Dane stiffens against me and I sit up. Turning to face him, I reach out and run my hand down his arm.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. “Did I say something?”
Dane shakes his head. “No,” he says. “It’s just the ache in my bones. I’m getting old, that’s all.” He has an odd expression on his handsome face, but I don’t think much of it. After all, I just dropped a ton of information on him … and I can imagine he’s probably a little overwhelmed. It’s been so long since he was in the public eye that he’s probably forgotten how cruel and dramatic people can be.
“Can I stay here?” I ask softly. “I mean, I could always go to my friend Lacey’s. But Dane, the first person I thought of was you. I want to be here with you. I’m happy here with you.”
The expression on Dane’s face grows even stranger and I wonder if I’ve said too much. But before I can say anything else, Dane roughly grabs me and pulls me into a fierce bear hug.
“You can stay,” he growls in my ear. “It’s no problem, baby girl. My home is your home.”
I melt against him in relief. “Thank you so much,” I say softly. “You have no idea how much better this makes me feel.”
As Dane and I sink back into the comfort of the couch cushions, a powerful feeling of calm washes over me. For the first time since speaking with my father earlier in the day, I feel safe and content. I know that now, nothing bad will happen to me. Dane will protect me and keep me out of harm’s way.
He’s my strong mountain beast, and I feel nothing but intense love for him. There’s no one else on earth, not even Lacey, with whom I feel so safe and perfect. Dane doesn’t want me to change or to lose weight, he loves me for exactly who I am.
How the heck did I get so lucky?
12
Dane
As Emma lies peacefully in my arms, my heart is racing in a blind panic. My past has finally caught up with me in the worst kind of way, and if Emma finds out there’s no way she’ll want anything else to do with me.
But I can’t keep the truth from her. I have to be honest.
Suddenly, Emma shifts in my arms. She rolls over and presses her mouth to mine. She smells like the sweetest lavender and honeysuckle with just a hint of sweat, and I groan as she shifts on my lap and straddles me.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t bring any Doritos,” Emma says with a shy smile. For a moment, I think she’s about to kiss me again. Sex would be a welcome distraction from my guilty thoughts, but instead Emma climbs off my lap. She goes out to the porch and returns with her suitcase and a brown paper grocery bag.
“It’s okay,” I say lamely. I’d already forgotten about the stupid fucking chips, anyway. How the hell could I think of food when Jason Hadley is back and ready to tear me down once again?
“But I did bring these,” Emma says shyly. She reaches into the bag and comes up with two wax-paper wrapped sandwiches. “My parents’ chef, Gina, made them for my father but when she caught me leaving she handed the bag over to me.”
“Does Gina know where you are?” I demand. “Will she tell your parents?”
Emma gives me a strange look and I realize that my tone is sharp and angry.
“No,” she says quietly. “Gina loves me, and besides, she has no idea about you. I haven’t told anyone. Not even my best friend, Lacey.”
I sigh and lean back against the couch. Emma unwraps the sandwiches and passes one over. It smells heavenly – roast beef and aged cheddar with some kind of smoky aioli. It reminds me of the sandwiches from my old favorite deli, right across the street from Xander Corp.
“I haven’t had a sandwich like this in a long time,” I say truthfully before taking a big bite. “Thanks.”
Emma nods happily as she tucks into her own food. As we chew, the fire sparks and pops in the grate. But I’m too tense to enjoy my sandwich, even though the flavor of the meat and cheese together is incredible. When Emma’s done eating, she reaches into the bag and pulls out a bag of barbecue chips.
“Not exactly Doritos, but maybe they’ll do,” Emma says. She winks at me and I feel my stomach twist and clench with guilt.
Because I can’t believe that my sweet Emma, my precious little girl, is the daughter of the man who ruined my life and sent me to prison. She has no idea how terrible her father really is, and I wonder how she’ll react. Even though she called him a bastard, he’s still her father.