She took a few cautious steps toward him as if approaching a lion on a chain of unknown length. She didn’t want to be in range if—when—he decided to pounce.
His eyes narrowed. “How exactly do you plan to do that?”
Her flush deepened at the suggestiveness in his voice.It was obvious what he meant. “I didn’t kiss you, Scott. You kissed me.”
A look of self-disgust penetrated the anger. “Yeah, well, that was a mistake that won’t happen again.”
The steel in his voice made her heart pinch. It sounded like the jaw of a bear trap snapping shut. It was clear he meant it. Whatever that phone call had been about, it had brought them back to square one. Or maybe she should say square negative a million and one. The divide between them had grown so wide she’d need a rocket launcher to span it.
“Was it your sister?” she asked.
Something about her question set him off. His expression turned even more furious and he closed the distance between them in a few long strides. He took her arm to haul her up to meet his gaze. “Did you tell them about Kate?” He shook her. “Did you fucking tell Mick she was my sister?”
“What?” She blinked off the shock of his rage. “No. Of course not.”
“There is no ‘of course’ about it. You lied to me about everything else, why should I believe you about this?”
Natalie felt the tears in her throat, knowing that he was right. Trust wasn’t something that could be given out piecemeal. You either had it or you didn’t, and she’d lost his the moment she allowed Mick to force her into spying on him.
If only Scott could look into her heart and see the truth. She loved him and had done everything in her power to minimize her deception. But it hadn’t been enough. “I don’t know, but I swear I’m telling you the truth. I would never have betrayed your confidence like that. I never gave any personal information....”
She stopped, biting her lip guiltily.
“What?” He shook her again. “What did you tell him?”
“Only what I had to. Mick wanted to take advantageof your wealth and connections, but I told him that you’d cut yourself off from your family.” Before he could ask, she added, “I didn’t tell him why. I didn’t tell him anything about your mom and Kate’s father. Or about Kate.” His gaze penetrated hers as if probing the depths of her conscience for the truth. “I swear to you, Scott, on the life of the child that I am carrying, that I did not tell Mick anything about Kate. If he knew about her, it was not from me.”
The anger and tension radiating from him was burning her up. He was scaring her, and that was something she’d never thought she’d say. He never lost his cool—or he never used to lose his cool. Where was that well-bred facade when she needed it?
But after a moment, he released her. “If anything happens to her, and I find out you lied to me...”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
Natalie knew it was silly and that she had no right, but Scott’s fierce protectiveness for his sister made her sad and maybe even a little jealous. She wanted that for herself.
Even if she didn’t deserve it.
“Kate is lucky to have a brother like you looking after her,” she said softly.
Maybe he’d heard something in her voice. His fury seemed marginally less intense. “You don’t know Kate. She doesn’t need anyone looking after her.”
“Maybe not, but it must be nice to know someone is.”
He didn’t say anything, but just stood there staring at her, seeing far more than she wanted him to.
She straightened her back and lifted her chin. She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her. She was strong, too. She didn’t need anyone watching her “six” as Scott called it. She’d done the best she could with the nightmare she’d found herself living in. All by herself.
But it would have been nice to have someone to turn to.
After a moment, he finally broke the silence. “One of my men was killed.”
Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with a gasp. “Oh my God, how horrible.” No wonder he was so upset. She remembered what he’d told her about less than half his men making it out of there. “It was one of the guys who survived the missile attack?”
He nodded, his expression hard again. “In case you are keeping score: your team nine, mine five.”
She flinched. In other words, he was laying one more death at her feet.
She understood his lashing out, but it didn’t make it any easier to take. “I’m so sorry, Scott.”
