Page 88 of Her Noble Protector

Raiden didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t known what to say for the last forty-eight hours, ever since Lisa started talking about moving back to Arizona. He sat down in his parent’s living room, looking at the suitcases that were next to the bottom of the stairs. How could this be happening?

“She’s running scared,” Cami had told him.

Scared of what? Maria was captured and now they could finally start living the life they were meant to live.

Raiden heard Lisa’s footsteps on the stairs and looked up from his seated position on his parent’s sofa.

“Hey,” she said quietly. “I told you I didn’t need a ride to the airport. I could Uber it.”

He didn’t stand up, he just looked at her. “I’m not here to drive you to the airport. Anyway, Kane canceled your tickets.”

She stopped short at the bottom of the stairs. “What did you say?”

He got to his feet but he made no move toward her. “I said you’re not going to the airport and your tickets to Arizona have been canceled.”

He’d never seen her brown eyes so wide, or so pissed off, or so confused, but his Lisa pulled her shit together. “Would you care to explain yourself?”

“So now you’re saying you’ll listen to me? Finally?”

“I’ve been listening to you for a week, ever since that day in the condo. I’ve told you, you don’t have to worry about me anymore, you’re off the case. I’m no longer your damsel in distress.”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “And there you go again, not listening. Instead, you’re just spouting off stupid shit. I’ve told you and told you, I do not have a rescuer complex. This is not what I’m about. I want you, Lisa Garcia. You!”

She strode over to him, coming toe-to-toe, jutted out her chin, and glared up at him. “You don’t even know me.”

“First, that’s not true. Second, if you feel that way, then fucking share yourself with me!”

“You didn’t even want to get to second base with me. You think I’m some kind of wounded bird that you’ve got to take care of all the time. That’s not me! Yeah, my life has sucked. Yeah, I’ve built walls. But I’m a lot stronger than you think I am.”

Is she out of her fucking mind?

“Are you out of your fucking mind? You’ve survived three kidnappings since I’ve known you, killed one of the most notorious kidnappers in Mexico, called one of your kidnappers pussy-whipped while you were poking your finger into his chest, and you about beat the shit out of me when I didn’t let you get to Cami the other day. You’re Ender from Ender’s Game, surviving anything that’s thrown at you. If you were any stronger I’d have to call you Wonder Woman.”

Lisa rocked back on her heels, then shook her head as if to clear it.

“You had to coax me out of my house when I was too scared to leave it,” she whispered.

“So?”

“I was living in squalor,” she breathed out.

“I’m aware.”

“You were the first person I kissed in eleven whole years.”

“I was the one doing the kissing, so I didn’t miss that either.” Raiden did his best to keep his patience, but it was a near thing. “Is there a point to this?”

“How can you think I’m Wonder Woman if I haven’t been kissed and I’ve lived in squalor?” she squeaked out the question.

“Jesus, baby, are you kidding me? That elevates you to, I don’t know, Cat Woman?” Raiden shook his head. “Super Girl?”

He slid his hands along her arms, then down so that he could lace their fingers together. “I look at you and absolutely see the strongest woman I have ever met, bar none.”

She shook her head so hard, her hair went flying. He let go of one of her hands and smoothed her hair away from her face. “Lisa, I would love you, be in love with you, if you had the easiest life imaginable, great parents, and were queen of the prom. Swear to God. But I love you so much more, you being this woman who has gone through what you have and become this kind, caring, and formidable lady.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “You love me?”

“I’ve been saying it for weeks, haven’t I?”