The second she said the words, she wanted to snatch them back. It wasn’t true. She did need him, but she couldn’t give in. Not even for him. Not even for herself. She couldn’t go against her principles. Couldn’t give in. Never again.
He flexed his jaw, his pleading expression fading away to ice. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. You obviously don’t give a shit about yourself.”
He stared at her, silently begging her to tell him the answer to the code. To save herself, and maybe him, too, in the process. After a short moment of silence, he gave up. He probably gave up on her too. He walked out, shutting the door behind him with a firm click.
Flinching at the soft sound, which seemed more powerful than a slam, she knew, just knew, that it was over. Because this time tomorrow…
She’d be in jail.
Chapter Fourteen
Jake leaned against the wall in the corner of his bedroom, the early dawn sun slipping in between the cracks of the blinds. For God only knew how long, he’d been standing there, watching Tara sleep. She’d tossed and turned for hours last night, but he hadn’t gotten an ounce of sleep. Hadn’t even tried.
There was no point.
He was going to lose his Tara.
As he watched, trying to quell his inner turmoil, she stirred. He walked to her and smoothed a curl off her face. He trailed a finger down her cheekbone. “Rise and shine.”
“Hmm.” She blinked at him, losing the soft traces of sleep within seconds. Clutching the blanket to her chest like a shield, she sat up. “Is it time?”
“Yes.” He gave her his back, keeping his voice even. “It’s time.”
The sheets rustled, and her feet hit the floor. He wanted to turn around and look his fill, but he resisted the urge. If he saw her naked right now, he would be late for work. It was bad enough he was desperately racking his brain to figure out a way for Tara to stay out of jail, but he wouldn’t be late, too.
Not today.
She walked toward her bags. “I’ll just need a few minutes.”
“Tara…” He hesitated, wanting to offer her some form of comfort, to assure her that she would be fine and he would keep her safe, but he wouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. So he shut the hell up before he did. “I’ll be downstairs waiting for you.”
He closed the door behind him, still not looking at her. His stomach balled up into a tight fist, and he paced at the bottom of the stairs, checking his watch every few steps. While he was waiting, he shot Cooper a quick text. When he received a confirmative reply, he took a shaky breath.
This was his only option.
After about fifteen minutes, she came down the stairs. She wore dress slacks and a button-up shirt. He could barely make out a thin line of cleavage from the neckline of her blouse, and yet it was the damn sexiest thing he’d ever seen before, because it was her.
He wanted to remove every piece of her clothing so he could make slow and passionate love to her. Keep her hidden from the real world so he didn’t have to do this.
So he wouldn’t lose her.
“Does this outfit meet your approval this time?” she asked, her voice lifeless.
“Yeah. It’s good.” He held his hand out. “Let’s go.”
Without even the slightest hesitation, she slid her fingers into his, holding tight. They walked out into the bright sunlight, and she slipped a pair of big shades onto her nose. He opened the car door for her. “Tara, I—”
“Don’t. Don’t tell me to run, and don’t ask me to help you for the millionth time. I can’t.” She sat down, her entire body stiff and unyielding. “Let’s just get this over with.”
He closed the door and crossed around the trunk, staring at the spot where she had put the stickers yesterday—had that been only yesterday? It felt like months.
When he slid into his seat, he stared straight ahead, gripping the wheel. He didn’t start the car. Why did it have to be like this? Why couldn’t she, for once, give in without a damn fight? He wished she would save herself, so he didn’t have to do it for her.
So she wouldn’t hate him.
“Fuck, Tara,” he snarled. He turned to her, anger and frustration fueling him. Feeding him. “Would it really be worse than going to jail?”
Her fists worked on her purse strap. “Yeah, it would be. I refuse to help someone like him,” she said so softly he almost missed her words. “I won’t do it, not even for you.”
“Damn it. I can’t save you if you won’t help me.” Jake gripped the wheel so tight it hurt his knuckles. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”