Page 31 of Obsession (Temptation 4)

And the stress of the situation clearly wore on him.

“I guess in my mind she’s already been through enough.” He lifted his gaze to mine. “I hoped this could be my burden to bear.”

I placed my hand on his bicep. “I get that. Hell, I tried to do the same thing with Imogene. And Lachlan. But if there’s anything this situation has taught me, it’s that you can’t always protect the ones you love from the cruelty of the real world. All you can do is offer them your unwavering love, support, and a hand to grasp when life tries to pull them under.”

He sighed, shoulders falling in defeat. “She’s going to be pissed.”

“True. But the sooner you tell her, the easier it’ll be for you. It’s better to face the music now and make sure she learns the truth from you than risk her finding out on her own. And she will find out, Wes. With all this shit going on, there’s no way she won’t.”

“I know.” He nodded dejectedly, running his fingers through his hair, the flecks of gray seeming more numerous than a few weeks ago. “Will you do me a favor, though?”

“Anything.”

His mouth curved up into a lazy smile. “Can you keep the couch open for me in case I need it tonight?”

I playfully nudged him. “I’ll do you one better. Lachlan has, like, a dozen bedrooms in this place.” I waved my hand at my opulent surroundings. “You can take one of them.”

“Good to know I’ll have a place to stay if need be.” He winked.

“You’ll always have a place with me.”

Wrapping his arms around me, he enclosed me in his tight embrace. Then he pulled back, meeting my eyes.

“Promise you’ll be safe. Okay?”

“I don’t have any choice,” I retorted, trying to lighten the mood, pushing out of his hold. “Have you seen this place? There are cops stationed outside 24/7, not to mention the insane security system Lachlan has. Then there’s Nikko…” I gestured toward where he remained on the patio, “who hasn’t left my side since he landed.”

“And all the security protocols here help ease my worry. But after everything Curran said earlier…” His voice trembled as he shook his head, vein in his neck throbbing. “I just have a bad feeling in my gut that things aren’t as they seem. That we’re missing something.”

“Missing what?”

“I can’t explain it, Jules. I just…” He held my biceps, his stare and grip intensifying. “Just swear you’ll be safe. That you won’t take any unnecessary risks, no matter what.”

I nodded quickly, pushing down the emotions bubbling to the surface. “Of course,” I barely managed to squeak out. “I promise.”

Relief covered his expression as he pulled me to him once more, hugging me like it was the last time he ever would.

And after everything I learned tonight, I couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach it very well could be.