Page 12 of Dark Consequences

“Hi, Mommy,” Mei greets through a mouthful of food, oblivious to her mother’s anxiety.

My eyes track Lily’s movements as she approaches. She runs her fingers through her tousled blond hair; the strands fall in a carefree manner, accenting her face’s delicate bone structure. She’s wearing a simple black shirt she must have found in the dresser that falls just above her knees, exposing a pair of toned, pale legs.

It leaves me suddenly dying to know what she’s wearing beneath. If she’s wearing anything at all. And how those legs of hers would look over my shoulders while I—

Clearing my throat, I force myself to look away before Lily notices me gawking at her like a man with a one-track mind.

But she’s so focused on Mei that she doesn’t even look at me. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Mei drops her shoulders, and her feet go still as she finally senses her mom’s nerves. “Sorry, Mommy. I tried, but you were sleeping, and I was hungry.”

Ah. Lily woke up to find Mei gone. Of course, she panicked. To find your daughter missing when you wake up somewhere strange and new is terrifying enough to scare any mom.

Lily sighs and then steps forward to hug her daughter. She kisses the crown of her dark head and mumbles, “That’s okay, sweetheart.”

“Did you get any sleep?” I ask over the rim of my coffee cup.

Lily looks at me for the first time. Her gaze lingers on my morning attire—gym shorts and a loose T-shirt that exposes my sculpted and tattooed arms. I always start my day with a workout whenever possible, and after last night, I had a lot to get off my chest.

Visibly swallowing, Lily looks away and clears her throat. “I did. Thank you.”

Pleased, I gesture behind me. “Coffee is over there with sugar in the bowl next to it, and there’s milk in the fridge. I don’t have much in terms of groceries because I wasn’t expecting…guests, but I’ll have some delivered today. For now, all I can offer is cereal.”

“Thanks,” Lily murmurs.

Moving about the kitchen, she prepares a cup of black coffee with a splash of milk and a spoonful of sugar but doesn’t touch the cereal. Something I make a mental note of.

The entire time, I keep still, but my eyes follow her movements. She walks with a stiffness that isn’t from fear but from pain. It seems her “dresser” injury is bothering her this morning.

I wait for her to sit, then open a cabinet and take out a plastic bottle of painkillers. I fill a glass with water and then place both items in front of Lily. She glances between them and my face before she murmurs another small thank you. Popping the top, she shakes out a couple before swallowing them with the glass of water.

The security panel chimes, letting me know someone punched in the code to my penthouse in the elevator and is on their way up. Lily’s eyes shoot in the direction with heightened concern.

“Hey.” I wait until she finally looks back at me before continuing. “Each penthouse has a unique security code. The doors won’t open without it, and only a select few I trust know mine.”

I grab my coffee and leave the kitchen to intercept my brother before she can say anything back.

“Rose,” I greet, pleasantly surprised to see my future sister-in-law walk out of the elevator beside Michael with Liam strapped to her chest in one of those body wrap things designed for babies. “What are you doing here?”

“Michael brought me up to speed last night, and when his dad called this morning, I offered to keep Lily and her daughter company. If they’d like that, I mean.”

“I’m sure they’ll love the company.”

“Is that coffee?” Michael begs. “Oh it is, thank the Lord,” he groans, and before I know it, he steals the cup from my hands.

“Wha—”

Rose gives her husband a disapproving side-eye glance. “Liam’s been fussy. We’ve barely slept for more than an hour.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Michael snorts and grumbles, “Yeah, I’m sure you are.”

“Aw, did someone not get enough beauty sleep?”

Rose lightly snorts. “That’s better than what I said.”

“What did you say?”

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