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I’ll fucking kill you. They were simple fighting words, but Ryan’s eyes were dark and glazed over.
He truly meant those words.
That Steel darkness might not be quite as evident in the youngest son, but it was there. Definitely there.
The other guy stood, adjusted his pockets, and then leered at me before turning and walking away.
A few security guards walked swiftly toward him. “We’ll take care of this from here,” one of them said.
Ryan nodded at them and then turned to me. “What the hell happened? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I can take care of myself.” True statement, though the guy had unnerved me. I’d dealt with worse than him in my life, so why had he affected me? Scared me?
“Why were you dancing with him?”
“Because he asked me. Because I don’t want…”
“Don’t want what?”
Why not admit it? “Because I don’t want to be…scared of getting close to a man.”
“Do I scare you?”
I trembled. But I couldn’t lie to him. “You scare me most of all.”
Chapter Twelve
Ryan
Her words nearly broke my heart. I’d only kissed her once, brushed my lips softly against hers, and I wanted her more than I’d wanted any woman. She stood, in her tight black miniskirt and silver sequined camisole, strappy black slides on her feet.
“You look beautiful.”
She blushed under the resort lighting. “These are Marjorie’s clothes again. Jade’s shoes.”
“I didn’t say the clothes were beautiful. I said you are beautiful.” I touched her cheek, and to my surprise, she didn’t flinch. Her skin was like silk under my fingertips. “Did that bastard hurt you?”
She shook her head. “He just scared me, like I said. I told him no and tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Luckily we were in a public place, and my cop instincts kicked in.”
“You wouldn’t have put yourself in that position in a private place. You’re too smart for that.”
She blushed more. “Thank you for saying that. I…” Her eyes misted with tears.
“What is it, baby?”
She widened her eyes slightly at the word “baby,” but then she spoke. “It’s Juliet and Lisa. I wish they had been smart enough not to put themselves in a dangerous position. I wish I could have stopped them.”
“You did all you could.” God, her cheek was soft. “Maybe I’m the one who should have done more.”
She sniffled. “We both should have.”
“You’re right. I wish we had done more. But Juliet and Lisa—and even Shayna, because she went along—were being stupid. They’re grown women, and they were looking for a good time. They weren’t thinking about the consequences. What young woman hasn’t dreamed of being swept off her feet by a foreigner?”
“I haven’t.”
“No. Not you. But Juliet and Lisa probably haven’t been through what you have.” And I still didn’t know exactly what she’d been through. I wanted to ask, wanted her to know that anything she told me was safe with me, but I wasn’t sure how to approach it.
“I daresay that by now, Juliet and Lisa have been through way worse than I have.” She shook her head. “I just wish…”
