Chapter 20
Dane
I’m surprised that Paige isn’t standing at the entrance to the elevator when I step into the penthouse. For a moment, panic swells inside me. A million thoughts rush through my head.
What if my actions were too much for her, and she left me? She argued with me over and over, not wanting me to go after Tombeck. Was the stress of this too much for her?
She’s free now. She could have safely left the penthouse. She could be anywhere.
Suddenly, movement catches my eye, and I shift my attention to the sectional in the living room. Paige jumps to her feet and runs toward me. It takes her a few seconds to speed up, which tells me she’d fallen asleep waiting for me to come back. I’m glad. She had to have been exhausted.
I drop my bag on the floor and brace myself with good timing because Paige leaps into my arms. When I catch her, she wraps her legs around my waist and hugs my neck hard enough to cut off my oxygen supply.
Neither of us speaks as I shuffle toward the sofa and sit in the same corner she just vacated. I rub my hands up and down her back as she sobs.
I slide a hand into her hair and press her cheek against my neck as I inhale her burnt-vanilla shampoo.
She’s here. She’s safe. She’s mine .
When she finally lifts her head to look at me, I can tell this isn’t the first time she’s cried today. Her face is splotchy. Her eyes are swollen from prolonged tears.
It’s late. If this had been an ordinary case, I would have gotten a hotel and slept before returning home. But there’s nothing ordinary about my life anymore. I have Paige to consider. I always will. I need to make some changes. On the flight home, I thought about how I will rearrange my life, but of course I haven’t had an opportunity to tell Paige yet.
She stops crying, sniffles, and narrows her gaze at me. “You can’t do that to me ever again.”
“I won’t, baby.” I spread my fingers on her back. She’s wearing leggings and a T-shirt. No bra. Her hair is disheveled. She has no makeup on. She’s never looked more gorgeous than she does right now. All that matters is that she’s in my arms.
She shakes her head. “I mean it, Dane. All of this. You can’t leave me here alone to walk you through dangerous situations again. I’ll hack into anything you want and guide your men to do whatever dirty jobs are necessary. I promise I can do so with a calm head. But not you. Never again.”
“I know, baby. I won’t,” I reiterate.
“Dane, this is serious. My heart can’t take it,” she continues.
I smile. “Baby, I hear you. I made that decision while I was on my way here. It won’t happen again.”
“I don’t think you understand. I would die if anything happened to you. I couldn’t breathe while you were in that fucking car chase. I thought it was you who went over that cliff.” She swats at my chest.
I ease one hand around to clasp hers and gently bring her fingers to my lips. “Paige, baby, look at me.”
She takes a deep, shuddering breath as she meets my gaze. Slow tears slide down her face. She sniffles. Most of the fight has run out of her, though.
“I thought about how I felt when I found out you were in the bank that day, the anguish I experienced while I rushed to the scene, praying you were alive. The hours of pain I went through while I waited for the news that you would never be coming home.”
She bites her bottom lip hard while she listens. More tears fall down her cheeks.
“Hours passed. I met up with your dad at the hospital. They wouldn’t release any information. Dozens of families were there, crowding the waiting room. We didn’t even know if we were at the right hospital. Some of the victims were taken to another location. All we knew was that a few people had been brought in and were in surgery. We waited for what felt like days. It was the most agonizing experience of my life.”
My heart hurts recalling those hours. I’ve never spoken about how awful it was to anyone. Not even her father, who was with me. No one should ever go through something like that. The pain of finding out Paige had died was horrifying, but the hours of waiting were almost worse in a twisted way.
That’s how Paige felt while I was chasing Tombeck down that winding road. I realized that as soon as it was over. She had nothing but the open phone line. With every passing moment, she feared I would go over that cliff myself. No, it wasn’t as long as I waited for news about her on the day she was murdered, but her fear and stress had been growing for hours. Days. Three weeks.
She spent every waking hour since I found her fearing the worst, wondering if I would survive a confrontation with Damion Tombeck. It wasn’t avoidable. I needed to end that loathsome man’s existence on this earth, but it took a toll on Paige.
Never again.
Paige leans her forehead against mine. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too, baby. So very fucking sorry. I will not go out into the field again. You have my word. From now on, I will work here or from my office behind the scenes. I will send others out to do fieldwork.”
Her lips tremble. “You will?”
“Promise.”
Her lips are on mine. She kisses me as though we haven’t seen each other in a decade. Her hands come to the sides of my head, and she holds me as she breaks the kiss. “You owe me a spanking.”
I slowly smile. “Yeah? Now? It’s after midnight, and your emotions are all over the place.”
“My emotions will be all over the place until you paddle them out of me, Dane.”
I bring my hand to her breasts and pinch both nipples hard. “Sassy girl.”
She arches her chest forward and moans. “If that’s what it takes.”
I release her breasts to palm her bottom and rise, holding on to her ass. I rain kisses all over her face as I make my way through the bedroom and to the safe room.
When I set her on her feet to enter, she shudders. “I never want to have to come in here for any reason other than for you to dominate me.”
I’m in full agreement on that. I would never want my girl to have to rush into hiding in our own home. But it will give me peace of mind, knowing that the room is here in case she ever needs it.
As soon as we’re shut inside, I inhale deeply to center myself. “Clothes off, Paige.”
I remove everything but my jeans while she strips, watching her the entire time. She’s the sexiest woman alive. And she’s all mine. I nod toward the bench. “On your knees.”
She climbs up and kneels on the padded sections. She knows better than to lower her body over the bench. I haven’t instructed her to do so yet.
I cup her chin and tip her head back. “Do I have your attention?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to spank you and then use a cane.”
She shudders delightfully. She likes that idea. I knew she would.
“The reason I’m going to use a cane is because I want you to get what you need faster than other times. It’s late. We both need sleep. Tomorrow is a big day.”
Her eyes widen. “What’s happening tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, we will fly to Georgia, see your dad, and get married.”
She gasps before smiling. “I can see my dad tomorrow?”
“Yes. I considered having you call him, but it’s going to be extremely traumatic for both of you. I think it will be easier on him if we just show up. Since we already got your identity restored, and Georgia is a state where no waiting period is required for marriage, we can go to the courthouse, and you’ll be legally mine before the end of the day.”
She narrows her gaze. “And you’ll be legally mine .”
I chuckle. “Yes.”
She throws her arms around my neck from her position on the bench. “You mean it? Seriously? You make it sound so easy.”
“I mean it. If you want to have a big wedding later, we can do that, but I’m not waiting another day to make you my wife. Your dad can be our witness, assuming he’s not too stunned to accompany us.”
“I hope we don’t give him a heart attack.”
“I’ve kept up with him. He’s in good health. Losing you has taken a toll on him, though. I suspect he’ll live a much longer life after he finds out his only daughter is alive.”
She shudders. “It’s so weird. He’s going to be so mad.”
“Yes. I know I was.”
“I thought you were going to drag me to the roof of the club and throw me off the top to kill me yourself when you started hauling me up those stairs. You were so pissed.”
I stroke her cheek and kiss her gently. “I was so fucking shocked , Paige.”
“I know. If I could have a do-over…”
I shake my head. “Once I calmed down, I understood. Your hands were tied, and I take the blame for my part in that. For not telling you every fucking day how much I loved you. I’ll never let you go to bed without hearing that from me for the rest of our lives.”
I lower my hand to her neck and kiss her senseless, loving the way she moans as I devour her. The kiss reminds me that we’re alive. Both of us . I’ll never let her go again. I’ll spend every day of my life making up for the time we lost. Life is precious. Love should not be squandered or ever taken for granted.