“Do I have a choice?”
“No.” Surprising me, she stretches up on her toes and presses a kiss to my cheek, close to the corner of my mouth. The faintest brush of her soft lips sends my whole body into overdrive again. If we were alone, I might just pin her up against the wall, tear off those skimpy running shorts, and—
“Hmm.” Next to me, Janelle seethes, her eyes narrowing as Stevie heads toward the stairs to the upper levels. “I’m not sure I like the looks of that one. She seems—”
“Don’t.” I turn to level her with a dark glare. Janelle might be able to push my buttons—fuck, I might never rid myself of that particular affliction—but no way in hell am I letting her drag Stevie into the mud. “Don’t say a word about her. In fact, let’s just pretend you never met her.”
Janelle tosses back her dark head and laughs, low and throaty, like some kind of cartoon villain. “Oh, Baz. You were always overprotective.”
Ignoring her, I head back to the fireplace in search of whatever book Stevie left behind—she forgot it again. Janelle mistakes it for an invitation for another fireside chat.
She settles into the chair again, then digs into her purse for a compact and that horrible red lipstick. “I think that’s an admirable quality in a man—protectiveness. It’s just… Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything.”
Janelle peers into her compact mirror and cranks up the lipstick, reapplying it like spackling paste, waiting for me to take the bait.
Fucking hell.
“Just say it, Janelle.”
She presses her lips together, then runs her pinky finger along the bottom one, rubbing in the color. Still gazing at herself in the mirror, she lifts her eyebrows and says, “Does Carly know about your feelings for this… this woman?”
“Carly and I are—”Just friends, and that’s being generous,I want to say. But for whatever reason, Carly’s got her parents believing we’re a thing, and I’m in no position to contradict her. Keeping the Kirkpatrick family happy is a basic survival skill—and it’s not just my life on the line.
“—fine,” I finish up. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“My daughter’s heart is every bit my business. Now, I warned her that getting involved with you was a bad idea, but the heart wants what it wants, I suppose.” She clicks her compact closed and drops it back into her purse, fixing me with a double-edged grin that makes my skin crawl.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Janelle. And neither does Carly.”Because she and I are never going to happen.
She stands from the chair and sighs, taking a step to close the distance between us. “Have you heard from Ford lately?”
And there it is. The subtle reminder that she owns me. That for all Charles and Janelle Kirkpatrick did to keep me off the streets and my parents out of the very place my brother ended up, I’ve got a debt that can never be fully repaid—a debt any one of them can come collect on, any time they please.
“No.”
“Oh, butIhave. Well, notfromhim, exactly. But about him. They’ve got some new guards in place over there. They aren’t as… sympathetic to your brother’s cause. Rather, I should say, their sympathy is a bit more expensive.”
“Point taken.”
Leaning in close, she places a hand on my chest, calling up the fearful beat of my heart. It recognizes her touch, her scent, and wants to flee as badly as I do.
“Are you sure?” she asks.
I close my eyes, trying to breathe through my mouth. Hoping that when I open them again, she’ll be gone. I’ll be in my bed upstairs. This will all be a fucking nightmare.
“Fuck you, Janelle,” I mutter.
“Tsk tsk. Such language.” She reaches up and places her palm against my cheek, then removes it.
I feel the change in the air immediately, a softwhoosh.
I open my eyes and grab her wrist just before the slap makes contact.
Her eyes blaze with indignation.
“I used to be afraid of you,” I say, finding my fuel. My rage. “When I was a kid.”
“And now you’re all grown up, is that right?” Her tone drips with superiority. It’s the same tone she used on me back then.Baz, sweetie, don’t you want your brother to be taken care of? Charles and I are spending a lot of money to keep him safe. But you need to do something for me, too…
