Passing His Guard

“You’re leaving?” She tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness crashed into her, making her stomach roll, churning in the tide of nausea.

Aiden reached for her shoulders, steadying her as he gently laid her back against the pillow. “Easy, sweetheart . . . don’t move so fast.”

“Where are you going, Nikko?”

“Back to Vegas. My flight leaves JFK in a few hours.”

“But do you have to go so soon?”

“I’ve been gone for three weeks. As fun as this has been, I gotta get back to the real world sometime.” He dropped his bag into the chair as he came around the side of the bed. “Listen, I’m not good at good-byes, so I’m just going to say see ya later. When you’re up to it, you can text me your guacamole recipe, huh? Never know when I’m go

Rya

Nikko hesitated a moment. The tension that came over him was almost imperceptible, but she knew him well, and the unease was undeniably there. He gave Aiden a questioning glance and the two exchanged a brief look she couldn’t decipher before Aiden canted his head and moved back, making room for Nikko to approach.

Nikko bent down and carefully slipped his arms around her. By the stiffness of his embrace, she could tell he wasn’t comfortable letting people get this close—physically or emotionally. But he’d helped save her life, so he was just going to have to endure a little gratitude. When he pulled back, she brushed her lips against his scarred cheek. He flinched. Wow . . . she thought sadly, whoever hurt this man sure did one hell of a bang-up job. “Have a safe flight back home, Nikko.”

“Take it easy, Gingersnap, Aiden.”

Nikko grabbed his bag off the chair and turned to leave.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Aiden offered, following him out.

While Rya

She gingerly entered the bathroom, and after seeing to her personal needs and brushing her teeth, she actually felt half human again. So far so good . . . Shower next. She didn’t dally, just a quick scrub and hair washing. After toweling off, she slipped into Aiden’s T-shirt, not noticing which one she’d grabbed until after she’d put it on. Rya

She shook her head, smiling to herself, making a mental note to remember to ask him about his penchant for superhero T-shirts. Though she couldn’t deny Aiden was her Batman, her Superman, and her Green Lantern, he was absolutely and indisputably her Mr. Incredible. She was still smiling as she left the bathroom. She’d almost made it back to bed when a stern, masculine voice fractured the silence in the room.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Crap . . . busted.

Aiden’s scowl darkened as he strode into the bedroom.

“I had to use the bathroom, and I figured I might as well shower and brush my teeth while I was up.”

“And how do you feel?”

His arched brow told her he knew exactly how she felt. “Like I was hit by a truck,” she confessed. He closed the distance and took her into his arms, gently helping her back into bed.

“Yeah, well, that truck has been retired,” he grumbled under his breath.

The longer she was awake, the more her memories were coming back in bits and pieces of what happened that night—some memories she wished would stay gone, others she would cherish the rest of her life, like the undeniable love and sacrifice Aiden had shown her in that cage when he’d selflessly handed himself over to a monster he could have easily defeated.

“Did you kill him—that fighter?”

Aiden shook his head. “I would have if you hadn’t stopped me. God, Rya

She reached for Aiden’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. When those mesmerizing amber eyes shot up to lock on hers, Rya

“I know you are—especially now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it’s over, Rya

“Oh, Aiden . . .” The tears she’d been fighting to hold back broke free—tears of relief, tears of joy, tears of gratitude. Aiden truly had saved her life.

“Hey, shhh . . .” he whispered, reaching up to dry her cheeks with his thumbs. “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it now.”

“It’s not that,” she sniffed, swiping at a wayward tear. “I never . . . I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I am for doubting you. How sorry I am for the things I said, and for pushing you away. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

Aiden pulled her into his arms. After giving her a long hug, he leaned back and took her face in his hands. Those gorgeous amber eyes flecked with deep browns and gold dust searched hers, looking for something. And what she saw reflected in them touched her to her very soul. God help her, she was so hopelessly in love with this man . . .

He kissed her forehead before letting her go. She sat beside him, alternating between glancing at him and picking at a loose thread on the comforter. Still, it couldn’t be this easy . . . How could he not be mad at her for mistrusting him?

“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to forgive—nothing to apologize for. We’ve both said and done things we regret, things we’d do different if given the opportunity.”

Wasn’t that the truth? She gave him a sad, apologetic smile. “Wouldn’t that be nice? No lies, no secrets, no manipulation . . .”

“No roofies . . .” he added, teasing her with a sexy, roguish grin.

A bubble of laughter broke free and she nudged his arm with her elbow.

“Ouch . . .” he chuckled, wincing as he rubbed his shoulder.

“Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry. I forgot about your arm.”

“It’s fine. Really. It’s just going to take a little time to heal, that’s all.”

“Sounds like that’s true for a lot of things, huh? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a second chance? To be able to start all over and do things right this time?”

His smile faltered, his expression growing serious. “It’s fu

The sudden shift in Aiden’s mood sent alarms sounding off inside her head. What was he going to say? Lord, she didn’t think she could take any more bad news. Rya

“I have to go into witness protection, Rya