Page 17 of Unexpected Complication

I pushed her down in the chair next to Sean, who was watching us and shaking his head. “Let’s try to get along, shall we?”

“He started it,” Skylar said petulantly at the same time I muttered, “She started it.”

Sean laughed as he picked up a plate. “The two of you are driving me nuts.” He filled Skylar’s plate and set it in front of her. “I don’t want any arguing. Eat.” Then he filled my plate. “That goes for you too.”

I picked up my fork, chuckling inwardly as Skylar did the same thing.

His plate was overflowing, and he set it in front of himself. “I’m too old for this shit,” he grumbled.

I caught Skylar’s eye, and before I could help myself, I winked at her. For an instant, her lips curled into the sweetest smile. It transformed her face into one of sheer loveliness, making my breath catch in my throat. And then, as fast as it appeared, it was gone. She lowered her eyes and began to eat.

My gaze fell to my plate, my chest feeling strangely tight. Why, I wasn’t sure. It certainly couldn’t be because I got her to smile at me.

Could it?

Dinner was quiet but good. No one said much, although Skylar did thank Sean for the meal and praised his cooking. She never questioned the lack of knives on the table and shook her head when Sean offered her the butter dish for her bread. No doubt the tiny spreader in the dish held no appeal to her as an escape tool.

After dinner, she sat quietly, sipping her cup of coffee.

Sean spoke up. “What book were you reading this afternoon?”

“The End of Time.”

“Any good?”

She shrugged. “Not bad.”

I chuckled. “You fell asleep pretty fast—even drinking a cup of coffee. I don’t think you made it past the first chapter when your head started nodding.”

Skylar’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowed. Sean shook his head, and inwardly, I groaned when I realized what I’d given away.

“How do you know that?” she asked, her words slow and pronounced.

“I came in to check on you. You were asleep.”

She shook her head, anger making her shoulders tense. “You wouldn’t know I was ‘nodding,’ unless—” she drew in a slow, deep breath “—you were watching me.”

Sean and I exchanged a glance.

Her eyes widened as all the facts came together. “That’s how you knew about the window.”

She clenched her hands on the table and began to yell. “You were…weren’t you? You bastard! You’ve been watching me!”

“I check on you—that’s all,” I stated firmly.

Her eyes were wild with panic. “Where?”

“What?”

“Where exactly do you watch me?” Her hands covered her mouth for a moment. “Is my whole room being watched? Oh, my God, are you watching me while I’m in the shower? You sick bastards! Both of you!”

I stood, towering over her, anger filling my chest. “No.”

She stood as well, refusing to back down. “Why should I believe you?”

I wanted to scream at her that I had made her safe. That I would never do anything to hurt her. I wanted to shake her until she believed me. But instead, I ground out the only words I could speak.

“Because I said so.”