Page 97 of Micah

Found out her brother has been doing drugs and gambling away everything she'd worked for.

Got grabbed by some greasy motherfucker while his buddies trashed her bar.

Hell of a fucking day.

I'm still pissed at myself for letting those bastards leave breathing.

Maybe that's something I can revisit later.

Right now I have more important things to take care of.

Sloane needs me.

And I'll be damned if I'm anywhere else.

I kill the engine.

The sudden silence settles over us.

She doesn't stir.

Not even a little.

I climb out, walk around the truck, and carefully open her door.

“Sloane,” I murmur.

Nothing.

Her breathing stays slow and even.

Christ.

She is done.

Without letting myself think too hard about it, I slide one arm beneath her knees and another behind her back.

She weighs almost nothing.

Or maybe I'm just too damn aware of how perfectly she fits against me.

I lift her into my arms.

Her head immediately falls against my chest.

One tiny sigh escapes her lips.

Then she burrows closer.

Every protective instinct I possess goes absolutely feral.

Mine.

The thought lands hard enough to make me swallow.

Not mine to own.

Mine to protect.