He didn’t believe me.
I reallywasa bad liar.
I expected him to release me and step away, but I was surprised when his fingers drifted down to my throat. His thumb flicked back and forth over a spot near my pulse and then his entire palm flattened against the spot just above my T-shirt collar.
The T-shirt that had only stopped smelling like him the day before.
“Did I hurt you last night?” he asked me softly. His eyes weren’t on mine anymore. They were on my neck.
“No,” I murmured as I sensed the change in him.
It wasn’t a real lie…he’d hurt me for a handful of seconds, but compared to what I was used to, it had been the equivalent of having my hand gripped just a little too hard during an overeager handshake with someone.
His eyes lifted to mine again and then his finger was on themove, rubbing back and forth over my skin in an almost soothing manner. I briefly wondered if the man might be gay, but he threw off so many mixed signals that I really had no idea. I certainly wasn’t going to risk having my ass handed to me by testing to see if he was or wasn’t, no matter what kind of havoc his touch was wreaking on my senses.
“Ethan, I need you to give me your word that Lucy is with you by choice and that you haven’t touched her.”
I stiffened at that. I knew, in theory, that some people who looked at our situation might think my relationship with the young girl was inappropriate and there were even some out there who’d been convinced it was, but actually hearing the words made bile creep up the back of my throat.
“I swear on my life that I would never hurt her. I’ve never laid a hand on her in anger or in any other way that you’re thinking,” I managed to get out.
Cain’s eyes lifted to meet mine and he studied me for the longest time.
Making sure I was telling the truth, no doubt. I held my ground because of all the things I wanted…no,neededhim to believe about me, it was this.
Cain finally nodded and then his hand was cupping my neck as he fiercely whispered, “I know you won’t believe this, but I’m going to say it anyway. I don’t lie, Ethan, and I detest people who do. If you can’t tell me the truth, then don’t say anything at all.”
I managed a shaky nod, though I had no idea why I was even responding to the crazy statement. People lied every second of every day.
But in my gut, I knew he wasn’t talking about the little white lies people told each other every day to keep the peace or to make their lives easier or to not hurt the feelings of someone they cared about. No, what he was talking about went deeper.
I wanted to believe him…badly. But, how could I?
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
“Because I’m about to make you a promise that I want you to hang onto for as long as it takes for you to tell Ronan everything.”
I shook my head because there was no way in hell I was telling the man anything beyond the lies I’d come up with about who Lucy and I really were. So what if Cain would hate me for it? I didn’t owe him anything.
Cain stopped my shaking head by cupping the back of it in a way that I was forced to keep my attention solely on him.
“If you think for even one second after you and Ronan are done talking that you’re not better off accepting his help, I will help you leave. No matter what. Even if Ronan says you’re not going anywhere…if he calls the cops…doesn’t matter. If you want to go, I will get you and Lucy out of there and I will take you wherever you want to go, no questions asked. And you will never have to see any of us ever again.”
The promise was a startling one and I couldn’t believe it. But the way he was holding onto me, his eyes boring into mine, I so badly wanted to.
I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me. His body pressed against mine as he continued to hold on to me. I started to put my hands at his waist simply because I didn’t know what else to do with them, but he stiffened as soon as I brought them up so I immediately dropped them again.
“That’s why,” Cain whispered as his gaze fell to my hands and stayed there for several long seconds. I had no clue what he was talking about, but then he was looking in my eyes again. “Your question last night about seeing you as a threat. I can see that your hands are empty and I know you’re no threat to me, but my brain still thinks you are. It’s telling me to search you for a weapon again, even though I know you don’t have one.”
His voice was so low, I barely heard it.
But I had and I was reeling from his admission.
“I let someone get too close once and it cost me everything,” Cain murmured. “I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
I nodded, even though I didn’t truly understand what he meant. But whatever had happened to him, it had left its mark in a big way and I understood his message loud and clear.
Hands off. Full stop.
