Needing Him (13 page)

“Kasi.  It’s more than me wanting to protect you.  Yes, the thought of you being alone up here in the woods and something happening scares the shit out of me, but I love you.  I don’t want to be apart from you anymore.  Let’s take the next step.”

“I do want to move to the next level with you, but this isn’t the way to do it.  I’m not a helpless woman.  Shit, Ace had that asshole held in position and I called the police.  They were here in no time.”

His stare became hard.  “What will you do if there is a next time and the guy has a gun and shoots your dog?  How will you protect yourself?”

“With the gun I’ll be getting.  Were you here for that conversation?  This is not news.”

“I don’t like it.”  He stood and walked over to the sink, gazing out of the window that overlooked my backyard.

“You don’t have to like it.  I do.  It’s my decision, my house, my body, and my dog.  All mine to protect.”

He turned and slammed his fist onto the counter.  “No, it’s
mine
to protect!  You, the house, the dog, all of it!”

“Take a step back and calm the fuck down.  I have never needed anyone to protect me.  I love you, damn, I love you so much, but this is my decision not yours.”

“You’re with me which makes it mine, too.  Shit, Kasi, what if something happens to you?  I will never forgive myself.”

“Even if you do move in, what happens when you are away working?  What happens then?”

“I’ll be your pilot and yours only.  I’ll only work for you.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Now you’re moving in here and giving up all of your other work?  That’s a bit much don’t you think?”  He shrugged.  He fucking shrugged.  “Shrugging is not an answer!”

“Okay, let’s go at this from another angle.  Do you love me?” he asked.

“You know I do.”

“Do you miss me when I’m gone for days on end?”

“Yes.”

“Are you able to tell me, without lying, that you have never thought about this?”

My voice dropped to a whisper.  “No.”

He came over to stand before me.  His finger going under my chin, lifting my face to meet his.  “You are all I want and all I dream of.  You are the person my entire world revolves around.  Let me protect you.  Let me love you.  Let me be everything for you.”

“But…”

“Stop fighting me, Kasi.  You want this as much as I do.  The only difference is that I’m not scared to admit it.  I know what I want and I’m going after it.  After you.  Wasn’t there a time when the roles were reversed and you were asking me to give in?  Just think of where we would be if I hadn’t?  I wouldn’t be hopelessly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, in love with you.”

He was right on all accounts.  I’d thought about him only working for me, being mine full time, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask that of him.  There he was though, standing in front of me, asking me to let him be my everything.  I couldn’t turn him down.  I needed to be honest with myself and him.  There was nothing in the world I wanted more.

“Okay.”

A smile gently tugged the corners of his mouth.  “Okay?”

“Yes.”

He engulfed me in a hug and I knew we were making the right decision.  I felt it down to my bones.  I was his and forever would be.  No one could compare.

I still had some questions I wanted answered though.  Namely, what did Kai do to take care of Erin?  Would Radek ever be able to get along with him?  I highly doubted it, but I could hope.

Even though I didn’t love Kai like I did Radek, that didn’t mean I wanted to let go of any relationship with him.  Radek and I needed to work on our relationship.  I knew every day going forward would be making it that much stronger.  We were both in it for the long run.

Even with all that had happened and all that we had overcome I knew it had been for a reason.  Our bond remained and now we were moving on to the next level in our relationship.  One that I hoped was full of nothing but joy and an endless supply of love.

~ Acknowledgements ~

First and foremost, I have to thank my husband and my family.  My husband provides me with the support I need and never wavers.  He’s my rock.  My family always encourage me and I love them all.

My BFFs, Angel and Ann Marie, I love you both so much.  You’re always there for me and I will always be there for you.

Stephanie, thank you for everything!  I feel very fortunate to have you by my side.  You are amazing!  I love you!

Shannon, I don’t know what I’d do without you.  Well, I’d probably laugh a lot less.  The plane is picking us up soon.  First class, baby.  Love you!

Steph S., thank you for being an amazing friend!  Even if you tell me things I really don’t need to know, I still love you.  Lol!

To my beta readers and street team: Jen, Steph, Kim, Rebecca, Angel, Ann Marie, Shannon, Laura, Brandy, Dana, Erica, Stephanie, Alexis, Rachel, Kelley, Stefanie, Kendra, Monique, Julianne, Judy, Allison, Chelle, Mary S., Michelle, April, Amy, Sharon, Marcie, Mary F., Crissy, Melinda, Leigh, Lisa, LeAnn, Christy, Natalie, and Sheila. Thank you for beta reading, supporting me, and being all out awesome!  Love you all!

To Sara, Sommer, Ellie, and Riane, you are all talented beyond belief and I’m lucky to have you helping me.  Thank you!

To anyone I may have left out, it wasn’t intentional and I’m sorry.  I’m tired, lol.

To every blogger, author, and reader out there that has shared, read, reviewed, and supported me, your help means more to me than you’ll ever know.  Thank you!

~ A note from the author… ~

Thank you for reading
Needing Him
.  I hope you liked it and will consider leaving a review at your point of purchase.  Indie authors value and depend on reviews.  It doesn’t have to be a long review, a couple of sentences is fine.

Thank you for supporting me and every author out there.

Radek and Kasi’s story isn’t finished yet.  Next up is book three from Radek’s POV.

~ Other Titles by Michelle Dare ~

Salvation
series

My Salvation

The Heiress
series

Persuading Him

Needing Him

~ About the Author ~

Michelle Dare is a Jersey girl living over the border in Pennsylvania. She started out as a reader, then became a book blogger. She loves the book community and thought she’d try her hand at writing. She writes contemporary and erotic romance.

She is a married mom with two wonderful children and a German Shepherd that she considers her third child. She is a lover of books, music, and movies. Her favorite band is Maroon 5 and has too many favorite movies to list. Paranormal romance is her favorite genre to read.

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