Page 168 of Deadfall

Griffin smiled, but it was a soft smile, so unlike his usual hard edges.

“You’re beautiful when you’re all fired up like this.”

“Stop trying to deflect.”

“I’m just stating a fact.”

His thumb brushed the edge of my lips, and it was harder to hold onto my anger when all I wanted to do was lean into the sensation of his touch. He leaned closer and I was sure, this was it, this was when he was going to kiss me. I was shocked to find I’d been waiting for it to happen. I was even more shocked to discover I wanted it desperately. He leaned another inch, then stopped with a sigh.

I heard what he heard, and my hopes fell. We were no longer alone.

79

THERON

I was fucking this up. Big time.

I didn’t know what the hell I was doing—I’d lost Emersyn when she was ten. How the hell was I supposed to know how to be a father to a woman in her twenties? I walked into the kitchen and stopped abruptly at all the accusing looks that were being thrown my way.

“What did you do?” Kaelin demanded.

“Me? All I said was that she had to stay here while we went after Mahoney—”

Kaelin pinched the bridge of her nose. Nyx rubbed his mouth to hide a smirk, and Atlas looked up at the ceiling like he needed divine help. Graham just shook his head.

“What?” I barked.

Kaelin looked at me in amusement. “Remember what happened when you told me I had to stay home?” She must have seen something in my eyes because she nodded. “Yeah, picture that but she’s your daughter.”

“Yeah, T, that’s like telling you to stay home while we run off and kill Vetticus,” Nyx smirked.

I looked at Graham who also looked amused, damn him.

He shrugged. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, my friend.”

Atlas jerked his head in the general direction of the backyard.

“Security says she took the south path.”

“Alone?”

“Course not,” Atlas scoffed.

“Gabriel is with her,” Nyx smirked.

A rumbled sigh of frustration escaped, because I’d started to notice the signs of whatever was going on between the two of them, too. Although I wasn’t sure how far things had gone yet, or even if either of them were aware of the obvious. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I guess it could be worse. One thing at a time though.

“I hate all of you,” I growled. I yanked Kaelin in for an aggressive kiss. “Except you, darlin’.”

She sighed against my lips, and I felt her grin.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said and pulled away. “Go talk to her. You lost her once, don’t let this be the reason you lose her again.”

As I crossed the lawn and walked down the path at the back of the house, I watched Emersyn and Griffin disappear into the trees. They were a ways ahead of me, but I took my time, hands shoved into my pockets. A moment to breathe was exactly what I needed, apparently. The breeze caressed my face, and I stopped in the middle of the path and just let it wash over me.

When was the last time I’d just enjoyed being outside?

The pause gave me clarity, but I didn’t like what it revealed. I knew I needed to ease up on Emersyn, but the thought gave me anxiety. What if something happened to her on the island? What if I wasn’t able to watch her every second I was there? What if I wasn’t able to protect her—again?