Page 35 of Hold Me Tight

I have no idea how to respond.

My brain is screaming at me to run away, but what choice do I have?

I need a safe place for Nora.

If it were just me, I could figure something else out.

My gaze flicks from his face to my daughter, who is still slumbering in his arms. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that part of me wants to tell him to go to hell. I’ve spent years fighting on my own, and I can continue to do it.

But my heart…

It’s so damn tired of standing alone.

Of continually swimming upstream.

My shoulders collapse as that last thought rings in my head. “Do I even have a choice?”

He leans in, his hand sliding to curve gently around the back of my neck, anchoring me in place. “There’s always a choice, Callie. One is to keep doing it all on your own.” His gaze drops to my mouth before returning to my eyes. “The other is to let me help you.”

“For a price,” I murmur, needing to speak the truth aloud.

He lowers his head, lips brushing the shell of my ear. “I promise it won’t be one you’ll mind paying.”

His voice is low.

Confident.

Intimate.

And just like that, a shiver sizzles through me, setting every nerve ending on fire.

I search his face, every shadow and line, but can’t find a single reason to say no. If I’m being honest with myself, part of me doesn’t want to. There’s no way this respite will last long. River watched Nora once for a few hours before bedtime. He has no idea what living with a toddler 24/7 is like. After a week or two, day in and day out, his tune will change. If I’m lucky, it’ll last a month. Just enough time for me to figure out a permanent living situation.

“Okay,” I whisper.

Relief flashes across his face along with something else.

Something I wasn’t prepared for.

Possessiveness.

Almost as if now that I’ve said yes, he has no intention of ever letting me go.

I have to remind myself that I’ve seen that look before.

Zane wore it in the beginning too.

This time around, I’m older.

Wiser.

I won’t be fooled by pretty words wrapped up in nothing more than empty promises.

“When does this arrangement begin?” I ask.

“Right now. Go inside and pack what you and Nora need for the next few days. I’ll hire a moving company to get the rest on Monday.”

A jolt runs through me at how fast this is happening, and I hesitate. “Are you sure about this, River?”