Page 198 of A Dangerous Kind of Love

He holds my gaze. “I’m sorry you’re hurting.”

That does it. My vision blurs fast. Tears fill my eyes before I can stop them. I press my lips together, biting down, trying to hold it together, but it doesn’t work. One slips free and another.

I look away, wiping at my face, but it’s too late.

“Everything okay in here?”

The voice cuts through everything.

Michael.

Chapter 73

Michael

“Everything’s fine,” Katie says, swiping at her face.

I look at Marco.

He nods. “Miss Katie was thirsty. I told her I would walk her down for a drink.”

“Is that okay with you, sir?” she asks, her eyes locking on mine.

My jaw tightens. “Don’t call me that.”

She lets out a short laugh. “Right. Forgot.” She steps closer, just enough to make it intentional. “What’s the title here? Boss? Or should I just skip to warden?”

I don’t answer. She drops the glass in the sink with a sharp clink and brushes past me. My hand twitches at my side, but I let her go.

“Go,” I tell Marco.

He follows her. I stay where I am, staring at the doorway she just walked through. I take her glass from the sink and wash it—soap, water, and rinse. I set it aside, dry my hands, and lean into the counter, eyes shut. Nothing settles.

I push off, run a hand through my hair, and pick the glass up to put it back. I get halfway across the kitchen before it leaves my hand. Glass slams into the wall and breaks apart.

“Fuck.” The word comes out rough. Then it’s louder. “Fuck! Fuck!”

I stand there, breathing hard. My hands stay braced on my hips as I stare at the mess I just made. I grab a broom and sweep it up, pushing the shards into a pile. When I bend to pick up the last few pieces, one slices into my palm.

“Shit.”

I grab my hand as blood starts running fast, dripping onto the tile. I move to the sink, turn the water on, and hold it under the stream, watching red wash away. I wrap it tight in a paper towel and leave the kitchen, flipping the light off behind me.

When I get to the top of the steps, Marco’s sitting outside Katie’s room.

“It’s late,” I tell him. “Go. Get some sleep.”

“I don’t mind.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What were you and Katie talking about when I walked in down there?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing. She’s upset. Saying self-deprecating things about herself.”

“And what’d you say?”

“I told her I was sorry she was hurting.”

I hold his gaze for a second.