She was kind of proud of herself.
“Anything more?” Jared asked.
If she’d been paying more attention, she likely would have heard how tense he was. Have seen the way he was holding himself tight.
And she would have noticed North stepping away, retreating. Although that would have confused her more than anything.
“Um, I’m just trying to think. No one else other than the two of you. Oh, when I say no implements, I mean weapons too. And I don’t want to crawl anywhere. Or have to beg you to hurt me.”
“Mother. Fucker. Mother. Fucker.” Jared stormed away while she looked after him in shock.
Shit. It had to have been something she’d said.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Why are you sorry?” North asked.
What was he doing so far away? Were they walking away from her? Did she disgust them?
All of those things . . . yeah, Fergus had done them to her and now they knew.
Fuck.
“Some of those are made up. He didn’t do all those things to me,” she stated.
“Yes, he did and you diminish what you went through by trying to pretend that he didn’t,” North told her coldly.
“I didn’t mean to upset anyone.”
“This isn’t your fault. It’s his.”
“I know, but he was still Jared’s father.”
“He was no father of mine,” Jared said, storming back into the room.
Something had changed.
She ran her gaze over him and immediately zeroed in on his right hand.
“You’re bleeding.” She climbed down off the counter.
“Careful,” Jared barked.
North took a step toward her, as though he thought he might need to catch her.
“I’m fine. I wasn’t that far up,” she said. “Jared, you’re bleeding.”
“You shouldn’t get off the counter by yourself,” Jared told her with a frown as he ran his hand under the water at the tap. “And it’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. What happened? You were only gone a few minutes.”
“I needed to get rid of some pent-up energy,” he explained. “I’m so fucking sorry that happened to you, baby. I’m going to ensure that nothing like that ever happens to you again.”
He cupped her face between his cool hands and kissed her.
God. What a kiss.
The man was talented, that was for sure. But something felt different about this kiss. It felt like he was trying to infuse her with him. Trying to meld them together so they were never apart.
