Page 95 of Steel

“And that was?”

She turned her head, concentrating on the bag and I didn’t anticipate she’d answer. “Heir to the largest real estate development corporation in the world. They have fingers in hundreds if not thousands of locations in almost every country. They control the market. I had no idea as we just used first names. I just knew him as Kenny, the hot guy from the bar who offered attention to a twenty-year-old girl who’d entered the bar with a fake ID and big dreams. And before you ask, he insisted on a condom, but I guess that wasn’t enough. As you might imagine, he wasn’t interested in a lowly girl originally from Philly with a questionable background and a shitty job. Especially since he’s married to a real-life princess.”

I could see the stress on her face, but it quickly faded.

You bet I made mental note of the asshole’s name.

“Do you think I’m condemning you, Violet?”

“I don’t know. Are you? Trust me, I’ve had it from several people over the years, which is why I trust almost no one.”

“I don’t blame you, but I have no right to criticize anyone for anything they do in their lives.”

“Well, good. Thank you. But anyway, that’s why I snooped in your house and why I’m beating your bag. I hope you don’t mind. “

“Not at all.” Not a single person had been allowed into this room since I found Tanya.

“I’m glad, but enough of the woe is me. I’ve conquered my aggressions for the night. At least I think I managed.” She dropped her eyelids provocatively, her long lashes skimming across her face. In the reflected light bouncing off the window, her skin shimmered, enough to keep my attention.

“It’s vital for a lady to find a way to reduce her stress. I feel much safer. This is a much more efficient option than beating up on her man.” With the way we’d been earlier, I found it fascinating that it was so easy to return to being able to tease her. She had a way about her that could make any man feel comfortable. “I will say, your story tops mine, but the punching bag has been a vital piece of equipment in my life over the last couple of years.”

“Your ex?”

“The very room I found them in. Granted, there used to be a nice, plush couch, but as you might imagine, I burned it.”

“You did?”

“I did. And I enjoyed watching it go up in flames.”

Perhaps I expected horror, but she slapped her hand over her mouth, laughing instead. For whatever reason, I laughed along with her. For the first time since that fateful night, I didn’t have the oppressive feeling of dread and rage as I normally did when walking into the room.

All because of the wildly attractive woman standing in front of me.

“Maybe that’s what I need to do, burn some furniture to relieve the stress.” We both continued laughing, the effort to makelight of two distinctively different but similar nightmares losing energy.

After we stopped, the same strange awkward tether lingered, seconds ticking by.

“I guess it’s time to take my little boy home.”

“He fell asleep on the couch. You don’t have to wake him up. Not unless you really feel you need to.”

“Hmmm… I hate to wake him. He’s a monster when he doesn’t get his sleep.”

I couldn’t tell whether she was hinting or simply stating a fact so I decided to take the guesswork out of the moment. “Then let’s not wake him. I have a guest room. He can sleep there and I’ll give you the master bedroom. That way you can relax.”

“And where would you sleep?”

“The couch is just fine.”

“You’re seven feet tall. You don’t fit on that couch.”

She had me bursting into laughter once again. “Actually, just six five, but who’s counting? And I fit just fine. But I need to tell you something first.”

“That sounds serious.”

“I don’t know this to be true, but you need to know there’s a chance Zorro belongs to a breeder in town.”

“What?”