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“It makes perfect sense and you can take care of yourself. You’ve proven that so don’t be so fucking stubborn as to not accept that I might like taking care of you, regardless of your capabilities or how much you like your job, McKenna.” His tone was even. Carter didn’t raise his voice but the authority was there, loud and weighted.
McKenna’s smile surfaced slowly. “You’re mad because I don’t want to spend your money?”
“I’m annoyed because you don’t want me to do what a man who gives a fuck about you should naturally do.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Did you pay your property taxes?”
Her expression narrowed.
“I’m sure you already know the answer to that question, so why ask?”
He did know the answer.
Carter mailed a cashier’s check for the amount owed to the city to cover the past due property taxes on her family home. She wouldn’t spend the money he forced her to accept so he handled the problem. The house was important to McKenna, losing it would have been devastating.
“Did he know you were behind?”
She tensed briefly and Carter laughed smugly.
“My exact fucking point. Men take care of home. You are my home, McKenna. Whether we’re together or not, you will always be good.”
You’ll always have me.
“Maybe I refused to spend his money too?” She shrugged nonchalantly and Carter smirked.
“Which would be hard to do if he didn’t offer.” Carter glanced at his phone when it vibrated. “And he didn’t fucking offer.” He lifted the device and checked the message from the concierge. “Our food’s here. I’ll be right back.”
She frowned, glancing at his bare chest. “They can’t bring it up?”
“No one has access to this floor. It will only take a minute.”
She nodded. “A minute and the thirty seconds it takes you to put a shirt on.”
Carter’s smile expanded. He didn’t respond. Instead of heading to the door, he made a quick detour to the bedroom and returned wearing a plain gray tee that stretched across his shoulders, chest, and torso.
Ten minutes later, he returned with their food and McKenna sat on the floor with her food on the ottoman while Carter sat centered on the sofa, holding his container in his lap. She allowed him the first few minutes of silence while he enjoyed a triple stack, cheese eggs, and grits which mirrored her food, except he’d gotten bacon and she sausage.
“So….”
Carter lowered his fork and stared at McKenna, waiting.
“Your enemies are mine now?”
“In the simplest form, yes.”
“Are these the angry women or the scary bad guys?”
“Scary bad guys?” he questioned, amused, ignoring the first part.
She lifted both hands and wiggled her fingers. “The people you do magic on.”
He smiled smugly. “They no longer have the ability to be anyone’s enemy.”
McKenna frowned and scoffed. “Well then the people who are angry because you worked magic on their friends.”
“I use my magic on bad guys, Kenni. They don’t have friends and very few people care about them.”
