Page 108 of The Best Shot

“Nothing.” My voice came out too thin.

He stepped closer, his hand gentle at my jaw. “Look at me, baby.”

I couldn’t.

His other hand settled at my shoulder. “Talk to me.”

I pulled away.

“It’s fine. Really.” I turned toward the kitchen. “Let me just⁠—”

“Yasmine.”

I stopped.

“You’re shaking.”

I looked down at my hands. He was right. Trembling.

“Talk to me.”

“Shaun stopped by looking for CeeCee.” I swallowed. “She wasn’t here. We had a fight.”

“Okay.” His eyes moved over me, careful and quick. “Bad one, then.”

“Yeah. Had ourselves a come-to-Jesus, you might say.”

His expression eased, just a little. “Come here before you shake apart on me. Let me have you a second.”

I blinked, then nodded, because yes. I very much wanted to be held.

He wrapped me up slow, one hand spreading warm across my back.

I flinched and Hale went still.

Completely still.

His hand lifted from my back with sudden care.

“Yasmine.” His voice went lower. “When you say fight…”

I swallowed.

“Did he put his hands on you?”

My head moved before I could stop it. No. But no wasn’t true enough. “He shoved me out of the way, and I hit the doorframe.”

His jaw set, his eyes went flat, and every soft thing in him hardened. Easy Hale was gone. He looked like he could put Shaun through a wall and sleep just fine about it.

“Hale?” It came out smaller than I meant it to.

His hand flexed once at his side.

Then he breathed out. Slow. Hard. Pulled it all back down, deliberate, piece by piece, until the only thing left in his face was me.

“Okay,” he said quietly, though it wasn’t. “Okay.”

“I’m fine.”