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“Right,” I nodded. “Must’ve been tough, losing him like that.”
Her shoulders tensed, just for a second, before she shrugged. “Like I said. We had our moments, but he was a hard man to love.”
There was a story there, but damned if I knew what to say without looking guilty as shit. Piss on it, I’d just come out and ask.
“Were you at the house that night?” I kept my eyes on the gun, my hands steady as I cleaned the barrel. “You see anything? Hear anything?”
“I saw enough.” Her voice was flat, giving nothing away. But there was a flicker of something in her eyes, something that looked a whole lot like guilt. “Enough to know that my grandfather had more enemies than friends in the end.”
Silence stretched between us until she asked, “You ever think about getting out? Leave the family behind, start over somewhere new?”
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Andgo where? Do what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, get a respectable job maybe? Like, how did you get involved with Declan?” she inquired as she sat on the seat of the golf cart.
I laid the pistol in its case and snapped it shut. “This life, this family... that's all I know. Declan is like a brother to me. We met in high school. He ahh… helped me with someone who was beating the shit out of me.”
She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked up at me. “Someone was bullying you in high school. Why didn’t the school do anything about it?”
I shook my head. “Not high school. It was my mother’s boyfriend at the time. He helped me get rid of him.”
“Oh! You mean… you two killed him?”
I handed her the pistol case and got in the driver’s seat. “No. The cement that encased his feet and the water killed him.”
I drove back to the house wondering just how in the hell she was able to twist the conversation on me.
I parked the golf cart by the patio, got out, then went around and scooped her up into my arms. “I’ll come back for your crutches. Do you want to layout on the sofa and watch some tv?” I asked, not wanting to go anywhere near her bedroom.
“As long as no one minds,” she murmured, her warm breath fanning my neck.
I didn’t care if they minded or not, I had to get her out of my arms before my dick exploded inside my jeans. “Not at all.”
I carried her inside, my heart pounding so hard I was sure she could feel it through my chest. As I gently set her down on the sofa, our eyes locked for a moment. And I tried my damnedest to ignore the fact that her hand still rested on my shoulders.
God, she was beautiful. And infuriating. And completely off-limits.
Jesus, what the fuck was wrong with me? A day ago, I couldn’t stand the thought of being in the same room with her, and now a night between the sheets changed all of that?
Quickly, I took a step back and ran a hand through my hair. “Uh, remote’s on the coffee table. You need anything else?”
“No, I’m good,” she replied softly, her eyes still on me.
I wish I could read her mind, but she had the kind of poker face that didn’t reveal a single emotion crossing her face.
I grabbed the remote off the table and thrust ittowards her. “Here, look for something. I’ll be right back with your crutches. Do you need ice for your leg?”
She pushed herself up higher on the sofa and tugged a throw pillow from behind her back. “If it’s not too much trouble,” she replied. Raising her leg, she tried to stuff the pillow underneath it.
“Let me do it,” I offered as I gently lifted her foot and stuffed the pillow under her. “Is that better?” I asked, and I instantly regretted looking at her. Because when I did, I saw tears glistening in her eyes and for some dumb reason I felt a sting in my throat.
I couldn’t get out of there fast enough and turned on my heel. By the time I returned with her crutches and an ice pack, she was sound asleep with the remote still in her hand. I laid the crutches on the coffee table and grabbed a throw blanket from a chair and gently covered her with it. I stood there a second wondering how I could get back that feeling of pure hatred for her, but it wasn’t happening.
Chapter 18
Kat
A week had passed since the shooting lesson, and my leg was finally on the mend. Thank goodness. I was under strict orders to stay in bed, and I was so bored sitting around doing nothing all day. Connor felt bad and brought a TV in for me to watch, and when I was bored with that, Killer, Iris's dog, was the only one that kept me company. Taking naps with me in my bed was a favorite pastime for him.
