“You told him I was okay. That’s what you came to do, so you can leave now.”
“I’m not going anywhere. You want to stay here and hide? Fine. But I’m staying too.”
“That’s insane.”
“Probably.” I crowded her up against the barn. This time closer than before, so our bodies were a fraction of an inch from touching. “But I’m not going back to Paso Robles without getting some answers. And I’m sure as hell not leaving you alone when you look like you haven’t slept since I last saw you.”
The way Bas had studied her flashed through my mind. The protectiveness. The intimacy of thatnickname. The way he’d positioned himself between us like he had the right.
It—he—was another reason I wouldn’t leave. There was unfinished business between Isabel and me, and I’d be damned if I would step aside and let some other guy make a move before the two of us figured our shit out.
She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. The fight seemed to drain out of her all at once, leaving just exhaustion behind.
She whispered, “You can’t stay forever, Kick.”
My eyes bored into hers.
“Watch me.”
7
ISABEL
The thing was, I knew Kick well enough to accept his threat wasn’t idle. I had two choices. I could ask Bas to have him escorted off the property like he’d offered, or I could take him to my cottage and try harder to convince him to leave.
“Come with me,” I snapped at him, easing around him, then stalking in the direction of the cottage. It was uphill the whole way, and when I walked it alone, I took my time. Halfway there, with Kick on my heels, I was winded. Hopefully, he’d think it was because I was an out-of-shape princess who was suddenly working every day instead of shopping and getting her nails done. All of which was true, but that wasn’t the only reason, and before it became more evident, I needed Kick to leave.
“Look,” I said, trying to catch my breath once we were inside. “I need this job. You heard Baron. If I don’t come home in two weeks, I’ll be totally cut off.”
He cocked his head. “Why did you tell me you already were?”
I sat down on the sofa. “Because it was inevitable.”
“What happened between the two of you?”
One of the things I liked best about the friendship I’d once had with Kick was how easy it was to talk to him about my father. Most people only saw his public persona, not the controllingsonuvabitchhe actually was. Kick, though, got it. He’d never once argued that “Baron is such a good guy,” like everyone else I’d tried to talk to.
Except Bas. Even before our fathers turned from good friends to mortal enemies, he’d picked up on my dad’s bad side. It wasn’t like he brought it up, but he always seemed to know the right thing to say.
“Isabel?”
I raised my head and realized Kick was waiting for an answer. How could I tell him that there was no way I could do what Baron demanded and not cause our family more embarrassment? I would. That die was already cast.
“What I did…the wine…I embarrassed him.”
“You did the right thing in the end. Doesn’t that count for something?” He shook his head. “Pretend I didn’t say that.”
“I can’t continue living my life waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m twenty-seven years old, not seventeen. It’s time I stood on my own two feet, and that means not giving in to his threats.”
“Has he always been this way?”
I shrugged. “Yes, and no.” I wiped away the tear I wished hadn’t fallen. “After you hear what I’m about to say, please don’t think I’m feeling sorry for myself.”
He’d been standing, but sat beside me on the sofa. “Go ahead.”
When he put his arm around my shoulders, I leaned into him like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I don’t know which is worse. Him acting like I didn’t exist, or him dangling his purse strings in front of me like I’m a puppet.” I sat up straight. “Which is why I need this job and can’t let you being here jeopardize it.”
It was as though I could see the wheels in his head turning, and as much as I didn’t want him to leave, I needed him to. Not only because of my job, but if Iwas going to take control of my life from now on, I couldn’t transfer my reliance from my father to Kick.
