“Hi, mySiwas.”
Kai was with her, and there was no stopping the soft smile that started somewhere in my heart and lifted to my mouth.
Silas grunted behind me. “Not interrupting a thing. Just was showing Brinley how to get into the laptop I brought her so she can make herself useful while she’s here.”
It could have hurt. Stabbed deep enough to cause a wound. But I knew he was covering. Covering for what he didn’t want to feel, either.
There was no way this was one-sided.
“Huh. I thought I heard some heavy panting in here.”
“Don’t be crass, Elena.”
“Crass? I live at an MC compound. That was hardly crass.”
“Cwass.” Kai giggled, and my spirit thrummed, and I was fighting a wild grin as I finally gathered myself enough to push to my feet.
“Oh, there she is.” Elena drew it out, her eyes widening with the tease.
“Here I am and totally breathing normally.”
It was a lie.
I’d been two seconds from hyperventilating from the mere brush of Silas’s hand.
“Mmhmmm.”
“What do you want, Elena?” Silas scuffed.
“Kai and I were bored and thought we’d come see what Brinley was up to. We thought she might need some help. We’re about to go bonkers inside that house, you know, since you won’t let me get a job.”
“You don’t need a job,” he grunted.
“Well, maybe I want one. I have a freaking bachelor’s in business and there’s absolutely nothing to do with it.”
My eyes must have bugged out of their sockets from the surprise because Elena sent me a pout. “Received online and without interacting with a soul. Shocker, right?”
“Don’t need this today, Elena,” Silas rumbled, agitation flashing through his body.
But it was hurt flashing through Elena’s. “I’m not a little girl anymore, Silas.”
“We’ll discuss it later.”
“We’ll always, ‘discuss it later’.”
Pain rebounded between them. Silas because he so clearly wanted to shield her from every horrible thing in the world and Elena because she so clearly needed to be set free.
A clear conundrum since I doubted there was a really good solution for either of them.
Silas finally sighed. “You can help Brinley out here in the office today.”
Elena squealed like she was that little girl that she wasn’t close to being.
“That is if Brinley doesn’t mind.”
Now he was asking for my opinion?
“Um, obviously that’s a yes from me,” I said, trying to coerce the thickness from my voice.
