Aurora Rose Reynolds

It shouldn’t matter, but I fucking hate that she keeps taking her eyes from me.

“Did you need something else? Flour, sugar, my firstborn child?”

“You are so strange,” he informs me

“Are you okay?” Hell, no, my dog almost killed me trying to get to the man she’s obviously in love with.

“Let’s roll. Don’t want to make a bad first impression on your future father-in-law,” he says, walking through the door, and I laugh while following him out to my bike.

“I came to you, because you’re her dad and a cop. Personally, I don’t mind dealing with him myself, but I figured you might like me even less if I’m in prison for beating the shit out of a motherfucker. So yeah, I’m here asking you for a favor.”

“Jesus,” Wes mutters, but I ignore him and keep my eyes locked on Nico’s.

Taking her in, my chest gets tight and my stomach fills with pride and possessiveness.

His eyes meet mine, and he shakes his head. “I don’t know what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours, but know this—you run and I will find you.”

“You are safe with me, Sophie.” His fingers run along my jaw. “We are going to explore this thing between us. We are going to take it as slowly as you need, but you are not going to push me away. It’s not going to work. You push me, and I will push back.”

“No, Sophie, I’m not going to stop. I need you with me, but in order for that to happen, I need you to want us as much as I do. I need you to stop letting your fears run you.”

“I’m almost there, baby.”

“Okay,” she says quietly, and I want to fucking scream because I can hear the fear in her voice. She’s been so good—no freak-outs, no worries. She’s settled in and started coming around…and now this.

“Talk to me, baby,” I say soothingly.

“About what?”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”