“Are you okay?” Dallas asked. She took a chance and held Remi’s hand. “Emma told me about Rick and how young he was. It’s horrible that someone did that to him.”
“Our world is sometimes a horrible place,” Remi said without taking her eye off the window.
“Do you want me to go home? You have a lot going on, and you don’t need to worry about having me around.”
“You aren’t in the way, and I don’t want you out alone.”
“I appreciate that you care, Remi, but I’ve been on my own for a long time.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to spend the rest of your life that way.” Remi intertwined their fingers and faced Dallas. “If you don’t let me in just a little, I can’t help you.”
Dallas couldn’t maintain eye contact with her and dropped her head to stare at their joined hands. “It’s not that I won’t let you in. It’s just hard. I’ve survived this long because I don’t let myself get hurt.”
“I’m not asking because I want to hurt you.” Remi put her fingers under her chin and lifted her head.
“I wouldn’t blame you for losing patience with me, but I can’t express in words exactly how hard this is.” She put her hand on Remi’s cheek, then outlined the dark brows with her fingertips. “I’ve truly never taken this kind of chance.”
“I want you to stay even longer than you might’ve planned for. I’m not comfortable letting you go home, and with our time together, maybe you’ll start believing I’m the best problem solver you’ll ever meet.”
“I already know that.”
Remi smiled and leaned closer and kissed her.
“Why do you want me to stay longer? Not that I mind spending time with you.”
“Cain and I have a theory as to what’s going to happen next, and the guy who’ll be responsible for any more bloodshed saw us together. If he thinks we’re a couple, he won’t hesitate to hurt you to get to me.”
When Remi lifted her arm, Dallas took the invitation and moved closer. “It’s that guy that stopped at our table, isn’t it? The one with the dead eyes?”
“Nunzio’s more known for his dead heart, but yes, that’s the guy.” Dallas smiled when Remi kissed the top of her head, because she felt that Remi had done it unconsciously. “Until I know you’ll be safe on your own, I want you to stay with me.”
“Do you think it’ll take long?” Dallas rested her head on the front of Remi’s shoulder and put her hand on her abdomen.
“Could take years.” Remi laughed.
“I don’t know, having you as my jailer might be like winning the lottery.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t keep you captive in your room, but I do have something in mind, and I want you to think about it before you say no.”
“I’ll go along with whatever you think.”
“I might get used to such cooperation.”
Dallas laughed also and ran her fingers down Remi’s leg. “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you. After all, Emma keeps preaching to me that making you work for it makes it that much more rewarding.”
“I’m more than capable of doing heavy lifting when it’s required, ma’am,” Remi said as she picked Dallas off the seat and sat her on her lap. “I need you to be okay so I can prove myself as a worthy companion.”
“If you offer references to that fact, you could end up with a few bruises.” Dallas held up her thumb and index finger in a pinching position.
“All my references would be glad to tell you how much fun I am for about two dates, then how hard it is to get in touch with me, so I’ll pass.”
“You’re hoping for more than two dates here?” Dallas dropped her hand to Remi’s neck and came close to holding her breath, waiting for an answer.
“You know where I live. That makes it harder to avoid you, but that’s the last thing I want to do. I want to take my time and get to know you. Hopefully, once that’s accomplished, you’ll have learned something about me as well and won’t be running for the hills.” Remi smiled at her before she lowered her head and kissed her.
“Hopefully you’ll feel the same way about me,” Dallas said as soon as their lips parted. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“The only way that’ll happen is if you don’t give this a chance.” Remi kissed her again, only this time it was longer and laced with more passion.
“And you don’t mind going slow,” Dallas said, her voice dropping lower and her breath speeding up.
Remi combed Dallas’s hair back and placed her finger over her pulse on her neck. “I’m looking forward to the long scenic route, Ms. Montgomery,” she said, then replaced her fingers on Dallas’s neck with her lips. “I’m sure it’ll make arrival much more enjoyable.”
“Uh-huh.” Dallas tilted her head back as encouragement for Remi not to stop. “You aren’t going to make this easy, are you?”
“I wouldn’t want you to lose interest along the way.”
For the first time Dallas felt like she was glimpsing what it would’ve been like to grow up in a world where people dated and fell in love. She was no innocent by any means, but spending time like this with Remi was showing her what being respected and courted was all about. If anything could help heal her soul, she was certain Remi would go out of her way to give it to her.
