“You don’t have to…” She looks up at me before quickly looking back down at her hands, twisting and fidgeting in front of her. “I know how to get to my room.”
Her voice is quiet, mumbled, and hard to make out. I know she’s embarrassed; she’s so easy to embarrass, but some part of my brain tells me it’s more than that.
Maybe she regrets what she just let happen.
Ignoring my own discomfort at my currentsituation,I move around the table, pressing a hand to her lower back to lead her from the room and back toward the stairs and her room.
She needs sleep, and I need to get the thought of her out of my mind. I have a job to do. I’m here to keep them safe, not try to intrude in their life… No matter how much I might actually want to.
And for once in my life, I do think that’s what I want, but we can’t always have what we want; men like me often can’t.
Life’s not fair.
I lead her into her room as if she doesn’t know the way, waiting by the door as she moves into the bathroom to clean herself up. My mind takes the opportunity to replay every moment of what just happened. Thankfully, it only takes a few minutes before she comes back out in tiny shorts and a tank top that hugs her like it was made for her and her alone.
“Sweet dreams, Kat.” I can’t stop myself as I lean in, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
She looks up at me like she wants to say something, but no words come out, and when I gesture to her bed, she moves to crawl in without a fight. I flip the covers up for her and leave, flicking the lights off and pulling the door closed. I stand in the hall for a moment, fighting for composure.
Kat’s not mine, never will be; she’s a Lawson, or will be, and if all I can ever do is protect her, I’ll make sure she’s safe even if it costs me every moment of sleep and every resource. I can’t let Carter or anyone else ever get their hands on her again.
I have work to do.
Have you ever tried to pack without knowing where you're going?
No, probably not, because only crazy people would do that. We’re leaving this weekend for two weeks to some unknown place, and I can’t even get a hint at what I should pack.
Alex’swonderfulanswer was ‘if you have to bring things, bring a bit of everything,’ which somehow wasn’t as bad as Desmond’s, ‘whatever you need, we can just buy while we're there.’
One hundred percent won’t be doing that. So while they're all at the office, tying up any loose ends, I’m here at the house losing my mind.
“Mid-seventies, with a breeze.” My head snaps up, and I find Vince leaning against the doorframe, his eyes on Addy, who plays on the floor with her dolls.
“What?”
“Mid-seventies with a breeze,” he repeats, and this time, something in my mind grasps what he said, and I hop up.
Fuck, I could kiss him, but after last night, I’m honestly having a hard time even looking at him.
“Go, pack a little before they come back. I got the munchkin.” He nods to the hall, and that’s all the encouragement I need. “Nothing that isn’t clothes. The house is stocked, so just bring what youneed.”
The house is stocked?
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this way of life they have.
It only takes me about ten minutes to toss a few things into a small backpack, and I hear them coming in downstairs as I zip it closed. I hope they won’t be mad at Vince. I really feel better, even just having this little bit of stuff.
“I knew he’d cave,” Alex says when he sees me walking down the stairs with my bag, a smirk on his lips that lets me know he really did call it.
“At least someone was willing to put me out of my misery.” I turn my nose up in mock anger, and he barks a laugh.
“Snotty today, are we, Kitten?” Des asks, wagging his brows at me playfully. “I like it.” He blows me a kiss that makes me giggle.
“Where should I put my stuff, and when are we leaving?” Nathan looks me over from head to toe before his eyes zero in on my backpack.
“You can leave it here,” he gestures beside the door. “We will take it with us when we leave in the morning.”
Speaking of.
