Status Updates From Treasure and Protect (Heroe...

“You’re everything to me, Cora.” She held his gaze. “I love you, Justin.” Truth burned in his eyes when he spoke. “I love you, Cora Walker.” He began to move slowly with her again. “I love you with everything I am.”

Justin wasn’t an idiot. He knew what could happen to him. He’d been shot when he got between his sister-in-law and his brother’s killer once. But he would gladly take another bullet if it meant keeping Cora safe. He hoped like hell he was overreacting.

When he spoke, his voice had the low timbre of heat and need. “I’m so damned glad I stopped being a dumbass.” Cora couldn’t help it. She tipped her head back and laughed. “I’m pretty happy about that, too.” Then he was kissing her again and her thoughts turned to mush as pure feeling and sensation took over.

He sobered and she realized he was watching her, but this time his gaze was on her lips, not her eyes. “I’ve wanted you from the moment I met you. I can see now that I was keeping my distance because I didn’t think I deserved you. I didn’t think I had the right to be happy and if there was one person who could make me happy, it was you. It is you.

I wanted you away from your father, and away from Patrick. I drove a wedge between all of you so that he couldn’t poison you. I did all of that, Justin. You’re not to blame for not seeing what was going on. I was very good at hiding it, so there’s nothing here for you to pay penance for. There’s nothing for you to be punished for. Find love. Find happiness. You deserve that more than any of us.

To most people, Cora Walker was the sweet girl who was always ready to help anyone who needed her. To him, she was the sweet girl with the hot body he’d never have the right to put his hands on. Not that he didn’t also love the fact she was always there for anyone who needed her. He did. But, still, he had a feeling he appreciated her body a lot more than the women on the church’s community volunteer league did.

If Cora was writing a romantic suspense, she’d have lame little narrations, like: in a stupidly handy turn of events, the heroine stumbled on a loaded weapon and turned to fire at her pursuer. She was a miraculously good shot for someone with no experience with a gun. Yeah, Cora wasn’t an author for a reason.