Hot Pursuit

Chapter 27

[Kieran's POV]

I did not really think this would all turn out like this.

I felt terribly guilty as I held her in my arms. She was still trembling and I could feel her breaking apart. She had been traumatized, and that really infuriated me. How could they do something like this to her? She didn't deserve this kind of treatment. Even until now, I could feel my chest constricting because of anger and guilt. Those guys should know that this was too much. They did not need to scare her away to the point that it could possibly terrify her like this. Georgina was not a threatening target at all. She was only a mere annoyance that might jeopardize my life, but that did not mean they had to hurt her just to finally get rid of her.

She was still a woman, and she wasn't even an enemy here.

When I got the call from the organization yesterday, someone already notified me about how they have devised a plan to stop this woman from chasing me around. I doubted those words right away. I didn't like the way it sounded because I knew how those guys worked. That was why I told them that they did not have to because I can totally manage her. So why? Why did they still interfere? I felt furious just thinking about what could even happen if I did not make it here in time to save her. Thankfully, my right-hand man had told me about some suspicious guy scoping the area where Georgina lives.

I knew right then that it was some random guy sent by the organization to do something to chase Georgina away from me.

And if I didn't follow my gut feeling to check on her a while ago, she might still be running around in panic somewhere or worse, have gone to a police station. I was just glad that she didn't get seriously hurt after having to face something like that. That damn bastard. Whoever he was, I will make sure once I figured who did this to her will definitely face a hundred times more trauma from me. But still, what a terrible way to make things complicated now. I suddenly wanted to take back what I had offered to her yesterday. Maybe acting to be lovers in front of the public was also a huge mistake. Because of it, she would totally have to force herself to enter my world and become involved in everything else from now on. Yet somehow, I still could not bring myself to tell her to end it all.

Not when I was still unsure if the organization will stop following her around after what happened. I really have to take responsibility for this. I have to make sure she will be safe from everything else. I will just have to protect her from the organization.

"I won't let that happen again," I found myself telling her after I came to that sound decision myself, calming her down as I held her closer. I wanted to reassure her that she can trust me for this at least. She might be sassy and quite stronger than how she looked but she wasn't some kind of a superhero to actually avoid every harm coming her way. She had to rely on me as well because I knew what we were going to deal in the future after this.

I felt her relaxing ever so slowly as soon as I said those words. She was softening up and that made me feel more dependable. I wanted her to feel safe around me. I was not going to let her get hurt again. And soon after, she suddenly felt heavier on my chest and I realized that she had fallen to a slumber with her body cradled in my arms. She must have been so shocked and tired from sobbing that it exhausted her enough to lose her defense around me. Though that felt better, it was still not good to the lower region of my body again. Damn. I then realized how incredibly warm she was making me feel with her scent filling my senses, and I started to feel awkward. This was totally getting a bit uncomfortable now.

I quickly sat up and had to carefully remove her from my arms. I needed to place her down on a much comfier location. I didn't even realize the position we had ended up in because of thinking too much. I was too preoccupied about planning on how to protect her. And as I slowly turned her around in my arms so I could carry her up and move my legs to stand up, I heard her murmuring something as she snuggled closer to my chest. I held my breath... This was really not turning good on my end. Get a grip, Kieran.

I tried to endure the intense urge to give into the temptation because of her intoxicating warmth and I tried my best to lift her up. And finally, when I had managed to get her lying on the sofa in her living room, I made sure she was not going to fall but at the same time, I still found myself staring down on her face again. There were trails of dried tears on her cheeks and that made me remember the trauma she had gone through. She was really scared.

Poor girl.

She didn't have to experience that. Because of me, she had to go through that herself. And that really made me feel guilty, that was why I told her to stay away. But I can't really blame her. It was not as if she actually knew who I was and the people behind me that did this to her. She was very innocent and that innocence was something I should totally protect. She must never know my real identity... No matter what happens. No matter how much she would want to know about it, I had to make sure she would never find out.

And now that she had been brought into this whole mess, I had to keep her close to my side all the time. At all costs. This was just a small price she had to pay for trying to associate herself with me now, because being with me will be the only way I could get to protect her from everything else. It was the only way to keep her away from the danger coming... The frightening danger that has been surrounding my real identity. My real life... My real job.