duck my head down to kiss it away, tasting her salt on my tongue.

“And you made it happen,” I say, lips against her skin.

“It wasn’t easy,” Sydney whispers. Her gaze is distant as she remembers it. “And it took all of my savings, everything I had left over from my inheritance. But… we did it. I did it.”

I know all of this, of course. I know from Sebastian’s research how long she spent planning it, how many business electives she took during her degree. I know the name of the bank manager who granted them their first business loan.

I know how hard she worked to build an empire of her own.

My beautiful queen.

“You want to know why I care about you, Sydney?” I ask her.

Slowly, she nods.

“Because you’re smart. Angry. Ambitious. Because you hada dream and you made it happen.” I thread my fingers through her hair while I say it. “You remind me of me, do you know that?”

Speechless, Sydney shakes her head.

“For a while, I think I mistook my fascination with wanting to save you. Protect you,” I admit.

“And now?” she asks.

“Now I think you’re something that I’ve been missing. Something I want in my life more than I’ve wanted anything.” I stare down at her, willing her to see the truth in my face. “I can’t stop thinking about you. Wondering what you’re doing. Wondering what you’re thinking. You’ve consumed me, heart, body, and soul. I’m yours.”

She wants to believe me. I can see it in her eyes. She wants this, all of this.

And all she needs to do is take it.

“I care about you too much to let you run away from who you are. To let you run away fromus.” My fingers flex in her hair, just enough to tilt her face toward me. “I’m addicted to you. Your dark and your light.”

She swallows, and something in her eyes shifts. She’s so close. So close to being mine.

To being ours.

“So what will you do, Red?” I ask. “Will you run away from us, knowing we’ll chase you?”

And I will. I’ll chase her to the ends of the Earth if I have to.

“I’m so tired of running,” Sydney whispers. Her body relaxes as she says it. She blinks, and a fresh tear slides down her face as she reaches up to grab the back of my neck, fingers playing with my hair.

“Tell me what you need. Anything. And it’s yours.” I promise her.

I watch her consider it. Watch as she weighs the dark and the light.

“You,” Sydney answers, finally. “I need you.”