Desiring the Forbidden Read Online Free Page B

week.
    Until then, he needed her to be safe.
    But her reaction to what he was about to propose was his next concern. He didn’t want to scare her even more than she already was, but at the same time he needed her safe and worry free. As far as he was concerned, that meant she needed to be under his care — and no one else’s.
    Cade had been a trooper since his twenties and now that he was only a few months from forty, he didn’t see a need to sugarcoat anything he said. He’d treat her as his own daughter; give her the facts, and present the situation — and solution — in such a way that it would make it difficult for her to say no. He liked that tactic best. It fit him perfectly, as a man who liked to be in control.
    “Okay, sweet pea, this is how this is going to work.” He stood up from his chair, walking toward her. She stiffened, looking nervous. His large frame and height had that effect, especially when in uniform. People reacted consistently to the uniform and authority, but it still bothered him on some level. He pulled the wooden chair in front of her, sitting knee-to-knee with her. Once again, he pulled her hands into his, rubbing them between his large palms.
    “You’re shaking. It’s okay. Listen to me. I’ll take care of this… and you.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been watching Zack and Jared for a while; we needed just a bit more information to arrest them. This will be the information that gives us the ability to take them off the streets and put them in jail. But, until we do that, you need to be safe.”
    “But how?” Her brows furrowed, and she looked confused, pulling her lip between her small white teeth, worrying it.
    “I know you have a job and an apartment, but going back to those at this point isn’t an option. It wouldn’t be safe for you here in Laramie. Jared or Zack would be able to find you easily at those places. In addition, even after their arrest, they may have friends who’ll be looking for you.”
    “Oh, god… I knew I—”
    “Wait. Don’t interrupt. Let me finish.”
    When she nodded, he continued. “I still live in Rawlins. I still have the same house that you used to visit before you moved away to Laramie. If you remember, there were three bedrooms. One is a bedroom for when Brittney comes home from California. The other is a guest bedroom. You can sleep in there with no concern for safety, food, or warmth. It’ll only be for a few weeks until they are arrested and put in jail. It will be imperative to keep you safe until everyone stops looking for you.”
    “A few weeks? I can’t do that for a few weeks! I have no clothes or… what about my job?” Her eyes started to dart back and forth, and she put a hand to her throat, as if panic threatened to overcome her.
    “Stop!”
    She swallowed, jumping at the sharpness of his voice.
    “Okay. First, Brittney has some clothes at the house. They may be a little big until I can get you some things that fit you correctly, but I think you can survive until tomorrow. Right?”
    “Yeah, I guess so. B-but—”
    “Uh uh. Not yet. I know you’re concerned about your job. Our office will call them tonight, regardless of your decision. They need to know why you won’t be coming back, and about our investigation concerning their store. So, those concerns are taken care of. Anything else?”
    She opened her mouth to respond, then quickly shut it again. “What about Brittney?”
    “What about her?” He hadn’t expected that his daughter would be on her list of concerns at that moment.
    “Won’t she be upset that I’m there?”
    “What I do with my life is up to me. I don’t answer to Brittney — or anyone else for that matter. Besides, she’s in California living her own life and has been for a couple years now. I don’t typically question what she does, and she knows to not question what I do — ever. Any other concerns?”
    She averted her eyes, staring at her hands. He’d been a little forceful