Catching Him(How to Catch an Alpha #1) - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,78
stay away?” he asks. No, I wouldn’t; even if I told them not to come around until the person who broke into my house was caught, they would ignore me. “You don’t even have to answer that question. I know the answer. They want to make sure we’re okay, that you are okay.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“Sorry, baby. It’s not something you need to like, just something you’re going to have to deal with. Besides, this will give our families a chance to meet.”
“Great,” I sigh. “I’m so happy about the idea of everyone coming together since some lunatic has something against me. I mean, could there ever be a better time for our families to get together? I think not,” I say sarcastically while shaking my head.
“Everyone will be coming together because they care about you and want to see that you’re okay.”
“You can keep saying that, but it doesn’t change the fact that I might be putting the people I love and care about in danger. I mean, heck, someone lit your storage space on fire, then broke into my house, trashed the place, and wrote whore on the wall. I don’t even want to think about what they might do next.”
“I will not let anything fucking happen to you.”
“You might not have a say. You can’t be with me twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You have to work, and so do I. I don’t know who’s targeting me or why.”
“Stop!” he roars, and I clamp my mouth shut, feeling like an idiot. I know he’s worried, and me acting crazy isn’t going to help that. “No one is going to fucking hurt you. No one is going to get near you, and I don’t give a fuck if I have to stand guard over you for the next . . .” He jerks his fingers through his hair. “For the next however long it takes for the cops to find who did this shit.”
“Okay,” I whisper when I see his chest rising and falling quickly. “You’re right. I’m just freaked. No one’s going to do anything to me.” I rub his thigh, hoping to calm him down. “I’m sorry. I just . . . I’m just overthinking things and being stupid.”
“You’re not stupid.” He pulls in to park in front of one of the local sandwich shops. “It’s not stupid that you’re worried. You have a reason to be worried, but I need you to believe I will never let anything harm you.”
“I believe you,” I state, looking into his eyes when he turns his head toward me. I do believe him. I know he would step in front of a bullet to protect me. That he would risk his own life to save mine. I just hope that never ever happens.
“Good.” His fingers give mine a gentle squeeze. “Now let’s get you something to eat, get the shit with Miller over with, and then get home, where I can fuck away all thoughts about everything that’s happened.”
I really like that idea. I don’t say that; instead, I lean toward him and kiss his jaw. “I love you,” I tell him before I move back, unhook my belt, and get out of his truck.
After we eat, he takes me to the police station, where I meet with Detective Miller. Calvin Miller, to be precise. A man who also happens to be tall, fit, and seriously hot, with dark-brown hair and stunning blue eyes. I feel comfortable with him immediately. He never makes me feel like I’m being interrogated. He doesn’t ask me question after question; he just talks to me about my life and the people in it while he writes in his notebook.
When we’re done, he tells me that he will do everything within his power to put the person or persons behind bars, and for some reason, having him on the case makes me feel better.
When Tyler takes me home to his place, he wastes no time in making me forget about everything but the two of us. And when I fall asleep against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart, I’m no longer worried, because I know the guy with his arms wrapped around me will protect me.
Suggestion 16
JUST SAY YES
LEAH
I lean forward and adjust the temperature, then the air vents. I sit back and then forward again to change the station on the radio. Once I find something worth listening to, I pick up my purse and dig