“Nothing is going to happen to you. I’m here and the alarm is on. You know where the handgun is on your side of the bed, right?”

Cassie opened her eyes and looked at him again. “You’re very calm for a cop telling me where my handgun is.”

“Cassie, if he breaks into this house you will shoot him before he can shoot you. Or beat you with something, he seems to like the up close and personal, f**king bastard. It is you or him now, I have no qualms about wanting it to be you and telling you so. Do you have qualms about that?”

“About what? How would you feel about me if I told you I wouldn’t feel bad if I killed him? He’s making it me or him.” She sat up with a wince and he put pillows behind her. Carefully, he reached across her body to get her pills and a glass of water.

“I’d feel reassured that you’re willing to protect yourself. Now, the doctor said you’d be sore. There’s no major injury. You’re bruised. Your therapist said you may have some panic attacks for a while and to take medication if you need it to sleep and keep calm.”

She shook her head and pushed away the pills but drank the water. “No. I don’t want that. I need to be clear headed now.”

“There’s no shame in it, Cassie.”

“Don’t you tell me what there’s shame in, Shane Chase! I will not be sedated right now. My life is at stake. This man wants to kill me. He’s tried and he almost succeeded. He’s been controlling my life all these years. Making me afraid to even live. No more. Damn it! No more. I will not. If I need to sleep, I’ll take the pills but I will go to work and live my life and I swear to you right now that if he tries to hurt me I will make sure he can never harm me, ever again. However I have to.”

Shane nodded and put the pills back on the tray. “There you go. You don’t forget that, either. Take that fury and hold it close, use it. It is you or him and damned if I want you to apologize for wanting it to be you. If you’re in pain, take the damned pills. I have ibuprofen for that if you’d rather. If you get to a point where you can’t function through the panic attacks, take the damned pills. But yes, defend yourself and your life. I will too. We can do it together but, Cassie, please, I’m begging you right now, please move in here.”

“I will not be a burden or a charity case!”

“Oh shaddup. Seriously. I want to f**k you on demand. It’s a lot easier if you’re here. I wake up, roll over and bang, you’re right there. Easy access. What more can a man want? Plus, honey, you are a shitty cook, I can keep you from wasting away after all that strenuous sex.”

She rolled her eyes at him but at the same time, she realized she was an idiot to resist what she wanted anyway.

“I’ve been asking you for months now. It’s not like this is a last minute pity request.”

“Are you sure? Because I’m still going to be a pain in the ass you know. I won’t be managed just because I live here.”

“Darlin’ perish the thought of you being managed in any way.” He grinned and she swatted him playfully.

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

He let out a long breath. “Whew. That’s a relief. My brothers offered to help pack your stuff and get it over here. With your permission of course,” he added with a sexy wink.

“Heaven save me. You’re some smooth operator, Shane.”

“Cassie, I was empty before you came along. You fill me up. I love you.”

Tears stung Cassie’s eyes. “Me too. When I saw you last night, I knew it was okay. I knew I was safe. Even there on the side of the road with broken glass in my hair I felt safe. Thank you.”

“You wreck me, darlin’.” Gently, he pulled her down to snuggle against his side.

Chapter Seventeen

Brian came and went back to Los Angeles after he helped with the move. He wanted to stay longer but he had to get back for a case and there wasn’t much he could do anyway.

There’d been no conclusive evidence that the person in the SUV had been Terry. No witnesses to the accident or the theft to begin with and it remained quiet with no contact.

Spring came and heated up the landscape. Cassie realized she didn’t miss much about LA except for the ocean and they could drive down to the Gulf for that if they wanted to.

Cassie’s life became Cassie and Shane’s life and it wasn’t scary anymore. She loved him and loved waking up to his body next to hers each morning. Loved coming home to their big house every evening. They’d sit out on the back deck and look at the water or have friends and family over for barbecues.

As May approached, Cassie began to believe that the accident in February was just that, an accident. Nothing more than a stupid coincidence. Still, she set the house alarm every time she came and left, went shooting at the range twice a week with Shane and took judo classes with him. She was moving forward and arming herself for the eventuality where Terry did find her. It gave her a measure of control in some sense.

Walking into Penny’s backyard on June first, Cassie halted at the unexpected sight of thirty people clapping and cheering. Brian stood next to Shane, and Penny beamed as she stood in Ryan’s arms.

“Happy birthday, Cassie.” Shane approached her and pulled her into his arms.

“Oh my goodness. A surprise party? Where did everyone park? I can’t believe you did this and I didn’t know it.”

Brian pushed Shane out of the way and hugged his sister, kissing her cheek. “Shane’s been planning this since the end of February. We all parked at the Chase’s and came over in just a few cars that are tucked all around the neighborhood. Now come on in, there’s cobbler and cake and food galore.”