Her mouth twisted against his chest, her next words muffled by his skin.
"I guess it was fate that I was so close to the parking lot where your vehicle was parked unlocked."
"Yes," he said quietly. "Thank God I'm forever leaving my keys in the ignition."
She pulled slightly away, and he could see her frown and the fact that her eyes had turned fearful once more.
"What's wrong, Jenna?" he asked sharply.
"Isaac, the elders don't have guns, and certainly nothing that could have shot you from such a long range."
She grabbed his hand, clutching it to her chest, and he felt her heart racing wildly beneath his palm.
"How could they have known?" she whispered. "How could they have possibly found me so quickly? They weren't supposed to come for me for two more days."
Isaac's brow furrowed as he considered her words.
"They had to have been watching the compound the entire time just in case you did exactly what you did. Then they followed you, tracking your every move. If I hadn't found you and interrupted you stealing my vehicle, they would have either taken you right there in the parking lot or followed you and either forced you off the road or abducted you as soon as you stopped."
"Then how was it that you and your men found me before they did after I'd pulled off the road?"
Isaac sighed. "They were distracted and forced to defend themselves when my backup arrived and began shooting back. I doubt they were expecting any resistance. They likely thought taking you would be effortless. I have a tracking device on my SUV that led us right to you. Unfortunately, I also led them right to you, which is how they found my house and shot Shadow as we were leaving to come here."
She shot upward in the bed, the T-shirt she was wearing stretching tightly over the lush ripeness of her breasts.
"Then we aren't safe here either," she said, panicked.
"Shhh, baby, I need you to calm down," he soothed. "We would know if they were anywhere close to this house, but you're right. We can't stay here. I'll have to make some phone calls while we figure out our next move."
She licked her lips nervously and Isaac nearly groaned at the innocent, sexy gesture.
"Will you be safe?" she asked hesitantly. "Will your men be safe?"
His expression went dark and anger was a fierce battle within him. She was only concerned about him and his team. Not one word about her own safety or whether they could keep her safe. Did she think she had so little value?
Of course she thought just that. When had she ever been shown anything to the contrary? Disgust filled him. She'd spent a lifetime being beaten down, devalued, told time and time again that she was nothing, not important, when in the space of a day she'd become his entire world.
Unable to resist and passing only a moment's worry over spooking her, he wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her to him, delving one hand into the silky pale curls of her hair as he lowered his mouth to hers.
He pressed his lips tentatively to hers at first, judging her reaction, but to his surprise she melted into his body, molding herself tightly to his as if they were meant to fit together. Then he deepened his kiss, sweeping his tongue over her lips, coaxing them gently to open under his persistent demand. With a breathy sigh, she parted her lips just enough that he could slip his tongue inside her mouth and entwine it with hers, absorbing the sweetness of her taste.
Never had anything felt so right in his life. So perfect. She was made for him just as he was made for her and he'd be damned if anything ever separated them again. He'd go to the wall for her time and time again, placing his body between her and any danger posed to her. And he knew one truth above all others. She belonged to him. Nothing that felt this right could possibly be not meant to be.
"I will never let anyone hurt you again, Jenna," he whispered against her lips. "You'll have me and my entire organization devoted to your safety just as soon as I sound the alarm and we call a meeting to plot our next move."
Her look of sadness was enough to break his heart into a million pieces.
"I'm nobody, Isaac," she said in a tone that told him she believed every word of it. "You can't risk everything for me. Do you think I could ever live with myself knowing that you-any of you-were hurt or killed because of me?"
"That's where you're wrong, honey," he said in his most loving voice, a voice he'd never imagined using on another woman. On anyone. "You are everything to me. My entire world. And if you think after finally finding you after so many years of missing a piece of myself that I'm just going to let you go, then you're quickly going to find out how very wrong you are. You're mine, Jenna. Do you understand that? You are mine. And I am responsible for every part of your well-being, your protection, your happiness, making you smile, making you laugh and making every dream you've ever dreamed come true. If you'll just trust me, I swear to you that I'll make every one of those things happen."