Page 29 of Brandon’s Mate

“It’s not. Caleb is a distraction, and beating up his guys gives my cat something to do. But I can’t let him run me out of town until I find out who did kill Nick. He’ll run out of minions eventually.”

“Or he’ll get pissed off and get a hunting rifle.”

“Not his style.”

“You better hope not. Are you sure he didn’t kill your friend?”

Brandon gave a short nod. “It was cats. Big ones.”

It took her a second to realize the implications of that. “How do you know?” she whispered.

“I know.” The words were short and hard.

He’d found his friend’s body. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to put her arms around him like she had when she was a little girl, and he was hurting. But his face had gone all hard and closed again, and he wouldn’t look at her—he was just staring into the corner of the room like he was looking at something she couldn’t see.

His walls were back up, and they were a million miles high.

“Trust me, Kitkat,” he said. “This town is no place for you, and my life is no place for you.”

But he’d kissed her. She’d only been there a few minutes, and he’d kissed her as if he’d been waiting to do that all his life.

So he did feel something. And even if he didn’t, he still needed her. But she had to get through those walls—which would take time. And probably a jackhammer.

Or maybe just an unexpected sneak attack. She folded her arms and went into smart-ass mode. “Well, you sure know how to treat a woman,” she said. “I let you touch my boob and now you’re not even going to buy me dinner?”

His attention jerked back to her, and he stared. “What?” Then her words registered, and he rolled his eyes. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

She batted her eyelashes at him. “I don’t think so. I was thinking about nail polish colors… was it important?”

He sighed gustily and ran his hand through his hair, the way he did when she was frustrating the hell out of him. “You’re not going to leave me alone until we have some kind of fucking reunion, are you?”

“Nope,” she said. “I do not give up. I stick like a burr until I get what I want. I’m my father’s daughter.”

“Fine,” he said. “There’s an inn about ten miles from here—Clover Hill. It’s far enough away that the Talons shouldn’t bother you. I have some stuff I have to do this afternoon—that you are not invited to,” he added as she opened her mouth to ask what. “So please, go check into the damn inn so I don’t have to worry about you. I’ll meet you later for dinner. Do you have money?” He fished out his wallet and took out a sheaf of bills.

Seriously? Did he think she was still fifteen? “No, I went on a road trip to Idaho without a dime in my pocket. I’ve been stealing gas the whole way. And Hostess cupcakes.”

He looked at her dubiously. “That’s a joke, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I have money, you moron, I’m a grown person with a job. I even have a credit card. But hey, since Ray knocked me up, there’s no reason he shouldn’t finance a place for me and little Kitty Junior to lay our weary, beautiful, badass heads.”

She reached out and plucked the bills from his fingers, folded them up tight and tucked them down into her cleavage.

She saw his breathing quicken as his eyes locked on her boobs, and her knees almost buckled again.

Dammit. She had to stay in control here, or she was going to end up melted at his feet, batting her eyelashes for real and begging him for attention.

With a broken heart to follow immediately.

“What time are you picking me up for dinner?” she asked.

“The inn has a restaurant. I’ll meet you there at eight.”

She gave him her brightest smile. “See you then.” And with a little finger wave, she brushed past him and walked out.

Chapter 11

Kitty managed to get a mile down the road before she had to pull over to stop her hands from shaking. She could still feel that kiss, like it had seared into her lips and shot an arrow straight into her heart.