She shifts her gaze from my face to the point where we’re connected, the tied up, plastic, not-so-kinky point. The moment is far less romantic than I’d been hoping for. “What?”
“You don’t think we should talk now? Or maybe you should offer up a thank-you?”
I have other suggestions, but I don’t think she’s in the mood to jump my bones right now.
“Okay.” She looks cautious about the two of us having a conversation. I’ll cut her some slack, seeing as how she’s just had a really bad day. I’m no psychologist, but getting assaulted at work and then forcibly dragged away has to leave a mark. She seems okay, but Sarah Jo generally acts like showing any kind of vulnerability is a crime.
“Thank you,” she continues in a prissy voice that makes me want to kiss her. Or paddle her butt. Choosing between the two right now is difficult. “Cut me loose.”
She shoves her wrists at me, and I discover I have a mean side. I’m not in the mood for her orders. In fact, I think it’s my turn to do some order-giving.
“Mmmm,” I say. “I don’t think so. Not yet.”
“Pick—”
It’s so cute the way she thinks she’s in a position to demand things. The way I see it, her wrists may be tied up, but so is my heart. My head. Pick an organ and it’s one hundred percent team Make This Woman Love Me.
“No.” I repeat my refusal just so we’re clear and run my hand down her arm. I might need to touch her for another century or six, just to make sure she’s in one piece. She’s not the only one who’s had a bad day.
She frowns. “Is that the only word you know tonight?”
“Probably not.” I can’t hold back the smile tugging at my mouth. Her answering glare informs me in no uncertain terms that grinning is just fuel for the fire as far as she’s concerned. “I’d like to hear that you’re okay. Maybe you could tell me that.”
She starts walking, and I fall into step beside her. The boys don’t need my help babysitting Hill while they wait for a bona fide law enforcement official to show up.
She shakes her wrists at me. “I’d be better if you untied me.”
She really doesn’t like those ties. I’ll bet she’s running options in her head. In another two minutes, she’ll have a Plan A, a Plan B, and possibly a Plan C for getting shed of them. I have to act fast.
“Maybe.” I throw an arm around her, pulling her into my side. I think she fits perfectly.
She gives, just a little. “I’m okay.”
“I’d like to see that for myself, honey.”
When her feet slow down, because her stubborn side is clearly kicking in again, I swing her up into my arms. This feels right, having her cozied up against my chest. The way she wriggles, though, she doesn’t share my opinion. I tighten my hold because I’ll never drop her.
“Put me down,” she snaps.
See? We’re back to orders yet again. Sarah Jo loves orders—as long as she’s the one giving them.
“You know how many years you took off my life tonight, Sarah Jo? When I heard you hollering, all I could think was that maybe I’d be too late. That maybe I wouldn’t get there in time.”
She shoots me a dirty look. “Believe me, I had the same concern.”
“And that’s another problem,” I continue, my arms tightening briefly. “I’ll always come when you need me, but you don’t believe that. You want to handle everything on your own. What’s wrong with letting someone else have your back?”
“I like standing on my own two feet,” she shoots right back.
“You don’t trust me,” I counter.
She shakes her head. “That’s not it.”
“Really?” I look down at her and her pretty, stubborn face. “Because I practically had to pull the details about Hill from you.”
She sucks in a breath. Exhales noisily. “I don’t like not being in control.”
“We could practice,” I suggest. “Or take turns. Every other day could be Sarah Jo Day. You could think about staying.”
Here. With me.
Does that sound stupid? God, she’s everything I never knew I needed, and the way she stares up at me makes me want to beat my chest and swear I can be whoever and whatever she needs. As long as she takes a chance. On me.