“No.” Which sounded ridiculous now that she said it out loud. But she knew. His very presence told the whole story. And let’s not forget he took her to his dungeon. The rogue. “The way he’s acting toward me.”
“But you didn’t do anything wrong, did you?” Angelica asked.
Violet snorted. “I did nothing wrong.” Her definition of wrong and his definition of wrong were two different things, unfortunately. And it’s not like she could raise the subject first. Doing that would be akin to admitting she’d done what he believed she’d done. So vexing. Nevertheless, “I question his absurd behavior.”
Angelica gave a thoughtful nod. “Well, if he hasn’t accused you outright, just pretend whatever you did—wrong or not—never happened.”
Women of the same mind! Her plan had been sound. But now that she thought about the man... he hadn’t said anything about that night, had he? She couldn’t rightly recall. In fact, whenever she thought back to all the moments with him, only their kiss, his hands on her behind, overpowered everything else.
Blazes.
Her legs lost all sense of steadiness simply recalling that encounter.
Violet set down the scissors before she maimed more innocent flowers. “On another note, Angelica, what do you know about the Furys here in Brighton?”
The girl’s eyes widened. “Do not tell me you have discord with one ofthem?”
“Of course, not,” she denied. “They are the landlords here, so I’m merely curious.”
The visible relief on the girl made Violet grimace.
“So long as you do not meddle in their matters,” Angelica said, “they will not meddle in yours.”
Her brother might be meddling, though. “And if you do meddle?”
The girl shuddered. “You disappear.”
“Disappear?” She thought of the dungeon. So that hadn’t been an idle threat? But something told her dungeon did not equal disappearing. Truly troubling.
“At least that is what I’ve heard happens. I’ve never had any run-ins with them, so I don’t know whether the rumors are true or not.”
Fair enough. But one person might know. Perhaps she should make time to pay a call on Calliope at her candle shop. After all, the woman was married to the broodiest Fury, so far as Violet could tell. That, however, would have to wait. Changing the subject, she asked Angelica, “How was the fight Pip and Terry ran off to?” She eyed her employee. “I haven’t heard a peep from them.”
Angelica started to clear the trimmings from the table. “Oh, that. I heard it was quite the spectacle.”
“Oh?” That... truly? Well, most certainly not at the venue she snuck into, which only reaffirmed ithadbeen a trap. But how was she to inquire about the matter if she couldn’t ask anyone without drawing their suspicion?
Forget it. Pay it no mind.
But then what?Another nagging voice asked.
She couldn’t ignore the big brute knocking on her door. That man was not a man to be ignored. If Drake Fury wanted something, he would tear down the hinges to get it. Her only chance, slender as a thread, was to make him believe that whatever notion he had formed about her was utterly mistaken. To do that, she had to nod along to this wretched game of catand mouse. For that was precisely what their exchanges felt like: she the mouse who scurried, and he the cat who already knew exactly where she hid.
Honestly, that man was as vexing as they came. After that kiss, she couldn’t stop wondering what he would do if he discovered she was the sister of the man he’d set a trap for. Lock her up? Make her disappear? Kiss her even deeper? Would he allow her to explain? Would her explanation even matter? Did it even matter that it should matter but didn’t?
You’re spiraling, Vi.
Perhaps. But it was one of those cruel things about the world. Fairness hardly ever came into play.
All she could do was protect herself as much as she was able.
Brighton was her home now. She refused to leave. It didn’t matter if the man could kiss like a god or that his hands made her burn all over her body. It didn’t even matter that he was Brighton’s Brute.Shewas Violet Sharpe. New and improved. Despite her past, despite certain fears still attached to it, she would outwit and maneuver this Fury even if she had to do it with kisses!
“I’m not sure if I should be scared of that look on your face or cheer you on?”
Violet glanced at Angelica, who stared at her wide-eyed. “What’s my face doing?”
“I’m not sure myself. Something I can only describe as evil.”
