Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Eventually, he whispers to me, “Hold on.”
Without much warning, he bends down, puts one hand behind my knees and one behind my back, and lifts me easily into his arms.
“What are you doing?” I stutter.
“Moving to the couch.”
He sits down and settles me on his lap. Now with his eyes on me, I try to draw back. “I should get—”
He cuts me off. “You should stay right where you’re at.”
5
LEGEND
I don’t want to move. If I could stay right here with Maya in my arms for all eternity, I would do it. I initially wanted to soothe her and make sure she was all right. I could see that she was barely hanging on, and I can only imagine the stress she’s been through the last few weeks.
I want to help, but as soon as I had Maya in my arms, I knew there was more to it. There’s nothing that will stop me from protecting her. Not because she’s my best friend’s sister or that she has no one else. I’m protecting her because she’s mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.
“Relax,” I tell her.
Once I moved to the couch, her back went ramrod straight again, and that’s not what I want. I need her to feel safe with me.
She relaxes into me, and I feel her hot breath on my neck as she talks. “How did you know I was about to fall apart?”
I push her hair off her face. “That’s not falling apart, baby girl.”
She cuddles into me. “It sure feels like it.”
Because I can’t hold back, I kiss her forehead. “I think you needed a good cry. There’s no shame in it.”
She lies limply in my arms, and now that she has let her guard down, I ask her, “You going to let me stay?”
She laughs. “I didn’t think I had a choice.”
I inhale deeply, sucking her vanilla sweet scent into my lungs. “With me, you always have a choice. You can choose whether I’m going to be staying inside or staying on your porch.”
She laughs like I’m joking, and when she sees my expression, she shakes her head. “Are you being serious? If I told you that you couldn’t stay here—”
“I would stay on your porch. Like I said, I’m not leaving until I know you’re safe.”
She levels me with a look, and I don’t blink or look away. She needs to know how serious I am about this. Finally, she nods her head. “You can stay.”
I relax into the cushions, relieved that I will not have to convince her. She probably doesn’t realize it, but her finger is tracing circles on my chest. My body reacts, and I stiffen underneath her. Being this close to her is both a blessing and a curse. She sits up, and I reluctantly let her get up off my lap. Maya is blushing and looking everywhere but at me. “I need to get back to work.”
I run my palms down my thighs. “Yeah, I need to get set up.”
She scrunches her nose. “Set up?”
I nod and stand, towering over her. “Yeah, I’m going to check your windows, doors, put up some exterior cameras, swipe for bugs—”
She gasps and finally looks at me. “Bugs?”
Fuck, she’s not going to like this. “Yeah. If he’s been in your apartment, I’m guessing he did more than just take your panties. Did anyone check for listening devices, cameras, or anything like that?”
Her eyes are huge, and she has a full body tremble. “No, nothing. I didn’t think…”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. I’ll take care of it.”
She gives me a firm nod. “Okay, thank you, Legend. For this and for earlier. I know I may not have acted like it, but I’m glad you’re here.”
Before I can say anything else, she walks over to the couch and sits down as she picks up her laptop from the cushion next to her. She starts working, leaning her head over her computer.
I work the rest of the afternoon setting up cameras, putting alarms on the windows and doors, changing locks, and checking for bugging devices and cameras. I let out a breath when I don’t find any evidence that the stalker had put in cameras. I would probably kill him on sight if I found out he’s been watching inside her bedroom all this time.
It’s been hours, and Maya is still on the couch, staring at her laptop screen.
When she looks up at me, I tell her, “I’m going to order dinner. What do you want?”
She blinks as if she’s trying to focus on what I’m saying. “I’m sorry. I’ll get groceries tomorrow. Red’s Diner is the most popular restaurant in town. You can’t go wrong with whatever you order.”
I nod, opening the Internet app on my phone so I can look up the number. I hope they deliver, and if they don’t, I’ll pay extra for it. “What do you want?”