Chapter 16 #2
What if she flagged down the wrong car? What if someone recognized her? What if she got hurt before I could find her?
What if I lost her before I'd even really had her?
The thought made my chest ache. Made breathing difficult.
I'd been an idiot. A complete fucking idiot. The monitoring didn't matter. The fight didn't matter. Nothing mattered except finding her and making sure she was safe.
Then I'd lock her in my room and never let her out again. Or maybe just hold her until she understood that running from me wasn't an option.
Headlights appeared ahead. A figure walking along the shoulder of the road. Small. Female. Carrying a bag.
Aria.
Relief hit so hard I nearly swerved off the road. I pulled up beside her, killed the engine, got out.
She saw me. Her eyes went wide. She dropped the bag and ran.
Ran away from me. Actually ran like I was the threat instead of her salvation.
That hurt more than it should have.
I caught her in about ten strides. She was fast, but I was faster. Stronger. And absolutely not letting her get away.
I grabbed her arm, spun her around, backed her against my car. Used my body to cage her in so she couldn't bolt again.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
She struggled, trying to push me away. Her hands hit my chest, my shoulders, anywhere she could reach.
"Let me go! I'm leaving. I can't do this anymore. Can't marry Salvatore, can't keep sneaking around with you, can't live in that prison pretending everything is fine when it's all falling apart!"
"You're not leaving." I grabbed her wrists, pinned them against the car above her head. "You think you're escaping my father? You're escaping me. Is that what you want? To run from me?"
"Yes! No! I don't know!" Tears streamed down her face, catching the moonlight. "I just need out. I need to breathe. I need..."
Her voice broke. Sobs shook her entire body.
And just like that, my anger evaporated. Replaced by something softer. Something that made my chest ache.
I released her wrists. Cupped her face instead. Made her look at me.
"You don't get to run. You understand me? You're mine. We're in this together. If you run, you're not just leaving the situation. You're breaking us. Breaking me. Is that what you want?"
"I don't want to break anything." Her voice was small. Broken. "I'm just so scared. Salvatore comes back tomorrow and everything changes. We're out of time and I don't know how to handle that."
I pulled her against my chest. Wrapped my arms around her. Held her while she cried.
"We're not out of time. I'm going to figure this out. But you have to trust me. You have to stop fighting me and let me protect you."
"I do trust you." The words came out muffled against my shirt. "I'm just scared of losing you. Scared of what happens when your father gets back and we can't be together anymore. Scared that one day you'll wake up and realize I'm not worth all this risk."
"That's never going to happen." I tilted her face up. "You're worth everything. Worth any risk. Worth dying for if it comes to that."
"Don't say that."
"It's true." I lowered my head, found her mouth with mine.
She opened for me immediately. Her lips soft and trembling. I took my time, my tongue sweeping past her lips slowly, thoroughly. Tasting her tears, her fear, her desperation.
My hands moved from her face to her hair, tangling in the dark strands. Angling her head so I could deepen the contact. Her hands fisted in my shirt, holding on like I was the only solid thing in a world that kept shifting.
When I finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard.
"You're never losing me." I pressed my forehead to hers. "I will die before I let anyone take you. Before I let you go. Do you understand? You're mine, Aria. Mine. And I don't share. I don't let go. I don't lose what belongs to me."
"I'm not property."
"No. You're so much more than that." I kissed her again. Softer this time. "You're everything."
She sagged against me, exhausted. I picked her up easily, carried her to the car, settled her in the passenger seat.
Called Marco. Told him I'd found her. We were heading back.
The drive was silent. Aria stared out the window, her hand in mine, fingers laced together.
Back at the estate, I led her straight to my room. Not hers. Mine.
"You're staying here tonight. Where I can watch you. Make sure you don't try this shit again."
"Kai—"
"Not negotiable. Get in bed."
She looked like she wanted to argue. Then she just nodded, exhaustion winning out.
I watched her change into one of my shirts. Climb into my bed. Curl up on her side.
I stripped to my boxers, slid in behind her. Pulled her against my chest. Wrapped my arms around her waist. Buried my face in her hair.
"I'm sorry." The words came out rough. "About the monitoring. About the fight. About being a controlling ass who can't see past his own need to protect you."
"I'm sorry too." Her voice was small. "For running. For not trusting you. For saying you were like your father when I know you're nothing like him."
"I should have told you about the phone monitoring. Should have explained instead of just doing it."
"You should have." She turned in my arms, faced me. "But I understand why you did it. This world is dangerous. You're trying to keep me safe. I get that now."
"I'll try to be better about communication. About treating you like a partner instead of someone who needs constant protection."
"And I'll try to trust you more. To not run when things get scary."
I pulled her closer. Felt her heartbeat against my chest.
"We're going to figure this out. Together. No more running. No more secrets. Just us against the world."
"Us against the world." She repeated it like a vow. "I like the sound of that."
I held her until her breathing evened out. Until she fell asleep in my arms.
Tomorrow my father returned. Tomorrow everything got infinitely more complicated.
But tonight, Aria was safe. In my bed. In my arms. Where she belonged.
And I'd kill anyone who tried to take her away.