“The house is well-guarded,” I promise her as she slides into bed next to me, wearing soft pajama pants and a camisole that I know aren’t meant to be sexy, but somehow make me want to slide my hands all over her all the same. Still, I feel sure that’s not what she needs right now, and instead, I turn to hold her, curling against her as she sinks back into the pillows. She kisses me softly, but there’s not the same heat in it that there usually is, and I gently run my hand over her back, trying to soothe her to sleep. I have my own worries and fears about all of this, but they’re nothing compared to hers—especially not when she was the one who found her father dead in his office. No matter how well-guarded I’ve managed to make the house, I have no doubt that she’ll fear that whoever was res
