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Her laughter was muffled against my chest.
Briefly, I had moments when I questioned what I was doing. Preparing to defy my father. Defy the family. Something I’d never have guessed I, of all people, would do. All for a girl I barely knew and someone I wasn’t entirely sure who was innocent.
Then, she’d remind me why I was willing to do it. Why I was going to do it.
Her hands slid up and fisted in my shirt, as if she needed me to simply stand. The warmth from her body, the sweet scent of her skin, the way she fit against me, as if she had been made for this spot specifically it was all part of the weakness she had created in me.
The darker side of me that had begun to take shape the more I was with her shifted and stretched, reminding me of all I would do in order to keep her safe. Keep her with me.
The call from my father came, and I silenced it. We weren’t to Royal’s house yet. Turning left instead of right, I headed to the private airstrip.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Just got a hit on your father. The car didn’t quite make it to Florida. It was left on the side of the road by a rest stop. But the cameras saw him getting into a semi that was headed south. Currently in Miami. That’s its stop and where your father will have to get out. We are flying down there.”
“He is in Miami?! What was he thinking? Just taking off and leaving our car. How did he think I was going to get Grams to the doctor appointments? Who was going to stay with her when I had to go to class or make money?”
She sounded furious, but the hurt was so thickly laced in her voice that it twisted me up inside. I didn’t like her to be hurt.
“I’ll arrange to get your car back,” I told her.
She was silent for several minutes.
“Still want to spend time with me? All this work and hassle it’s causing you … I can’t be worth that.” Her words were just above a whisper as she stared out the window.
I hated that she thought so little of herself. That wasn’t an act. No one could fake the pain in her eyes.
I didn’t care what the Family said about her. I didn’t give a fuck what she’d done. Whatever role she had played in the Dancastles’ shit, she’d done what she had to. She wasn’t going to be used for information or put in harm’s way. Not by me. Not by my dad. Not by anyone.
•Twenty-Three •
“Put the tip in.”
Royal
“You need a distraction,” Amory said as he sat across from me in one of the plush leather seats in the private jet he’d hired to go get my father.
My bottom lip was sore from all the chewing I’d done to it. I was nervous that my dad would get away before we found him after Amory had pulled so many strings to find him and get us there. Then, when we found him, I was worried about all the awful things he’d say to me. Maybe I should leave him there. He didn’t want to be stuck with us. He’d taken off without a word.
Amory unbuckled and stood up, holding out his hand to me. “Come on.”
I unfastened my seat belt, then slid my hand into his as he helped me from my seat.
“What are we doing?” I asked, looking around the small but luxurious cabin.
“Going to explore,” he replied.
“Explore what?”
A wicked glint in his eye did wonders for distracting me. Keeping my hand clasped in his, he walked back to the door I assumed was a restroom. He opened it and then pulled me along behind him.
It wasn’t a restroom. It was a bedroom. A king-size bed sat in the middle of the small area. There wasn’t much else here, except a built-in armoire and another door, which had to lead to a bathroom.
Amory let go of my hand and grabbed my waist, then picked me up and tossed me onto the bed.
I let out a squeal as my bottom bounced on the firm mattress.
He closed the door behind him, making the room appear even smaller, but being in here with Amory also felt cozy. I watched him crawl toward me, and then he maneuvered himself until his body was caging me in as he stared down at me.
