I need to get to Jen. I have to find her. There’s no way I’m leaving that place without her. We belong together. And if it takes me hours to convince her of that, then I’ll do it. I’m that determined to make her mine.

The drive was easy since it was the middle of the night and traffic was light. I find the street Angela Blackburn’s apartment complex is on quickly, thanks to Siri on my phone. I’m cruising it slowly, looking for the address and complex name, when the beams from my headlights land on a tall, slender figure walking along the sidewalk, pulling a giant black suitcase behind her.

My heart lurches in my chest and I pull over fast, rolling down the passenger-side window as I follow along beside her. She picks up her pace, her head averted, like she’s afraid to look at me. Probably thinks I’m some sort of creep stalking her in the middle of the night, not that I can blame her.

Fear grips my chest and I hate that she’s so frightened. What the hell is she doing out here all alone in the dark with her purse and her suitcase?

“Jen!” I call to her, and she stops short. I hit the brakes just in time to see her bent over and looking through the open car window, her dark gaze going wide when she sees it’s me. “Get in the car.”

“Wh—what are you doing here?” Her voice shakes and she looks scared out of her mind. It’s taking everything within me not to run out of my car, grab her, and sling her over my shoulder like some sort of caveman.

“I’ve come for you,” I say simply, shifting my car into park. I climb out and go to her, stopping right in front of her. She tilts her head back, staring up at me with so much relief and happiness in her gaze, the sight of it makes my heart swell. “You really think I can stay away from you, Jenny? You know I always find you eventually.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and seeing them nearly rips me apart. “How did you know I needed you?”

I melt at her words. Grabbing her, I pull her in for a hug, the tension coiled tight in my chest easing when she slips her arms around me and buries her face against my shirt. “Because I needed you, too. I can’t live without you,” I murmur into her silky hair.

“Oh God.” I stop her from saying another word with my lips, kissing her, swallowing her sobs, tasting her with my tongue. She feels good, so right in my arms. I can’t believe I found her so easily, walking down the goddamn street in the middle of the night, for Christ’s sake.

“What are you doing out here anyway?” I ask once I break the kiss, brushing the hair away from her forehead. I can’t stop looking at her, touching her. I can’t believe I have her standing in front of me. She’s been gone less than twenty-four hours and it felt like a goddamn lifetime.

I never want her out of my sight again.

“My new roommate kicked me out,” she says, her voice shaking.

Blood roars in my ears at her words. “What the fuck! Why?”

She starts to cry again and I gently push her away so I can look at her pretty, tearstained face. Reaching out, I brush the tears away from her cheeks with my thumb. “Her b-boyfriend tried to r-rape me,” she stutters out on a sob.

“Are you fucking serious?” My blood is boiling as I clench my left hand into a fist. Hell no, she did not just say that. “Take me back there. Right now.”

I start for the car but she grabs me, halting my progress. “No, Colin. Please. I don’t want you to get into any trouble. They’re not worth it.”

“He tried to fucking rape you, Jen. Smashing his face in with my fist and hearing his bones crunch will definitely be worth it.” I’m fucking fuming, I’m so worked up. All I can see is an angry red haze across my eyes as I grab her suitcase and open the door, tossing it into the backseat.

“Trust me. He’s a douchebag and she’s an idiot. If you go there and lay a hand on him, they’ll press charges and you’ll go to jail.” She grabs hold of me and shakes my shoulders, forcing me to focus on her. “I don’t want you to get arrested, Colin. Please. I need you here with me, not locked away in a jail cell.”

Her words seep into my enraged brain and I blow out a harsh breath as reality comes crashing back over me. “You’re right. I know you’re right,” I admit, my voice, my heart, beginning to calm. “But I wish I could. I’d tear him apart for you. You know that, right?”

“I know.” She smiles, the sight of it knocking the breath out of me, and she leans up on her tiptoes, brushing my mouth with hers. “I love you, Colin. Thank you for rescuing me.”

“God, I love you too.” I crush her to me, kissing her again, stealing her lips, her breath, her heart, just like she stole mine. God, she completely owns me; she has for months. Years. And she belongs to me. She’s mine.

We’re in this together.

It might have taken us a damn long time to figure it out and make it work, but thank Christ we did before it was too late.

“I’m tired of wasting time,” she whispers against my lips when we finally break apart. “I want to come back. I want to live with you if you’ll have me.”

As if she has to ask. “I’ll have you as long as you’ll have me. I’m . . . sorry for what I said earlier. How I treated you.”

“Of course I’ll have you.” She smiles, her eyes full of happiness mixed with lingering sadness. “I’m sorry I kept the truth from you. I was afraid.”

“Never be afraid with me. You’re my everything.” I can’t believe how lucky I am, that this woman is a part of my world. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”

“You’re my everything too,” she admits softly, her head bent, her slender fingers plucking at the front of my shirt. Her innocent touch heats my blood, sets my skin on fire. I never want to be apart from her again.

“Will you come with me?” I ask her, needing to hear her say yes. “Be a part of my life, Jenny. I need you. I love you.” I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop saying I love her.

She slowly lifts her head, her gaze meeting mine once more. The sadness is gone. Tears still fill her eyes and stream down her cheeks, but she looks happy. “I love you too. So much.”

Pulling away from her, I grab her hand and lead her over to my car, opening the passenger door for her. “Get in, baby. I need to take you home.”

Chapter 24

Jen

“Look at you!” Fable whistles low when I stop directly in front of her. “Dressed up, all hot shit and manager-like.”

“Stop it.” My cheeks heat with embarrassment and I give her shoulder a gentle shove before I smooth my hands over my sleek black pencil skirt. “It’s only temporary, remember?”

“Of course.” She rolls her eyes, the gigantic smile on her face giving her away that she’s not as irritated as she’s putting on. “Colin can’t live without you and you can’t live without him, blah, blah, blah. I still say you should stay here and take over this place completely. You could probably run it better than anyone else.”

“Yeah, right.” She might be exaggerating, but her words still fill me with warmth and pride. She’s so close to the truth about Colin and me it’s funny. We just haven’t admitted it to anyone yet.

The moment Colin brought me home—well, after we indulged in each other for hours in his bed—he sat me down and told me he was making me the manager of The District’s new Redding location.

I protested again and again and we ended up arguing for hours, which was silly, but hey, that’s how we work. We finally came to a compromise: I would run the Redding restaurant temporarily while he went in search of a permanent manager.

It’s not that I didn’t want the position or didn’t believe in myself. I preferred working with him. We’re a team, Colin and I. So when he asked me to join him instead and run the original location while he looked into expanding The District chain, I agreed readily.

We’ll make the announcement soon, when he finds a new manager to replace me. In the meantime, I’ll make the ninety-minute trek each way five days a week. We can stand it. It’s temporary. Plus, he helped me buy a new car. A used Honda that I love, that isn’t filled with bad memories and is reliable.