When she returned, his pancakes were gone. The waiter stopped by and put a hot cocoa in front of her place.
“Thank you.” As she set down her plate, her hand shook so hard that she nearly dumped everything onto the table.
Forest gripped her wrist, holding it steady, without flinching.
She stared, stunned by his touch and the ease with which he continued to hold her hand.
“I refuse to lethimrule my life anymore,” Forest said. But sweat broke out on his brow. “You shouldn’t either. When I touch you, I remember how he made me enjoy it. I stillfeelit.And it makes my insides twist. But it wasn’t my choice. I’ve decided that I let him control me for far too long. It’s time for you to do the same.”
“Forest…” She pulled away, seeing the strain in his face.
He grabbed her hand, a determined expression on his face. “I need to be the kind of man who can protect my sister. I hate what happened the other night. I hate what those few moments did, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. It’s never really been an issue, me not touching you, but only because it was too easy to keepmy distance. I never realized how handicapped that made me until I could barely protect you. If I can’t protect my summer Skye, what kind of man does that make me?”
He released her then and took a sip from his coffee. His hand shook with fine tremors. “It’s time to overcome this, to kill this demon. And, like drugs, I’m going to win this war. I’m not Pavlov’s dog even though he conditioned me to be. Neither are you. It’s time to stop.” He rolled her hand over in his and gave it a squeeze. “Beginning with a simple touch.”
“I don’t know how to do that.”
A presence clotted the air behind her. Forest glanced over her shoulder.
“Good morning.” The cultured deep voice had the hairs at her nape standing on end.
Thomas Tuttle balanced a plateful of scrambled eggs and sausage links in one hand and a plate of pastries in the other. Despite the early hour, he was dressed in a suit, and his short brown hair was slicked back with gel.
“Do you mind if I join you?” He sat before either of them could answer, placing his dishes on the table. He flagged down a waiter and ordered water and coffee.
“I’m surprised to see you down here. I would have thought you’d still be upstairs. The guys don’t usually start moving until noon, especially Blaze.” He shoveled eggs into his mouth.
Where she slept was no business of his, and Ash had been up at the crack of dawn every day he’d been with her.How well did this man know her husband?
“I was looking for my brother.”
Tuttle put down the fork and extended his hand. “I don’t think we’ve formally met although I’ve heard a lot about Dr. Summers’s brother. Thomas Tuttle, Angel Fire’s manager.”
Forest shook hands. “Nice to meet you.” He didn’t give his name, but Forest liked to play with others and see how many buttons he could push.
After an awkward silence, Tuttle cleared his throat. “What did you think of the show last night?”
“Pretty cool,” Forest said.
Tuttle looked to her. He spoke, his mouth full of pancake, “Not many people get to see the show close-up. Tonight’s should be just as good. Maybe you’ll get to see the whole thing this time. I heard you only got to watch the last few songs.”
Why was he keeping tabs?
“I had to work late.”
He nodded. “How exactly is that going to work out with Blaze?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I was wondering about the logistics. Are you going to give up your practice to follow him around the country? Or will you be moving to LA where the band is based? How are you planning on working out this marriage, if it is indeed a real marriage?”
If she had hackles, they’d be bristling by now. She was two seconds away from gouging his eyes out.
Forest twirled his knife over his knuckles. “Why do you care?” He pitched his gravelly voice lower. Only a fool would ignore the implied threat.
Tuttle leaned across the table and captured her in a stare. “It’s my job to watch out for the band. I manage their problems. This marriage, for example?—”
“What are you trying to say?” She hadn’t liked him when they first met, and she liked him even less now. “I’m not a problem.”
