Trace could see countless emotions play across the girl’s heart-shaped face, but the one that immobilized him was the instant attraction he’d seen in her alarmed gaze. Though she tried to hide it with indifference, for some reason it had Trace rethinking his next move.
“Ready?” he asked, holding his hand out to her, effectively breaking the spell he’d held over her.
She held her shirt close to her chest and shook her head. “Look—”
Trace smiled as she tried to loosen the effects of the pain medicine.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, and as soon as Officer Flores comes back, I’m going to explain to her that you are some loon from the streets that’s trying to get me to join some Kool-Aid drinking cult and have her arrest your crazy butt.” She pointed her finger at him and opened her mouth to speak again.
Before she could, Trace moved. He had had every intention of taking the girl and doing the job that he’d been trained to do, but as soon as he looked into her cinnamon gaze, he closed the space between them and pulled her tightly into his arms. Her small, warm frame trembled.
“Shh… I am not going to hurt you.” He’d never said that to a person before, but to her, it felt so damned true. He hoped it was simply meant to calm her until his head was back on the job and he would actually be able to carry out his orders.
Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as her spine stiffened and she glared up at him. “Yes, you are. That’s why you came.” Her lips trembled with fear.
Trace placed one open palm on her back and the other on her hip, locking her in place. “And why do you say that?” Shit, he was asking for trouble the longer her held her warm body.
He made the mistake of looking down into her odd cinnamon gaze. She was young, but he could tell that she’d been through some hard things and come out on top. He wondered what price she’d paid in order to escape what life had thrown at her.
Trace realized how unfair her situation was. The sadness in her eyes, the way she held herself, and the spunk that she had thrown at him earlier made him smile inwardly. She was a woman that deserved a second chance.
“Because you know what I saw,” Bessina admitted, finally realizing that there was no escaping him without help.
The resignation in her eyes angered Trace. He leaned in, and to his surprise, she didn’t pull away. “Hmm… I recall you telling me that you saw nothing.”
He was making a mistake. He never left loose ends. Never.
As the girl’s body melted into his embrace, Trace couldn’t help but lean closer to her scent. He gently placed his lips to her neck. Her soft gasp pulled him back into reality. He could never have her, and if he wanted to keep her safe, he’d have to get far away from her.
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