Free You'll Think of Me by Wendi Zwaduk Page B

edge of the mattress with her in his arms and caressed her thigh. His eyes regained a bit of their warmth. “The offer never left the table, sweetheart, but you can’t go home to your rental.”
    As she sucked in a ragged breath, she gazed into the dark chocolate of his eyes. “Where am I going to stay? I cleaned out the house, save for my dark room.”
    With a chuckle, he twined his fingers with hers. “You’ll stay with me. I can control who comes and goes in my own home.”
    She punched his arm with no venom. “Cade, I moved out so I could experience life on my own.”
    His dark eyes burned with fire. Passion? Renewed energy? She wanted the passion to scorch them through and through. The beginnings of a smile twitched on his lips. “I never said you couldn’t, Melly, but I won’t leave you in the path of potential danger.”
    Emotions warred in her heart as she stared at him. “You know I’ll be all right.” She placed her hand over his mouth to stifle the expected comeback. “But I want you to help me. You’ll protect me.” As much as she wanted him close, she chose to keep him at arm’s length until he made his decision.
    He cupped her chin in his hand. “I will.”
    She shivered. Excitement raced up her spine. His simple response rocked her to her core. “I expected nothing less.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Two hours later, Cade grinned as he rounded the hood of his truck. Dr. Adams had released Melanie and given her explicit orders to rest. His heart leapt. She’d be home with him, in his arms and safe from harm. Life couldn’t get better unless she accepted his offer of marriage. Well, he had to ask her first, but one step at a time.
    So why fib and tell her he wasn’t sure what he wanted? Saying those three little words served as finality. Could he embrace the emotional connection in sex he feared?
    Cade snuck a glance at Melanie. She curled up on her half of the bench seat, dressed in an Air Force emblazoned grey T-shirt and oversized track shorts. Her face still bore some of the redness from the heat of the fire and her hair needed to be washed, but she looked beautiful.
    “Can we go past the house? I need to see the damage. I need closure.”
    Cade nodded and focused on getting out of the parking lot. She needed closure. Hell, she’d nearly died. He groaned. He wasn’t sure he could handle the devastation of losing her for good. For Melanie, he’d beat the damned demons and move forward. “It’s a total loss, so there won’t be much to see. Rhett says it’s a pile of ash, but I’ll take you there.”
    “Thank you.” She squeezed his hand and cuddled against his arm. “I can’t believe someone burnt down my home.”
    He gripped the wheel tight enough to turn the knuckles of his left hand white. “Who knows what things people think.” Turning onto Harwick Road, he braced himself for the worst.
    A sob escaped her lips as he pulled into the lonely gravel drive. He threw the truck into park. No matter how hard he tried, his heart rate wouldn’t slow. Clutching his hand, she dug her nails into his palm.
    “Please come with me,” she whispered.
    “You know I will.” Cade got out of the vehicle and rounded the hood to help her to solid ground. He averted his eyes from the torched remains of the once pale yellow house and held her close to his body.
    “I’m not made of glass, Cade. You can let go.”
    Although he cursed himself for clinging, he let her stand on her own. A cracking twig captured his attention. He grabbed the hunting knife he kept in his glove box and shoved the folded up weapon into his jeans pocket. Something brushed against his boot-clad ankle. He started to give the unwanted object a kick until a sixth sense forced him to look down. The intruder came in the form of a dirty orange kitten. The frightened animal skittered a few feet away. The edge to Cade’s mood softened.
    “Hi there.” He crouched and held out his hand, expecting the kitten to run back to his or her