She swallowed a sip of her Diet Coke. “Completely,” she informed me. “Both Wyatt and Chase have a habit of taking on the responsibility for anything that happens to someone they care about. God, they still blame themselves for my kidnapping, which we both know is entirely ludicrous. I’m a woman with a doctorate degree and I’d already traveled the world by that time in my job with the UN. I was perfectly able to take care of myself, but I was still their little sister, and they felt like they should have watched out for me better. And it’s not just my brothers who feel that way. Cooper beat himself half to death over me getting kidnapped the second time, even though he rescued me and got me to safety when he was horribly injured himself. Alpha men like Cooper and Chase have a very hard time dealing with the fact that someone they love could get injured under their watch. It’s not really ego. It’s the overactive sense of responsibility they feel for taking care of someone they love.”

  “That’s totally insane,” I told her, astonished. “They can’t control the actions of other people.”

  Torie smirked. “Don’t tell them that. In their minds, they should be able to protect us from anything that makes us even the least bit uncomfortable. I guarantee that’s where Chase’s head is right now. It’s not that hard to figure out since I’m married to a man who has a lot of the same reactions.”

  “I’ve already told him that he wasn’t responsible,” I objected.

  Torie lifted a brow. “I’ve tried to convince the stubborn men in my life of the same thing. Do you think that matters to a guy who has an overinflated sense of guilt and responsibility?”

  “To be honest, that really makes me…angry. I’m very able to take care of myself, too. What happened was a fluke. It was the result of someone with a very sick and twisted mind. Chase isn’t all powerful, nor does he think like someone who is mentally ill.”

  “But you love him anyway,” Torie pointed out. “Be warned that guys like him are always going to think they should be able to keep you safe at all times with no excuses. They don’t cut themselves a break on that and probably never will.”

  “How do you handle that?” I asked, still trying to process what she’d just said.

  She shrugged. “I don’t, because I know I’m never going to change Cooper when it comes to his protective instincts. Honestly, I hate to see him hurting for any reason, too. I don’t really want to change him. I just have to draw the line when it’s too much to handle. Otherwise, I accept it as part of his personality. Part of me loves that part of him, unless he gets too pigheaded.”

  “Like asking if you’ll use a bodyguard?” I asked drily before I took another bite of my cookie.

  She chuckled. “That’s when you start setting some boundaries so their obsession doesn’t completely take over your life.”

  “I can handle that,” I explained. “But I can’t deal with being completely shut out. It’s killing me, Torie.”

  “Then tell him that’s a defense mechanism that you won’t tolerate,” she advised. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t stand for that, either. I don’t think he consciously realizes he’s hurting you, but it’s selfish.”

  “You do realize that you’re talking about your own brother here, right?”

  “Look, I love both Chase and Wyatt, and I know they’re two of the most amazing guys on Earth, but I also know they aren’t perfect,” she said with a sigh.

  “I didn’t want to intrude on his space,” I reasoned. “But I don’t think he’s going to listen unless I do. I’ve waited for him to snap out of this for two weeks now. I’ve had about as much of the silent treatment as I can take. This isn’t like him, Torie. He’s never been like this. God, he knows he can tell me anything.”

  “Most likely, he doesn’t understand this issue enough to talk about it,” she observed.

  “Or he just wants me to leave him alone,” I said wistfully. “I’m seriously thinking about moving out, Torie. That condo is still available. I checked. All I have to do is sign the lease. It’s empty. I could move in within days.”

  “Is that really what you want?” she questioned.

  A tear leaked from the corner of my eye as I confessed, “No. But I can’t be the only person in this relationship who wants to communicate.”

  “I promise that you’re not,” she said sadly. “But my brother is acting like a jackass.”

  “I used to know what he was thinking most of the time. I don’t anymore.”

  The silent understanding that Chase and I used to share felt all but dead. He barely looked at me anymore.

  Although I wanted to believe that all of this was coming from an overreaching sense of responsibility, I just wasn’t sure anymore.

  Why wouldn’t he talk to me?

  Why wouldn’t he tell me if he was just plain…worried?

  Every single day, I got more and more concerned that he didn’t really want me around anymore, and it was tearing me apart.

  “You’re a woman who has always known what you wanted,” Torie contemplated as she got up and crouched beside me. “I’m not going to interfere, and you know I’m going to support what you do either way. Just think about confronting him before you make that move, okay? At least you’ll know you tried.”

  I nodded right before I hugged her tightly, beyond grateful once again that this woman was my best friend.

  Chase

  “I can’t fucking do this,” I said to Wyatt after the CEOs we’d been meeting with had all filed out of the conference room to go home.

  He lifted a brow. “What? You mean sign this contract that you’ve hardly even looked at over the last few hours?”

  Okay, I knew I’d been inattentive all afternoon. It was because all I could think about was… “Vanna. I can’t do this.”

  Wyatt was sitting directly across from me at the conference table. He leaned back in his chair before he said, “Yeah, I figured. You certainly weren’t here at this meeting today. Don’t be stupid, Chase. Of course you’re going to keep doing it. You love her. Maybe I don’t understand that kind of extreme lunacy. But I recognize it. I’ve seen it all over Hudson, Jax, and Cooper’s faces over the last year or two.”

  “I nearly got her killed, Wyatt,” I said sharply, every muscle in my body tight. “Do you have any idea how I felt when I knew Kruger was going to slit her throat at any second? I can’t do that again. I can’t live with the fact that she’s in danger every day that she stays with me.”

  I’d been like this for two weeks. Wondering whether Vanna would be safer if she wasn’t my girlfriend. Thinking that if I’d just let her go, she’d wouldn’t be in that kind of danger.

  Wyatt let out a disgusted breath. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, you’re not an idiot, Chase. Pull yourself back into the real world for just a moment. Neither one of you are going to die. If you’ve been this distracted at home, she’s probably ready to kill you herself.”

  “We haven’t really talked since she got home from the hospital,” I admitted. “I’ve been working out. A lot.”

  He snorted. “So you retreat to the gym like a recluse every night to try to work off your frustration? Now I’m really shocked that Vanna hasn’t slapped you silly. I suppose you haven’t said a word to her about this plan to leave her alone.”

  “I can’t…exactly tell her. I’ve tried to work up the guts to do it,” I answered. “Fuck! It’s nearly impossible for me to give her up.”

  “You won’t have to if you keep treating her like this,” Wyatt grumbled. “She’ll leave your sorry ass if you keep ignoring her for long enough. She’s not the kind of woman who will put up with that bullshit forever. What in the hell is wrong with you? There’s a risk in being with anyone. You inherit any crazy friends or family they might have.”

  “She almost died, Wyatt,” I said, my voice harsh and irritated.

  He rolled his eyes. “She almost died when some assholes decided to kidnap her, too. Was that your fault—was that because she was your girlfriend? No. No, it wasn’t. You’re being totally unreasonable, Chase. Just marry the woman and get it over with. I have a theory about the whole marriage thing.”

  “I actually have an engagement ring,” I muttered. “I was going to ask her when we got home from the restaurant the night of the attack. Do I really want to hear this theory?”

  He picked up an ink pen and rolled it around in his fingers. “Probably not, but I think I’m right after watching three other men lose their minds over a female before you. Every one of them calmed down a little after they got married. Before that, they were a mess. There’s something about the uncertainty before they make that final commitment that makes them lose their minds. Fuck knows that I couldn’t wait until Torie and Cooper got married so they could just get down to the business of everyday life again. Just marry Vanna and get it over with. You won’t be happy until you do.”

  I let out a bark of laughter without a hint of humor in it. “You really think it’s that easy?”

  “I do,” he returned smugly. “Apparently, this madness doesn’t mix well with any kind of indecision. Marry her, make a vow that you’ll always be together etc. etc., and the torture will be over.”

  “You’re wrong,” I informed him. “I wanted Vanna to marry me because I wanted her to know that I was ready to commit to her and only to her. Okay, maybe I just selfishly wanted her to be mine, too, in the most permanent way possible. I suppose it’s not always a life decision because divorce would always be an option for her, but I would have felt better if she’d said yes. I don’t fucking know why. Hell, maybe I was afraid she’d wake up one day and realize she made a huge mistake. Or that all that happiness would be fleeting for her. Or that she didn’t really care enough about me to even make a lifelong commitment. It is torture. I feel like a Neanderthal who’s determined to keep his mate, come hell or high water, which is why I can’t fucking let her go. That’s not attractive in a modern male, but I can’t seem to fight those primitive instincts, even though I know she’d probably be safer without me.”

  “Would she?” Wyatt questioned in an irritatingly dry tone.

  “I think so,” I said defensively. “There’s no end to the enemies we’ve made in the past. Maybe there’s even some we don’t know about. And then there’s still Dad’s enemies, too.”

  “She was kidnapped in the Darien jungle, Chase, and she nearly died,” he reminded me. “Vanna also suffered far more injury with that kidnapping incident than she did from that momentary situation with Kruger. And unless I’m mistaken, which I never am, you two weren’t even dating at the time of her kidnapping. In fact, she would have been dead already if you hadn’t risked your own ass to go in and save her. Like I said, be reasonable.”

  “I can’t,” I said tightly. “I’m fucking paralyzed with fear that something will happen to her after the Kruger incident.”

  “We’ve been through a lot of life-threatening situations. We were special forces. You’ve never flinched at the thought of throwing your ass into a dangerous situation.”

  “This isn’t about me,” I said angrily. “It’s about her.”

  “Really?” Wyatt said with feigned astonishment. “Because it certainly sounds like you’re being a selfish dickhead. Did it ever occur to you that what you’re doing right now is hurting Vanna? Go ahead and push her away, but you’ll end up being the sorriest bastard on Earth when everything is said and done. Much as I hate to say it because I don’t believe in all this sentimental bullshit, you two obviously belong together, and if you lose her to this craziness, you’ll always regret it.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” I questioned as I shot him a withering glance. “She’s always been the one for me, but I’m not so sure that I’m the guy she should end up with.”

  “Because you’re not good enough? Because she’d be safer with someone else? Because she might be happier or more secure with a guy who has a lower profile?” he inquired. “I rest my case on my theory. Marry her.”

  I glared at him. “I told you there’s more to it than that.”

  “And I gave you a simple solution, whatever the reason. Think for just a second. How are you going to feel a few years down the line if she’s with someone else? And you are going to see it. Torie and Savannah will be best friends for the rest of their lives. In your eyes, no one will ever treat her well enough or be good enough for her. The only way you’re going to guarantee her happiness is to marry her yourself. Because fuck knows you’ll always treat her like the most important person in your life.”

  I cringed at the thought of another guy being by Vanna’s side. Wyatt was right. No one would ever treat her well enough for me. Most certainly not an asshole like…Bradley.

  My blood boiled every fucking time I thought about how that asshole had hurt her.

  “Don’t start thinking you’re better than any of those other guys,” Wyatt warned. “You’re hurting her right now, and she’s the best damn thing that ever happened to you.”

  “What in the hell would you do?” I asked bitterly.

  He shot me a self-righteous grin. “I really wouldn’t know. I’m never going to put myself in that situation. It’s easier that way.”

  Egotistical asshole!

  Maybe he thought that right now. I’d been confident I’d never fall for a woman like Hudson, Jax, and Cooper had, too.

  “Then how in the hell do you think you’re qualified to give me any advice at all?” I asked furiously.

  He dropped the pen back onto the table and leaned forward. “Because I know you, Chase. First, you thought you’d never find a woman who would accept you, scars and all. Now you’re trying to find a way to dump that woman you’ve always wanted just because you’re terrified of the way you love her. Doing that would be an enormous mistake. I think you want Vanna more than you want to give yourself some kind of relief from those conflicting emotions. You just haven’t realized that yet. You can protect her better than any man I know if she needs protection. You’re definitely not short of the resources. You’ve already taken measures to ensure her safety, like giving her Axel. She’s never going to be completely safe out in this crazy world we live in, Chase. But she’s safer with you than without you. What if something happens like her previous kidnapping, and you aren’t there to save her? What happens then? Christ! You’re obsessed with her happiness and her security. I have a hard time believing anyone else will be just as protective.”

  “She saved herself from getting her throat slit,” I choked out, my voice rough and raw.

  Wyatt’s eyes widened. “No, she did not. She helped you by being a woman who thinks on her feet, but she went unconscious from those actions. Do you think she would have survived if you hadn’t been there? Have you totally lost it?”

  I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. “I don’t know. I can’t think straight.”

  “You have definitely lost it,” he verified. “And you better snap out of it before you fuck up so badly that the situation can’t ever be fixed.”

  “I never meant to hurt her,” I mumbled.

  “Of course you didn’t,” Wyatt rumbled. “You’re temporarily insane because you’re in love and probably haven’t told her that yet. Since you’ve been completely unhinged for the last two weeks, you probably haven’t given her the opportunity to tell you that, either.”

  I nodded. “You’re right. I haven’t told her yet.”

  “Then do it,” Wyatt demanded. “I’d like the old Chase back again, please. Although I very much doubt you’ll ever be the same. But at least you won’t be a moron that screws something up because he thinks it’s for the greater good or some such ridiculously altruistic notion.”

  “Vanna is everything to me. I just want her to be happy,” I said fiercely.

  “No offense, brother, but that is not obviously apparent at the moment. You’re acting like you’re demented,” he drawled. “I’m a little worried about Vanna’s safety now. Maybe I should pack up her stuff and have her come stay with me. I think I like her more than you do right now.”

  I sent him an enraged glare as I asked hoarsely, “Are you trying to piss me off?”

  “If that’s what it takes to make you see some sense, then maybe I am.”

  “I love her,” I professed vehemently.

  “Then act like it,” he insisted. “You’re never going to succeed at pushing her away completely, and you can’t keep on like this. Either decide that you’re going to love her forever, marry her, and treat her like a queen, or let her go for good. I’ve always considered Savannah family because she’s so close to Torie. I feel that way now more than ever because of everything she did for Torie after her kidnapping. She’s like the sister Torie never had, and I do not like to see any of my family hurting.”

  Hell, I would love Vanna forever, no matter what happened. That was inevitable, and if I really was hurting her, I hated myself for that, too.

  “I’ll figure it out,” I grumbled.

  “Good. I’m glad this whole fear and self-loathing episode is resolved. Now let’s look at this contract you didn’t read earlier this afternoon,” Wyatt grunted like the whole ugly conversation we’d just had never even happened.

  Chase

  I was doing rounds with a punching bag later that evening when Vanna walked into the gym.

  I hadn’t talked to her yet because I didn’t know what the fuck to say.

  I’d been considering my options, and ultimately, I knew damn well there was really only one.

  Letting her go was out of the question.

  I couldn’t.

  It wasn’t possible, no matter how long or hard I’d considered it.

  No one would ever love her or keep her safer and happier than I would.

  I was done trying to figure things out beyond those simple facts. All it did was screw up my head.

  I’d decided I had to come clean with the way I felt, the sooner the better if I’d really hurt her.

  Judging by the wary look in her eyes at dinner tonight, I’d already done some damage that I’d never intended to inflict.

  Fuck! What in the hell had I been thinking?