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“Don’t worry. We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” he assures me.
“You think I’m crazy.”
He squeezes my hand with the lightest of touches, meant to comfort. Logically, I’m fully aware of his purpose, but still, my belly flips. My nerves have always frayed around him.
“You did the right thing. The smart thing. You trusted your instincts.”
I risk a glance away from our joined hands to his face, afraid I’ll see amusement or teasing. The lines by his eyes don’t deepen. Sincerity flows through the depths of his familiar gold-tinged, honey-infused brown eyes.
“Thank you.”
CHAPTER 5
Knox
Max crowds Sage, on the ready with questions.
“Can you step outside with me for a minute?” I pointedly ask him.
My apartment unit has a front door that leads to the street and a side door that opens into a shared interior courtyard. Max steps to the side door, but given there’s no air conditioning, the chances are great that windows are open, and I don’t want to risk Sage overhearing, so I redirect him to the front.
Millie hangs back, planting herself beside Sage and the plate of food.
Outside, I scan the street. There’s a typical mix of automobiles. One motorcycle snagged a street parking spot. A woman pushes a baby carriage on the sidewalk one block down. Nothing out of the ordinary.
“What’s up?” Max asks as he crosses his arms, making his biceps bulge and his pecs rise like cleavage. Since leaving the team, he’s been bulking up. A hobby of his, for sure, but something that could slow a guy down. Now that he’s no longer a frog man, he’s free to aim for Rock status. It’s a hobby he’s become obsessed with.
“I need you to lay off her. She’s legit.”
He tilts his head, doing that thing he does when he disagrees. “You into her?”
“What? No. Why would you even ask that?” From the get-go, he’s assumed the worst about her. And now he’s assuming the worst about me.
“Don’t get pissy. I just see the way you look at her.”
“And how is that? She’s Sam’s little sister.” Jesus.
I step farther out into the front yard and peer down the driveway. With one unit empty, we have an extra parking spot.
“She’s not so little anymore, is she? The background report puts her at twenty-nine.”
“I’ve known her for ages. Since she was in middle school.”
“So, you’re not interested in her? Like at all?”
“No.” He knows he’s pissing me off, and that just pisses me off more.
“Well, while she’s here, maybe I’ll ask her out.”
I whip around. “What?”
He chuckles. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“That girl in there…” I point at the blue front door, “she’s gold. One-of-a-kind. That girl fought through hell and survived. She’s not just Saint’s little sister. She’s his reason for being a saint. The only guys who deserve to date a woman like that are men who are in it for real. To do right by her. And the last I checked?—”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s not me.” He holds up a defensive hand. Yeah, that’s what I thought. “So, did you two date?”
“What the hell is with this line of questioning?”
