Carter Reed(16)

“Ben?” I was stunned. He thought, but no—Carter was here. He was sitting across from me. I couldn’t wrap my mind around that. “How did you get here?”

Determination gleamed from his eyes, but there was more. A darker intent was in there, one that made my heart beat even faster.

“You came to me for help, then you left. What did you want, Emma?”

“What did I want? I wanted you to help me.”

“Why’d you think I left?” he remarked. “So I could help you.”

Oh.

I fell back in my chair. Of course he had left to help me. I was an idiot. “But when I woke up, you weren’t there. I…” How long was I supposed to have waited? My heart skipped a beat. What if he set me up? I was in the perfect place, left alone until he led Franco Dunvan to the front door.

“You what?” he snapped. “Let’s go. You’re coming with me.”

“No!” I shoved back my chair and surged to my feet. I couldn’t leave. Mallory—Ben—Mallory. “I can’t leave, Carter. I have people depending on me.”

He was around the table in a flash. His hands grasped my elbows, and he pulled me against him. He was tense. His body was hard, but I couldn’t stop the soft intake of breath as I touched all of him and the same yearning from before started inside of me. I wanted to press back against him, get even closer, but I shook my head. I needed to clear those thoughts.

He bent down to me. “You think he’s going to help you? You came to me, Emma. Not him.” His breath caressed against my skin.

I closed my eyes. I was already softening against him.

His hands tightened and pulled me closer to him. Every inch of him was pressed against me. I felt him between my legs. He whispered as his lips were pressed against my neck now, “You killed Dunvan. It’s your hands that are dirtied. Your boyfriend won’t save you. Come with me. I’ll protect you. I can keep you safe.”

I shuddered in his arms. I wanted to go with him. Was it that easy? But no, what about Mallory? “My roommate. He was hurting her.”

He shook his head. His lips clamped together on my skin. I felt his teeth scrape against my neck, just slightly.

I gasped and arched into him. I couldn’t stop myself.

“She’ll be safe. She didn’t do anything. It was you. They’ll want you and I can’t protect you unless you’re with me. Come with me, Emma.”

Oh god. He hadn’t left me. I thought he had. I thought he abandoned me, but he hadn’t. The relief of that weakened me. I felt myself crumbling, but Carter held me up. His hand shifted as he slid one around my back. It moved underneath my shirt and slipped inside my pant’s waistband. He kept me anchored to him with that hand.

I wanted it to move. I wanted his hands all over me.

I wanted him.

I needed to stop thinking like that. I couldn’t forget my situation. My head was pressed against his chest and I opened my mouth. My own lips brushed against his sweatshirt. He shuddered from the touch as I murmured, “They’ll hurt Mallory. He was hurting her, Carter. I killed him to save her. She didn’t turn me over. They’ll know that and they’ll come for her.”

He shook his head. His other hand wrapped around me. “They won’t. They won’t know, but you have to come with me.”

“But Mallory?”

“My men have already taken care of it.”

Wait, what did that mean? I tried to pull away. He wouldn’t let go of me. “Carter.”

He tightened his hold. His muscles twitched against me from the movement. “I have men watching your roommate. Your apartment has been cleaned. Your friend can go on with her life. Franco Dunvan won’t connect his son’s disappearance with her.”

“So I’m free too?” My voice hitched on a sob. Hope flared inside of me.

He stopped talking. His chest moved up and down against me. His hands tightened their hold. “You need to stay with me—”

I shoved back to force a few inches of breathing space as I looked up. “You just said—”

His cold eyes glittered in the dark. They narrowed, and a shiver went over me, but I couldn’t look away from his intensity. I was starting to crave it. His mouth was flat as he spoke, “I can’t protect you if you’re not with me. You can live your life, but I want you to live with me.”

“With you?”

“Until it’s over.”

“Until what’s over? You just said it was over.”

“We don’t know for sure. My men will watch over your roommate and your boyfriend, but not you. I want you near me.”

“But—”

Then he clipped out, “I won’t protect them unless you come with me.”

“You won’t?” Panic stirred inside of me again. He had said, but we needed his protection. They needed his protection. His hand reached up to cup the side of my face. I flinched. It was so tender, so gentle, but his words had been so harsh. I needed Mallory to live.

Then he whispered, “You’re AJ’s sister. I have to protect you, Emma.”

Guilt speared me. He was right. AJ would’ve wanted that. But Mallory—I looked up. “You’ll watch over my friends? Mallory will be safe?”

He nodded.