CHAPTER THIRTY

B rianna jumped to her feet and let Craig lead her out of the safe room. Without a word, he teleported them into his room. They stood staring at each other as she got her bearings.

“Craig...”

“You can’t leave,” he said. “It’s not safe.”

She nodded. It wasn’t the I love you and want you to stay she’d been hoping for, but he was right, nevertheless.

“Sure. Right. Yes.” She tugged on her dress, the silver gown now uncomfortable and irritating. “Thing is, I have a job and a mortgage to pay, so I don’t really have a choice.”

“I can’t protect you if you leave, Bri, and that’s just unacceptable.”

Fear laced through her. Would she ever be able to leave? After spending all those hours with the royals, she’d learned this rebellion was hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.

“You can’t keep me here. The decision is mine at the end of the day.”

He nodded. “So you still want to leave?”

She went to look away, and he took her chin in his hand.

“Bri, do you want to leave?”

“No! But I want you to want me to stay, and not just so you can protect me!” she cried, unable to keep her emotions in any longer. Tears sprung to her eyes.

“What are you talking about? Of course I fucking want you!”

They stood panting and glaring at each other for one, two, three breaths, then he slammed his mouth down on hers. He pulled her into the bathroom and unzipped her dress. “Enough talking. I need your body against mine.”

Brianna needed him too, desperately.

She ripped at his clothes, and soon, they were naked. As he leaned in to turn on the shower, she ran her hand over his large back, relishing the ripples of muscles that covered his entire body.

“Forget the money. Your life is more important,” he said as he took her hand and pulled her under the water. “Do you understand?”

She nodded.

Right now wasn’t the time to explain how important her career was. She knew Willow was struggling with the loss of her own business in her new life. Brayden had been supportive and understanding, and they were working through what she would do going forward.

Craig was a different male. Not that he didn’t take her feelings into consideration, more like he just found solutions in his head and decided on them. She had a money problem? Great, he’d throw his money at it. Problem solved.

Bri didn’t particularly love her job, so wasn’t that attached to it. Right now, she needed his protection, and would work out all those human details when she got home safe.

Craig turned her in his arms, and she leaned back against his solid body. His tongue ran down her neck, and his large hands held her hips.

“So you’ll stay.”

She nodded.

For now. Because while she did need his protection, she also needed to understand her feelings for him, and to give him time to figure out if she was his mate.

And while she hoped she was, it terrified the living crap out of her.