Page 91 of The Hero
“Why are you all the way over there?” she asked with a small frown. It wasn’t as if he’d sat down on the extreme opposite end of the couch, but he wasn’t touching her, and that freaked her out.
Kendric studied her for a long moment, then he sighed. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Marlowe shook her head. “Touching me won’t hurt me.” He still didn’t move, and her heart fell. “I mean, if you’re mad at me or something, please just tell me. If you’ve changed your mind about us because I screwed up today, I want to know.”
“Changed my mind?” he asked incredulously.
Before she could blink, she was sitting on his lap, blankets and all, and his arms were around her, holding her close.
Sighing in relief, Marlowe snuggled into him, wrapping an arm around his neck and holding on tight.
“You didn’t screw up today. I did.”
Marlowe shook her head, but he didn’t give her a chance to protest verbally.
“I did. I told you that I’d have your back, and yet I hesitated just long enough for that asshole to get his hands on you. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” she begged. “You saved me, Kendric. He was going to kill me. He’d somehow hidden who hereallywas from everyone, until the moment he tried to squeeze the life out of me. I saw it in his eyes. The greed, the hate, the disregard for anyone other than himself. If you weren’t there ...” Her words faded.
“I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “I know. I can’t go through that again. Seriously. I know you needed to do all this to fix what happened to you in Thailand, but nothing about that situation felt right. I didn’t want you to think I was being a controlling husband, refusing to allow you to make your own decisions. But I think deep down, I suspected West was unstable. That he’d do anything to get his hands on the money he felt he was entitled to.
“I want you to be independent. I want you to be the strong, competent, and amazing woman you are. But I won’t let you put yourself in danger again. I just can’t.”
“Okay,” Marlowe said without hesitation. She wasn’t upset that Kendric wanted to protect her. Wasn’t that what she’d wanted all her life? Someone to lean on when the going got tough? To protect her and their children from anyone and anything that might hurt them?
Kendric nodded against her, and she felt him take a deep breath. He was just as affected by what had happened today as she was. Maybe even more so. He’d been the one to see Ian with his hands around her throat. She’d been unconscious when Kendric had opened the car door, but she’d heard from the others how he’d wrenched Ian off her with one hand. How he’d beaten the crap out of him before turning his attention to her. He’d had to see her in that back seat, lying motionless, and probably thought he was too late.
Yeah, his perspective on what happened today was probably worse than what she’d actually experienced.
“Take me to bed?” she asked. She needed to hold her husband. Reassure him that she was all right. He’d probably have nightmares tonight, which she hated because it had been quite a while since he’d had any. It killed her that she would be the reason for his relapse.
Kendric moved immediately, scooting to the edge of the couch before standing. He carried her to their bedroom and placed her on the mattress.
“Do you need anything? Use the restroom? Wash your face?”
“I’m good,” Marlowe told him. She’d changed into her pajamas earlier and had brushed her teeth when they’d gotten home.
He nodded and went to the dresser and pulled out a T-shirt. He stripped out of the clothes he’d been wearing all day and put on the clean shirt. He went into the bathroom, and Marlowe heard the water running as he brushed his teeth. The toilet flushed a moment later, then finally he was climbing under the covers with her.
He lay on his back and pulled her against his side. Marlowe rested her head on his chest and sighed with contentment. Kendric’s fingers brushed against the nape of her neck and tickled the hairs there.
“Kendric?”
She felt more than heard his chuckle. He’d admitted once that he loved how she always said his name, as if asking permission, before she asked a question or told him something. She hadn’t realized she was doing it, but now she couldn’t stop.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said with no hesitation whatsoever.
“I feel as if I owe you an apology.”
“You don’t,” he told her.
“I do,” she insisted. “I shouldn’t have met with Ian by myself. We both knew that he’d do anything in order to steal those coins. I mean, he had no problem getting me thrown in jail. There was no reason to think that he’d ever agree to give me one of them. I should’ve let you and your friends think of something else. Or let Customs and Border Control handle it. I got caught up in proving that he was a thief, in proving that he’d set me up. And proving that he hadn’t broken me. I ignored the very real threat he could pose.”
“Your bravery is what I love most about you. You don’t let anything get in your way. You just forge forward no matter what. You don’t owe me an apology. We both made mistakes, and thank goodness we’re both still here to learn from those mistakes and improve going forward.”
