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"No, for real. Also, she looks much older."
"They always do, man." He rubs his jaw. "So, you blame her for what happened to you?"
"Hell, yes. Her brother caught us kissing; she started it."
Both men look at me with disbelieving glances.
"It’s true. She took off her sleep shirt—thank, god I made her put it back on—then threw herself at me as I tried to leave and begged for a kiss."
"It’s the begging that got you, huh?" Cade’s grin widens.
"Shut the fuck up, arsehole. She started the kiss, then I couldn’t stop, and that’s how her brother found us."
"No wonder he sent his men after you." Knight narrows his gaze on me. "If I caught a stranger with his hands all over my little sister, I’d beat him up, too."
Cade shoots him a glance. The expression on his face is one I can’t read. Then he clears it from his features. "So, you’re going to let it go, considering this could change the shape of your future?"
I draw in a breath. "I’ll have to see a plastic surgeon and try to patch things up."
"Things will never be the same," he warns.
"You think I don’t know that?" I glance away. The beauty from untouched skin is unparalleled, you can never replicate it by going under the knife.
"She probably panicked. She might look older, but she’s still fourteen," Knight reminds me.
"Oh, she knew what she was doing. She told her brother she didn’t know me, and that"—I tip up my chin—"that I forced myself on her."
"Fuck." Knight’s voice hardens.
"Jesus!" Cade jumps up to his feet and begins to pace. "That’s a right mess you got yourself into."
"No wonder, her brother wanted to kill you," Knight says slowly.
"And he would have if you hadn’t come to my rescue," I murmur.
"What are friends for, huh?" Knight holds up his fist, and I manage to raise mine and bump it. Sweat beads my brow with the effort, but I ignore it.
"I’m not condoning what she did, but I still think she was too young to know better." Knight rolls his shoulders. "She gave in to her fear and wasn’t fully aware of what would happen."
“Whose side are you on?" Cade slaps his thigh. "Check out his face. See how much he’s going to suffer as a result of what happened that one night. His life is never going to be the same, you get me?"
I hear the pain and anger in Cade’s voice. I know he’s remembering something similar that happened to him. He’s never shared the details, but I know there are things in his past he hasn’t forgiven or forgotten, either.
Knight looks between me and Cade, then firms his lips.
"I take responsibility for what happened.” My muscles bunch, and every part of my body seems to protest. “I shouldn’t have gone to her room. I don’t know what possessed me to do that. I just couldn’t leave without seeing her one last time, you know?" I force myself to relax, then draw in another breath. "I understand she was spooked by her brother finding us and that she wanted to save herself. What I can’t forgive is her telling him that she didn’t know me."
"What else was she supposed to do? Tell him that she was the one who initiated the kiss?" Knight folds his arms across his chest. "Do you understand what that could mean for a girl who’s part of the Mafia"
Cade stares. “Did you say, Mafia?”
“His girl’s a Mafia princess.” Knight nods in my direction.
Cade whistles, then turns to me. "You hit the bullseye, huh?"
At the same time, I protest, "She’s not my girl."
"Let’s keep it that way." Knight touches my arm. "It’s best you put this behind you and move on. You need to focus on recovering, then on building your career."
