My Holiday Mate

Daniel My Savior

Sarah POV

I was relieved Daniel hadn't listened when I told him to leave me alone.

If he had walked away from my apartment earlier, I didn't know what might have happened with John. The look in John's eyes had been unlike anything I'd ever seen before. It hadn't been the anger of a heartbroken man or even a jealous boyfriend.

It had been something darker.

Something that had frightened me.

And Daniel had sensed it immediately.

That was the part I couldn't stop thinking about.

Why?

Why did this man, whom I'd met only last night, seem so determined to protect me?

Daniel wasn't simply being kind. There was something different about the way he watched me. The way his eyes followed every movement. The way his entire body seemed to tense whenever I mentioned John.

It was almost as if protecting me wasn't a choice.

It was an instinct.

And that thought sent an unfamiliar shiver down my spine.

I tried to push it aside as I hurriedly packed a few belongings into my bag. Clothes, toiletries, my phone charger—anything I could grab quickly.

Daniel moved around my apartment with surprising confidence, helping me gather what I needed.

He shouldn't have known where anything was.

Yet somehow, he seemed to.

I glanced at him suspiciously.

"Have you been here before?"

He stopped.

Only for a second.

But I noticed.

"No," he answered quietly.

Something about the way he said it made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

Before I could question him further, I felt him step closer.

Then his large, warm hands settled gently around my waist.

I froze.

His breath brushed against my ear.

"Don't worry about John," he whispered. "I'm going to make sure he never hurts you again. I promise."

The certainty in his voice startled me.

Not I'll try.

Not I'll do my best.

A promise.

A dangerous, absolute promise.

I slowly turned in his arms.

Our faces were inches apart.

Daniel's piercing green eyes held mine, and for a moment, I forgot everything.

John.

The betrayal.

The argument.

The fear.

All of it seemed to disappear.

There was only Daniel.

His dark hair fell slightly across his forehead, giving him an almost mysterious appearance. His broad shoulders and powerful frame made me painfully aware of how close we were.

But it wasn't his appearance that unsettled me most.

It was his eyes.

There was something ancient in them.

Something I couldn't explain.

And when he looked at me, I had the strange sensation that he wasn't merely seeing me.

He was recognizing me.

As if he'd been searching for me long before we'd ever met.

I swallowed.

"How did you know I needed help?"

His expression changed.

Only slightly.

But enough for me to notice.

"I could sense that you were in trouble," he replied.

I frowned.

"Sense it?"

His jaw tightened.

"I just knew."

That answer raised even more questions.

Since last night, Daniel had somehow appeared every time I needed him.

When I'd been heartbroken.

When John had confronted me.

When I was afraid.

It was almost as if Daniel could feel my distress from miles away.

I couldn't help smiling.

"Have you been stalking me?"

His eyes widened.

For the first time, Daniel looked genuinely caught off guard.

"No."

The answer came too quickly.

I raised an eyebrow.

He exhaled slowly.

"Sarah, there's a lot about me you don't understand."

"Clearly."

His gaze dropped briefly before returning to mine.

"I'll explain everything."

"When?"

"Soon."

"That's not exactly reassuring."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"No. I suppose it isn't."

We remained standing there, neither of us moving.

Then I whispered, "Whatever you've been doing, you've kept me safe."

My voice softened.

"Thank you."

Something flickered across his face.

Pain.

Longing.

Possessiveness.

I wasn't sure which.

Before I could decipher it, I found myself stepping closer.

His hands tightened slightly around my waist.

The warmth of his body seeped through my clothes, and my heartbeat quickened.

Daniel's breathing changed.

His eyes darkened.

Not dramatically.

Just enough that I wondered if I'd imagined it.

He looked at my lips.

Then back into my eyes.

"Sarah..."

There was a warning in his voice.

But I didn't step away.

Neither did he.

I rose onto my toes and closed the remaining distance.

Our lips met.

The moment the kiss happened, something strange occurred.

A sudden warmth rushed through my entire body.

Daniel stiffened.

His hands tightened around my waist.

For one brief second, I felt something that wasn't entirely human.

A pulse.

A surge of heat.

And then—

Daniel abruptly pulled away.

His breathing was uneven.

His eyes were darker than before.

"We need to go."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"Now."

There was such urgency in his voice that I didn't argue.

The ride back to his penthouse was painfully quiet.

Daniel barely spoke.

His hands remained firmly on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched as if he were fighting some private battle.

I kept stealing glances at him.

What had happened?

Why had that kiss affected him so much?

And why did I feel as though something inside me had changed too?

When we finally arrived, Daniel carried my bags inside and placed them in the living room.

"You can take my bedroom," he said.

I blinked.

"What?"

"I'll sleep in the guestroom."

"But it's your room."

"I'd rather you have the privacy."

Before I could protest, he picked up my bags and carried them into his bedroom.

I followed.

He placed them carefully on the bed.

Then he turned toward the door.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

His voice was distant again.

Cold.

The complete opposite of the man who had held me moments ago.

"Daniel?"

He stopped.

I hurried after him.

"Thank you. For everything."

Before he could respond, I wrapped my arms around him.

He immediately turned around.

For a moment, he simply stared at me.

Then his expression softened.

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against my forehead.

The tenderness of the gesture nearly broke my heart.

"Did I do something wrong?"

His eyes searched mine.

"Why are you suddenly being so quiet? So cold?"

He looked away.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

"It's something I can't explain right now."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm afraid that if I tell you the truth, you'll be afraid of me."

My heart skipped.

"What truth?"

He looked back at me.

There was something almost haunted in his expression.

"Just know this."

He gently touched my cheek.

"None of this is your fault."

Before I could ask another question, he kissed my forehead again and walked away.

I watched him disappear into the guestroom.

The door closed.

I stood there staring at it.

Afraid.

Confused.

And more intrigued than I wanted to admit.

Who was Daniel?

And what exactly had happened when we kissed?

I pressed my fingers against my lips.

For some reason, my entire body still felt warm.

But the strangest part was the feeling in my chest.

It wasn't simply attraction.

It felt like recognition.

Like some hidden part of me knew him.

And that terrified me.

Yet somehow, I wasn't thinking about John anymore.

For the first time since I'd caught him cheating, I wasn't consumed by anger or heartbreak.

Instead, I felt strangely relieved.

Maybe John had shown me who he truly was before we'd married.

Before we'd had children.

Before I'd wasted years of my life believing his lies.

Perhaps discovering his betrayal had been a blessing disguised as a nightmare.

And perhaps Daniel...

I stopped myself.

I couldn't allow my mind to go there.

I'd known him for barely a day.

Still, I couldn't deny the inexplicable pull I felt toward him.

I needed a distraction.

Something normal.

Something that didn't involve mysterious men with secrets and kisses that made my entire world feel upside down.

So I headed toward the kitchen.

It was Christmas, after all.

A warm meal sounded perfect.

I opened the refrigerator and began looking through the ingredients.

For the first time all day, I smiled.

Maybe tonight could be peaceful.

Maybe I could forget about John.

Maybe I could forget about Daniel's strange behavior.

Maybe I could pretend I was still living in the normal world.

Then I heard it.

A low growl.

I froze.

It hadn't come from outside.

It hadn't come from the hallway.

It had come from somewhere behind me.

Slowly, I turned around.

The kitchen was empty.

My heart began pounding.

"Daniel?"

Silence.

Then, from somewhere down the hallway, I heard his voice.

"Sarah."

There was something different about it.

Something strained.

Almost frightened.

"Stay in the kitchen."

I stared toward the hallway.

"Why?"

Another silence.

Then his voice came again, lower this time.

"Because something is outside."

My blood ran cold.

I slowly walked toward the window.

The curtains were drawn.

I reached for them.

And before I could pull them open, Daniel's voice thundered through the apartment.

"Don't!"

I jumped.

I turned toward him. He stood at the end of the hallway, completely still.

His eyes were glowing an unnatural shade of green. And for the first time since meeting him...

Daniel looked terrified.

Not for himself.

For me.