“Jackson, you can’t be here,”she hissed, stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind her.
My answer should have been, 'Surprise, I’m your guest for the evening.’Instead, I reached out to cup her cheek, unable to stop staring at the hint of a bruise on her cheekbone. She’d tried to hide it with the makeup she’d coated on her face, but not enough to cover it completely.
“Did he dothatto you?”I growled, a streak of possession powering through me.
The memory of the time I’d witnessed Alec on the camera slamming his fist into the wall after Kiera refused him sex flashed to the front of my mind. If he’d laid a finger on her, I’d fucking kill the son-of-a-bitch.
Kiera pulled out of my grip.“No, I fell over. You have to go.”
Shoving my chest, she attempted to push me, but failed to move my solid frameevenan inch.“Tell me the truth, Kiki.”
“I am. I fell over. Now, please, can you go? Alec has a client coming for dinner tonight, and-”
“I’m the client. Surprise,”I deadpanned.
If it were possible, the color drained further from her face, and still, the amusement I’d been expecting at her horror was nowhere to be seen. If anything, guilt had taken its place.
Had me demanding she didn’t spread her legs for Alec resulted in him hitting her? Christ, she used to witness domestic abuse between her parents when she wasa kid. It fucked her up, and she’d often cry in my arms about how she couldn’t bear to see her mom in pain.
The two of us glared at each other, and as my gaze darted back to the bruise, the strangest sensation flowed through me like a tsunami. I wanted to pull her into my arms, claim her mouth, and demandthatshe and Billie were coming home with me.
I wanted to tell herthatno one would ever hurt her again. I wanted to tell herthatshe’d never have to worry about a man causing her pain, andthatI wouldn’teverallow anyone to lay a finger on my woman.
But she wasn’t my woman.
Nor would she ever be.
Chapter 16
Kiera
Heknew I was lying, and from the fury brewing in Jackson’s piercing blue eyes, I was certain it was only a matter of time before he erupted. At my lie, or at Alec for hurting me, I didn’t know. All I could think wasthatI’d seen him lose his mind at me once before, and it wasn’t something I wanted to experience again.
“Babe, who’s at the door?”Alec’s voice rang out from the hallway, and in the blink of an eye, Jackson had replaced his snarling face with a beaming smile as if hewasn’tprepared to rip someone’s throat with his bare hands. Alec yanked the door open, his narrowed gaze on me before realizing who I was talking to.“Jackson, good to see you again.”
He held his hand out, and Jackson took it, shaking it with enthusiasm. My heart stopped beating as I waited with bated breath for Jackson’s response, praying to a God I didn’t believe inthathe wouldn’t challenge Alec about the bruise to my face.
“Good to see you too, man,”Jackson replied, his tone light before he dropped Alec’s hand.“You too, Kiera.”He indicated to my cheek.“I see you’re still as clumsy as you were when we were kids.”
My eyes widened as Alec stiffened beside me before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me tightly into his side. A warning to shut the fuck up if there ever was one.“I keep telling her to watch where she’s going, but she’s in her own little world half the time, aren’t you, babe?”
A flash of fury lit up Jackson’s eyes once more, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.“I guess some things never change. Kiera was always wrapped up in herself.”
His insult was like a barb to the chest, and I lowered my gaze to the ground to prevent him from witnessing my bottom lip wobble. Jackson knewthatdamn well wasn’t the case; growing up, the only person I was wrapped up in was him.
Unsurprisingly, Alec sniggered instead of defending me as he pulled me inside, indicating to Jackson to follow. I made my excusesthatI needed to check on dinner, desperate to get away from the stifling atmosphere filling the hallway from Jackson’s dominating figure.
I busied myself with checking the food I’d spent all afternoon preparing, blocking out the rumbles of deep voices echoing somewhere in the house. My mind began to spiral. What if Jackson told Alec about the party? What if he showed Alec the video?
“Mom, what time’s dinner?”
Almost dropping the cherry pie I’d removed from the oven to ensure it wasn’t burning, I spun to find my daughter standing in the kitchen doorway.“Jesus, honey. You scared the life out of me.”
She giggled, her soft lilt hitting me in the chest.“Sorry, not sorry.”
Returning the pie to the oven, I pulled her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. Her mere presence brought calm to the storm swirling inside of me.“Dinner will be ready soon. I made your favorite.”
“Pot roast?”
