ever occur to you to stay the hell away from him? Not to ever give him that opportunity? He wouldn’t have found you in Houston and if he had, he would have been taken out and not by you.”
She lifted her chin in defiance, a spark lighting her eyes giving him savage satisfaction to see remnants of the Eliza he knew so well lurking there behind the grief and self-recrimination.
“I’m not an idiot, Wade.”
“Then stop acting like one.”
She shoved up and away from him, glaring ferociously at him. He grinned, which only served to heighten her indignation.
“I couldn’t live with myself knowing he was free, that he would kill again. And he would, Wade. He would. The justice system let those women down and I won’t let him get away with it. I’ve got to take him out for those women. For me. And for the people I love. I don’t want to live the rest of my life always looking over my shoulder, afraid that he’ll hunt me down, and he will. I don’t want to be afraid of him going after people I love because I was too weak to do what needs to be done. It’s my only choice. The only way I can look at myself in the mirror. I can’t bring those women back, but I sure as hell can make sure he never hurts another one. So I’m going to be there when he gets out. He isn’t going to have to look for me because I’ll find him. And then I’m sending him straight to hell and me with him. If I survive taking him down, I won’t run. I won’t hide. I won’t even defend myself because I’ll be guilty as sin and if I spend the rest of my life in prison at least he will no longer pose a threat to innocent women or the people I love.”
“And you don’t think you’re rare and precious?” he asked softly. “That you don’t stand for what’s right?”
She looked away, but he nudged her chin back so she looked at him.
“You aren’t doing this, Eliza. You are not embarking on some suicide mission to atone for sins that aren’t even yours to bear.”
“You can’t stop me,” she hissed.
He arched an eyebrow. “Can’t I?”
“I won’t be responsible for any more deaths!”
Wade caressed her cheek, feathering his touch over her face and then thumbing her lips as he stared intently at her.
“You weren’t responsible.”
He gently kissed her, not a passionate, all consuming kiss. One he ached to give her and make love to her all over again. But a tender kiss meant to reassure and comfort her.
“Eliza, you can trust me,” he said with absolute sincerity. “You have to know how strong my feelings are for you. You can’t be that blind.”
Tears glittered like diamonds on her eyelashes as she stared helplessly at him.
“Trusting my instincts is exactly what got me into this mess,” she said desperately. “What got me in way over my head with Thomas. I can’t trust myself, Wade. I can’t afford to ever make that mistake again.”
His gaze softened and he kissed her lightly again, still stroking her face and then tangling his fingers in her hair, smoothing the tresses that hung in disarray. She looked hungry, like a woman who’d been thoroughly made love to and who wanted—needed—more. He wanted nothing more than to give her just that. Himself. Over and over until he’d solidly pushed everything from her mind except him, the two of them, and nothing else in the world mattered.
“Baby,” he whispered in a soft, loving voice he hadn’t thought himself capable of. Not ever or with anyone until now—her. Only her. “You were sixteen years old. Just a young, vulnerable girl who had nothing and no one. You only wanted to be loved. That isn’t a crime. Everyone wants to love and to be loved. You aren’t that person anymore. You haven’t been that person in a very long time. You’ve grown into an exceptional woman with the best instincts and strongest character of anyone—man or woman—I’ve ever known and that’s why I fucking admire you so much.”
She looked stunned by his admission. She didn’t know what shocked her more, his assessment of her character, or if it was the fact that the words had come from him, a man who until a short time ago had been nothing but an overbearing bastard and a complete asshole.
It was little wonder she would have such a hard