He laughed. “Forgot what a perfectionist you are! Anyway, listen up. You call me if you need anything, you understand? I’m always here for you. Doesn’t matter if you can’t pay my salary or whatever. I’ll always come if you need me. Okay?”
A thick lump clogged her throat. “Okay,” she managed. “Thank you.”
After they hung up, she buried her face in the pillow. A complex mix of relief, affection and anger coursed through her, and hot tears stung her eyes. Chad wasn’t upset with her, and she had another person who was wholly on her side.
A gentle hand rubbed her back. “What’s wrong?”
Dane.
She wiped moisture from her cheeks. “When did you get back?”
“Just now.” His eyebrows pinched together, and he searched her face. “What happened?”
“I just talked with Chad.”
“Chad?” Confusion clouded his face for a moment, then cleared. “Your chaperon slash bodyguard.”
“More than that. Like a parent.” She sat up. “I thought he didn’t want to talk to me after he was let go. I couldn’t pay him, you know? But it turned out that he thought I didn’t want to talk to him.”
“How is that even possible?”
She shook her head. “Some miscommunication.”
He put an arm around her and pulled her close. “I’m sorry.” He pressed his lips on her head. “That’s terrible.”
Anger at George surged inside her. Before she could stop herself, she said, “No. Criminal. That’s how it was. The rat bastard lied to Chad so he could try to rape me.”
Dane went absolutely still. “What?” He turned her around so he could look her in the eye. “What happened?”
“When I learned my dad left me penniless… Geo—” She stopped. She couldn’t reveal the name yet. Libby didn’t know, and Dane certainly wouldn’t sit on his hands if he knew. “Chad had to get another job. He cares for me, but the man has to eat and keep a roof over his head. But at the same time if he knew I was in danger, he’d come for me and make whoever hurt me sorry. So this asshole lied to Chad and made me feel guilty so we wouldn’t contact each other. Then he tried to…you know.”
Dane’s knuckles whitened, while dark red flushed his cheeks. Fury burned hot in his eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was soft. Almost calm. “But you got away.”
“He underestimated me. I’m a lot stronger than I look. All figure skaters are. So I smashed his head with a lamp.”
“Good. Is he dead?” Asked in a completely matter-of-fact tone.
“He’s not dead, but he won’t bother me again.” Probably.
“So that’s the real reason you had to leave Seattle.”
“Yes. I thought I was all alone. To know there was still somebody in my corner… I can’t even describe what a relief that is.” She sniffed. “I’m not alone.”
“Chad isn’t the only one you can rely on. I’m here for you.” Dane rested his forehead on hers. “I’ll always be here for you.”
Many people had told her the same thing. Her coaches. Her skating friends. Her parents, even. But she’d known they hadn’t really meant it. The real meaning was: so long as the money keeps coming, so long as it’s convenient and so long as it doesn’t get in the way of my social calendar.
But Dane’s promise didn’t come with an unspoken qualification. People thought he was cold because he was blunt and would never say anything nice just to sound nice. But there was a good side to his social tactlessness. When he said something, he meant it one hundred percent.
“I know.” She tilted her mouth up. “Kiss me.”
His lips brushed against hers, the touch feathery. He felt so warm, so sweet it made her chest ache. She pressed closer, deepening the kiss, and he fell slowly back on the bed, pulling her on top of him. She traced his lips with her tongue. She’d never taken the initiative, been so bold with him like this.
His mouth was surprisingly soft and full, his lower lip gently curved and plump. Somehow, she’d never noticed that before. He’d always seemed so unyielding and untouchable, like a frigid northern mountain.
When his tongue met hers, she moaned deeply in her throat. He kept his hands on the mattress, letting her control the depth and tempo of the kiss. Lying on him, the entire length of her body tingled with feral, elemental awareness. Hot blood pumped through her, her heart knocking hard against her ribs.
Almost without thinking she gripped his shoulder and put a hand behind his head. She felt like she was drowning in him, and she never wanted to come out of it. Desire pulsed in the slick emptiness between her thighs, and she deepened the kiss, pressing their bodies together until nothing separated them, and cradled his thick, hard length between her legs.