“Well,” he said before pausing to run his hand through his hair. “I told you I know your brother.”
“Yes?” she asked, not quite sure what the big deal was. “I’m sure plenty of people know my brother. I know how most of you cross paths at one time or another.”
“I more than know him. Alyssa’s last name is Hunt.”
Realization hit her like a blast of cold air. “Is that why you changed the dinner plans? I should have known everything seemed too good to be true.”
Christian shifted them in an instant. His firm grip on her arms as he angled her to look at him brought her attention back to what he was saying. “Mallory, that isn’t why. I wouldn’t lie to you, and I would never try to hide you. They are traveling tomorrow and needed tonight to get everything ready.”
Christian placed her in the chair he’d been sitting in and kneeled in front of her. She watched his expression carefully. Believing him should be easy since he’d never lied to her before. It wasn’t a lack of trust in him, it was lack of familiarity with her situation. She had avoided serious relationships for a reason, and it was just her luck that when she finally decided to go for it, the man was connected to her brother.
“So, he knows.” It was a statement, not a question.
“He does. Of course, he does.”
“Well, I guess this was fun while it lasted, huh?” Mallory kept an eye on the door, prepared to make her escape.
Christian watched her closely like she was a scared animal, ready to flee. If that was his assessment, he wasn’t far off.
“I know things are complicated between you two. Honestly, that’s why I hesitated to tell you. Please don’t let that get between us.” His gaze traveled over her.
In all of the scenarios that very quickly played through her mind, him pleading with her was not one of them. It still could be too good to be true. Men who looked the way Christian did could have their pick of women. It didn’t make sense that he’d let himself get entangled in her drama, when he could easily walk away. More importantly, she wasn’t even sure the drama was worth it.
“Trust me, Bunny. It’s just us.” He stood behind her chair and crowded over her, loosely wrapping his arms across her chest.
“Bunny?”
His quiet laugh washed over her. “Well …” he hesitated. “When you get scared you run. Kind of like a rabbit. So, you’re my little bunny.”
Warmth spread from her chest, up her neck, finally heating her face and clear to the tops of her ears. As silly as it sounded, no one had ever given her an actual nickname before. It should probably be offensive, but she liked it. There was no fighting the grin that lit up her face.
“Are you blushing?”
“No,” she answered, shifting so her hair would cover more of her face.
“Liar,” he teased.
Taking her by surprise, he pulled her into his arms. His mouth tickled her neck when he kissed her; tiny nibbles until she squealed with laughter and moved away. The worries over having to be around her brother had nearly fled from her mind.
“You’re trying to distract me,” Mallory accused with even less conviction than she felt.
“That’s not true. I know better ways to do that.” He kissed her mouth. “Talk to me. What’s worrying you the most? I don’t want to ever put you in a situation where you feel uncomfortable or trapped.”
She allowed him to lead her out of the kitchen and into his living room. A small sectional, a coffee table, and a wall-mounted television were the only pieces of furniture in the room. She broke off to take a closer look at the photographs. A large wall hanging with various sized framed photos took up most of the wall behind the sectional. Baby pictures of who she assumed to be Liliana were scattered amongst school-aged photos of her with Christian and a few with her, Christian, and his mom.
“She’s beautiful. She has your eyes.”
“Thank you. She’s a good kid, too. Now sit and talk to me before dinner is ready.”
She took a moment to sniff the air. She hadn’t noticed the smell of food cooking when she walked in but thought maybe she just wasn’t paying attention. After a moment, Christian started to laugh.
“Chinese food is on the way. I ordered you the steamed chicken and vegetables with brown rice. I hope that’s okay. There’s also lo mein, sweet and sour chicken, and pork fried rice if that sounds better.”
“That sounds perfect. Thank you.”
“Now. Talk to me. I know something is still bothering you,” he said, bringing them back to the subject at hand.
Mallory sat on the sofa and tried to make herself comfortable. She wasn’t quite sure how to explain her issues with her family without sounding childish and petty. Saying she was upset because her dad got remarried over-simplified things.
