Page 100 of Protective Love

I turn to face Jaylen as he walks towards me with his usual charming smile lighting up his face.

He's dressed the same as Kaleb, a black long-sleeved T-shirt, black cargo pants, and black trainers.

He also has a gun tucked into his waistband, and another strapped to his thigh, along with a sheathed knife.

Slipping his hands into a pair of black gloves, he stretches his fingers out and then steps in front of me, placing his hands on my hips as he brushes his nose against mine.

"You okay?"

I nod, wrapping my arms around his body and resting my head against his chest, feeling the thump of his heart against my ear as I listen to it beating.

"This'll all be over soon, baby. I promise. Then we can go about living our normal lives and you can stop having to look over your shoulder all the time."

Sighing, I squeeze him tighter.

"As much as I'm loving this moment right now, we are gonna have to leave soon," he says, rubbing his hands along the sides of my body.

"I know," I huff. "I have to ring Chrissie as well. I'm sure Killian's informed her of everything already after speaking to your cousin, so she'll probably be worried."

He presses a kiss against my forehead and then releases his hold on me, sliding his hands up my arms and over my shoulders until they meet my jaw, and then he tips my head up.

My eyes connect with his and he smiles down at me.

"No need to look so worried, darling. We've got this. You'll see, we'll be back in no time."

His confidence does nothing to dull the fear and concern coursing through my body.

"Please, just promise me you'll be careful."

His thumbs caress my jaw while he nods and winks at me.

"I'll be completely fine. I'll have Kaleb by my side the whole time, and as much as we despise each other, we'll keep each other safe. We have to, otherwise we'll have to face Sophia's rath."

I laugh at him and my nerves ease slightly.

"Don't worry about us, okay? Relax and have some fun with Soph doing whatever it is you're gonna be doing. We'll be in constant contact with Leo, so I'm sure he'll keep you both updated with everything."

"Come on, King. Let's go so that we can get there just before nightfall," Kaleb says, walking past us towards the front door.

Jaylen leans down and peppers kisses across my face before brushing them against my lips.

"I'll be back," he whispers before he leans in and presses his lips firmly against mine. "I promise."

He pulls back, and I reluctantly let him go as fear spreads through me and my gut twists.

As I watch him walk towards the door, dread sweeps over me as I imagine him not walking back through it.

"Jaylen, wait," I call out, following after him.

He stops by the door and turns to face me.

When I reach him, I sling my arms over his shoulders, lift onto my toes and kiss him with an immense amount of power.

He groans against my mouth as he kisses me back, hungrily.

By the time we pull apart, we're both breathless and flushed, with lust swirling around in our eyes.

"I love you," I tell him, sinking my teeth into my cheek as I nervously await his reaction.