Oliver
Carl is gone before the cops arrive.
“How did you know?” Anna asks, throwing herself into my arms. It feels good to be needed, desired, wanted. It feels good to have her coming to me when she’s so scared and afraid. It feels good to know I protected her.
But I’m also mad as fucking hell her stepfather was here.
“I came over to talk to you and I smelled your fear.” I point to the bedroom window, which is open. “Your front door was locked but the back was broken into.”
“I didn’t check it when I got home,” she sighs. “I should have, but I didn’t even walk by it. I just ate my dinner and then came up to bed.”
“He wanted to scare you.”
“You said you were going to marry me.”
“I am going to marry you.”
“What?” Anna looks confused. She looks beautiful, but she also looks confused. “I…what?”
“I’m a shifter,” I tell her. “I don’t believe in mates, Anna, but I think we have a connection. I think we could be good together. I think we could have an incredible time. Even if we only have twelve months together, I think it could be really, really good.”
“I don’t believe in mates, either,” she whispers. “Destiny is what you make it. Marriage is what you make it. Just because we have a connection doesn’t mean our relationship is going to last. There’s no guarantee. We’ll still have to work at it.”
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
“Well, I don’t know,” she pulls her legs up to her chest. “This was kind of a crazy fucking night.”
I can hear sirens in the distance and I know the police are almost here. I can’t believe how damn slow they are. I also know that once they arrive, the spell is going to be broken, and we’re going to have to get real with the police. I want Anna to agree to marry me before they come so I can introduce myself as her fiancé. It’ll make things simpler when it comes to dealing with her stepfather.
And it ensures she’ll get her trust fund.
It ensures she’ll get what she’s owed.
Anna Donovan is a good, kind person. She doesn’t deserve to be screwed over by someone who is supposed to love her. She doesn’t deserve to be tricked out of her inheritance because of someone else’s greed.
“The police are going to be here soon, baby,” I say, stepping close to her bed. She looks so tiny curled up against the headboard. She got as close to it as she possibly could when Carl was here. She looked frightened and weak, but she’s not weak. She’s strong and brave and courageous.
She’s incredible.
And everything is going to be okay.
“Please, tell me you’ll marry me. If we get to the end of the twelve months and you don’t want me anymore, that’s fine. I understand, but please let me do this for you, Anna.”
She looks at me and she reaches for me, rubbing her hand on my face. I lean into her touch and let her offer me this small comfort right now.
“Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me.”
“You have to marry someone, right?”
“Probably, yes.”
“It might as well be someone like me, Anna. It might as well be me. I’m not going to hurt you or be possessive or controlling. I’m not going to be mean to you. I’m going to take care of you and I’m going to treat you right. I’m going to treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
The cops have arrived. I hear their cars pulling up in the driveway. Soon they’ll be knocking on the door and we’ll have to answer. We’re going to have to be on the same page because if Anna doesn’t accept my offer, I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do about why I came over to her house at night. It’s not exactly something most attorneys do for their clients.
“Yes,” she whispers so quietly I almost can’t hear her. “Yes, Oliver Lyon. Yes, I will marry you.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Yes,” she says again, and her eyes meet mine. Only this time, she doesn’t look afraid. This time, she looks fierce. This time, she looks like she’s not going to let anything get to her because my girl? My girl is a fucking badass.
“Aren’t we supposed to seal the promise with a kiss?”
“Sneaky tiger,” she says, but Anna scoots to the edge of the bed and places her legs on either side of mine so I’m standing between hers. She runs her hands up my chest and then she tilts her head and offers me her mouth.
This isn’t an offer I’m about to turn down.
I kiss her like my life depends on it, kiss her like there’s nothing else in the world I’d rather be doing than kissing her. I kiss her like she’s the sun and the stars because as far as I’m concerned, she is.
The knock at the door comes far too soon.
“We should get that,” she says. “I guess I have to file a police report now.”
“I’ll help you,” I tell her. “You don’t have to be scared about talking to the police. I’ll be right by your side the entire time.”
“Thank you,” Anna says. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that. People haven’t exactly been there for me most of my life. It’s nice to know you have my back.”
“We sealed our fate with a kiss, Anna. I will always be there for you. Always. You never have to be alone ever again. Not when it matters. Not when you have me.”
The knock comes again.
“Police,” a voice says. “Anyone home?”
“Coming!” I yell out and lift Anna from the bed, kissing her one more time before I set her on the floor. She reaches for her pants, and then she wiggles into them.
“Do I match?” She looks down at the pajama pants and faded tee shirt.
“You’ve never looked so beautiful,” I tell her.
Then we go to the front door.
I open it ahead of Anna. I’m trying, I suppose, to protect her in some way. I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn’t come over tonight. Would Carl have attacked her? Hurt her? My skin prickles as I consider it and my inner tiger threatens to break free.
“Sir, is everything all right?”
“My name is Oliver Lyon,” I take a deep breath as I look at the uniformed man in front of me. “This is Anna Donovan. This is her place of residence. I arrived about 10 minutes ago and noticed the back door was damaged. When I came inside, a man was in her bedroom. He had broken in.”
“Did you recognize the man?” The officer is writing everything down. I can see his partner walking around the house, checking things out as we talk.
“Yes,” Anna says. “His name is Carl Mortimer. He’s my stepfather.”
“And he broke into your house?”
“Yes.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
“He was threatening me,” Anna says, and I squeeze her hand. She’s being so brave, so strong right now. Talking to the police is never easy. Even in my line of work, I find talking with law enforcement to be difficult sometimes. She takes a deep breath, and then she tells the officer, “I’d like to press charges.”