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Sunny stretched out on his black leather chaise. A week of rest, and arguing, did wonders for him. He ditched the wheelchair for good two days before.
“What can I do for you?”
“How do you feel about disembowelment?”
I looked around, then toward the door, wondering if I should leave right then. “Excuse me?”
“Probably too bloody for you. I hear ladies favor poisons. I could hook you up with a few of those, but then comes the issue of how you get them to take it,” he said, mostly to himself.
“Sunny, you’re frustrating, but I don’t want to poison you.”
“Cute.” I squealed as he tugged me onto his lap, flipped over and encased me between him and the chair. “Liam’s still on this contract killer thing, but I’m not on board. Hello, they murder strangers for money. Not the kind of soulful, compassionate beings you entrust with your life.”
“Am I in the running for alternate?”
Sunny stroked my cheek. “You’re the number one choice.”
He wore a simple outfit—jeans and a white tee, and damned if he didn’t look like a model. Raven locks tousled and cologne sending my pheromones into overdrive. I was grateful men didn’t get that little trick from the animal kingdom, sensing when women were in heat. If Sunny could, he’d know my reasons for saying no were all practical. It had nothing to do with lack of attraction.
“But,” Sunny went on, “Liam’s not okay with pitting you against my guys without a way to defend yourself. I told him Bane would make the introductions and Genny would have your back, although he’s right that for this to work, we can’t hang over your shoulder. You need to be able to defend yourself.”
I pushed on his chest till he let me up. “I know how to defend myself.”
“I’m not talking about the Saturday self-defense classes at the local high school gym.”
Nailed that in one, didn’t he?
“I mean...” Sunny pulled out a case from beneath the chaise. My eyes widened as the collection of sharply lethal knives was placed on my lap. “Defend yourself.”
“No,” I said slowly. “You mean you need to know I’ve got the means and the stomach to kill if things turn bad.”
Sunny granted me one of his rare, serious looks. “I’d never send you or Sienna into danger without protection. Believe me, I’ve thought about this from every angle, including every tool at my disposal to keep you safe, but... Liam and I use the same tools, and the bastard almost got to us.”
I swallowed hard. I hated it when Sunny was serious.
“Doesn’t have to be a knife or a gun, but you need something to protect you if I don’t make it in time.”
Threading my fingers through his, I pressed our clasped hands to my chest. “Promise me you will make it in time.”
“Kenzie—”
“Promise me.”
His expression changed, melting in an intense, fiery fervor I’d never seen in his eyes before.
“I’ll be there when you need me, Kenzie. I promise.”
I couldn’t say why but... I believed him.
“Okay,” I whispered, “then, I’ll take a knife. Something small and easy to conceal.”
“You will?”
“I’m not naive. I carried a switchblade in my pocket since we almost became the victims of two homicidal crack heads. Not to mention my psychotic ex. I do not have a problem defending myself or my sister.”
“Then I’ll talk to Liam. It’s been over a week and my boys haven’t heard from me. They’ll buy that I’m good and dead. Now’s the time for the bitch piddling on my throne to take his chance and hop up. You have to be there to stop it.”
I tugged Sunny down. “It’s time I talked to Liam. The decision was never between you two anyway, so I’ll go tell him it’s been made.”
“You’re so sexy when you take charge, baby.” He growled, snapping his teeth at me. I knew what was coming and took off just as he pounced. “I’m not afraid of a dominant woman.”
“Sunny!” I shrieked, racing away from his grasping fingers, fighting giggles and tearing out the door.
“Cuff me to the bed and have your way with me.”
Sunny chased me into the hall. I narrowly escaped into my room and locked the door, collapsing on the floor laughing. Sienna read a book on my bed.
“Don’t say it.”
“I didn’t say a thing.”
“You’re mentally screaming it,” I deadpanned. “We’re just messing around. Having fun. Don’t read into it.”
“Again, I said nothing,” she sang.
“My last two serious relationships ended like a bag of flaming dog shit, and I’ve still got poo on my heels.”
“Ick.”
“I promised myself the next time I’d go slow.” I gathered my things off my new worktable, putting them in the bag I bought that morning. “My judgment about men doesn’t only affect me now.”
“If we’re talking about another serious relationship, sure. The same rules don’t apply for a hookup.”
