Page 26 of Ruthless Protector

She huffed out a laugh and shook her head. “By kissing me?”

“That hadn’t been my intention when I came back here…”

“No?” She crossed her arms defensively. “Then what was your intention?”

This wasn’t going well, not at all. I’d shoved my big foot in my damn mouth again.

“Let me guess?” she said before I could come up with an answer. “You’ve changed your mind. Now you’ve seen the goods, you want something in return for the generosity you’ve shown me and Tilly, right?”

Christ. “You really think that?”

“I’m not an idiot,” she fired at me.

I planted my hands on my hips. “No, I haven’t changed my fucking mind.”

“You just had your tongue down my throat. All roads are kinda pointing to Bullshitsville, Mr. Landlord.”

“Jesus,” I muttered. “I would never extort sex from any woman, and I’m getting a little pissed that you keep accusing me of that shit.”

She stared up at me for several long seconds. I could see her mind ticking over while she tried to work out my angle. “What are you going to do about it, kick us out of your house?”

The anger had lessened, fear sneaking in, clear through the attitude she was trying to keep up.

What the hell had happened to make her distrust everyone, to expect the worst. I wanted to know more than I should. If I wanted to gain her trust—and for some fucked up reason, I did—there was only one way to go about it, and that was being honest with her. “Woman, I didn’t need to see you dancing in a G-string to know that you’re beautiful. To tell you the truth, I don’t know why the fuck I came back here. I just wanted to make sure you were okay…then I saw you, and…” I shrugged. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”

Again, she stared at me, like she was waiting for the but, the condition, for the other shoe to drop. When one never came, the rest of her anger seemed to dissolve and she looked unsure, vulnerable.

She backed up a step. “Okay. Well…apology accepted.”

I dipped my chin, not sure what to say without shoving my foot deeper in my mouth.

Hers opened and closed, then she spun away and ran for the dressing room.

I watched her go, until the door closed behind her, and sucked in a sharp breath.

I could still taste cherries.

6

Willa

I startled awake, blinking into the darkness of my bedroom.

Something had woken me, what the…

A shattering sound exploded through the silent house. I jolted, my hands flying to my throat, terror rocketing through me. The wail of my new and improved alarm system came next, another jolt, and enough of a fright to shove me out of my frozen position in my bed.

Tilly. I tore down the hall to her bedroom, the only thought in my head was to get to her. She was standing in the middle of her room, frozen in place, dazed and wide-eyed.

Someone could be in the house. She wasn’t safe.

I grabbed her narrow shoulders. “Lock yourself in the bathroom, now.”

She blinked up at me with terrified eyes. “Auntie Willa?”

“Now, baby, quickly.”

Her lips were trembling when I pulled the door shut on her and waited to hear the bolt sliding across.