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“I wasn’t ever going to let my guys torture you. I don’t hurt women.”
Confirming I’m listening to his unexpected admission, I pause from flipping the sink handle. I want to hear the rest of his confession.
“Your dumb ass friend tried to double cross me with some low-level thug who thought he could challenge me. I can’t tolerate that shit because it’ll start a war if people think I’m weak. Ending him just saved a whole bunch of people so it was well worth the collateral damage.”
The rationale makes sense when his justification shouldn’t. “Or you could just stop doing illegal stuff all together. Then you wouldn’t have to kill or torture anyone at all.”
His spontaneous laugh, deep and sexy, warms me in ways his elation shouldn’t. Rarely do I hear anyone laugh with genuine humor anymore. I can’t help but grin a little myself.
He’s still chuckling when I sit down at the table rather than the island near him. I can’t risk getting too close. Besides Pete keeps me company, sitting at my feet with his gaze fixed on my food. We alternate bites, which prevents me from eating too fast, despite how much I want to shovel in the sandwich. I’ve made that mistake before and don’t want everything coming back up again.
This boss man frowns at me. I’m not sure why. He fed Pete too, so I doubt he cares about me giving him table scraps. He sighs and slides out his phone. Nimble fingers fly across the screen. Just as I was starting to relax, he confuses me again.
Heavy footsteps head our way, making me realize I’ve somehow fucked up. I toss down my crust and jump to my feet. Ready to fight whatever attack he or his goons want to try.
Titan
There’s absolutely no doubt she loves that dog. She won’t even eat her sandwich without sharing half with him. With her unwavering selflessness, she hurts herself for no reason. I have to prove I’ll take care of Pete too. I slide out my phone and text Hull to bring in the dog food I sent Jeremiah to buy. Not that I care if Pete eats the same stuff as us, but I don’t want him hurling from too much variety.
Her tight little body launches up from her seat as soon as Hull hauls in the bags, including the one from that cocksucker’s house that he repaired with duct tape. He drops the heavy red sacks next to the water bowl while she stares at him with enormous green eyes and parted lips. Thank fuck. She finally has something she’s not arguing against.
She watches him stand again to his full height and swallows hard. I’m guessing she wishes now that she didn’t try and manhandle him earlier. And not just because he’s a giant. “Thank you.”
“You bet.”
I dismiss him with a head bob, not interested in his company or interruption, while she hurries over and scavenges in the cabinet again. A frown I hate draws down her gorgeous face, while she pours a small amount from the trashed bag into the bowl and sets the dish on the floor.
Pete gobbles up the pellets so fast his snout pushes the container across the tile getting it stuck under the cupboard in his urgency to devour every single bite. When he looks up at her, pleading for more with pitiful brown eyes, even I feel bad for the pooch.
“I’m sorry. That’s all I can give you right now.”
Shame floods her cracking voice. No wonder she was so pissed that the package ripped when I grabbed her. It must have been all the food she had until now. “Feed him, angel. We’ve got plenty, and I’ll get more as soon as he needs it.”
As always, she resists my order and slowly rolls down the crinkled paper to seal the top shut as best she can. “No, that’s okay. We don’t need yours. I’ll figure something out.”
What the fuck? For someone so poor, she sure is resistant to accepting a little help. “God damn you’re stubborn.”
Her gaze remains on her pet, guilty from his begging. “I don’t want to owe you anything.”
The tone is more despondent than ungrateful. I get the feeling someone made her pay a debt with more than money. My gut clenches from the thought. Motherfuckers. I have to prove I’m not them. “Maybe I owe you something.”
Lines wrinkle her forehead as she lifts her eyes to mine. I’m shocked myself since I’ve never apologized before to anyone about anything. The contemptible words are too poisonous to say out loud, but I can at least demonstrate my regret. I’m really not remorseful since the whole fiasco with that idiot led me to her. I never expected a mission to teach him a lesson would find me such a captivating woman. “I believe what you say about Potter and feel bad about fucking up your living arrangements.”
Now she’s the one to laugh. Not surprisingly her chuckle is humorless. “My living arrangements were already fucked up.”
No doubt. “I assumed as much. You’re in the crosshairs of his mistake so I’m keeping you here until the threat is over. Then you can find a place.”
More lies because I’m never letting her go and the only place she’s going is to my bed. Tonight, though she can sleep in one of the guest rooms. Presumably she’ll argue but that’s okay. I wouldn’t expect otherwise.
Except this time, I’ve finally stunned her speechless.
Addie
He really is crazy if he expects me to say yes.
I’m crazy for not saying no.
My mind knows I should run away as fast as I can. But my aching feet and growling stomach and drowsy head say even sleeping on his rug would be better than any other option I have at this point. That’s a weakness I can’t allow.
