Page 45 of Dust to Dust

“Because I stated the obvious?”

“No, I don’t think that it is.”

She tilted her head at me. “Are you usually in the habit of bringing your bosses homemade soup?”

I chewed my lip. “Well, no. But at the same time, I haven’t ever had a boss get shot.”

Caterina grinned. “I’d wager you hadn’t.”

“I really just wanted to do something nice for him.”

“Because you like him, don’t you?”

At my embarrassingly high-pitched giggle, I inwardly groaned. I barely knew Caterina. How could I possibly tell her how I truly felt? I could barely admit my feelings to myself, least of all a stranger.

“He’s my boss. Of course, I’m going to say I like him,” I diplomatically replied.

With an exasperated look, Caterina argued, “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know.”

“From what I saw back there, he has it bad for you.”

My eyes bulged. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Oh honey, trust me, I know the Kavanaugh Caveman look when I see it.”

“Caveman look?”

She grinned. “Whenever my husband gets all possessive over me, I tell him he’s a caveman. I’d never seen it in any of his brothers until today.”

I furrowed my brows at her. “I just thought that was his usual beast side.”

“Oh, it was much more than that. He made it very evident to Dare that you were his.”

A nervous laugh bubbled from my lips. “But he hasn’t said anything like that to me.”

“Just because he may not be able to vocalize his feelings, I have eyes, and I can tell how he’s feeling.” With a grin, she said, “Just like I’d say, you have feelings for him, too.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my boots. I’d never expected Caterina to put me through an inquisition about what I may or may not be feeling for Quinn. Considering how confused I was about what was going on between us, I couldn’t possibly answer her.

“Obviously, I have some feelings for him since I took the time to make him soup.” When Caterina opened her mouth to argue, I rambled on. “And yes, he’s ridiculously handsome and sexy. Any woman with a pair of eyes would think that. Even though he can be beastly, he really does have a caring and compassionate side.”

“I’m glad you can see that,” Caterina said softly.

“Then there’s also the fact he’s pretty much a sex god considering he gave me my first male induced orgasm, and we weren’t even having sex.”

After my admission, I clamped my hand over my mouth. At Caterina’s wide mouth and eyes, I whispered, “Oh God. I can’t believe I just told you that.”

When I shook my head, she grabbed my hands and pulled them from my face. “You can’t just lower a bomb like that and then clam up!”

I furiously shook my head while heat rushed to my cheeks. “I was trying to say and do all the right things for you to like me since you’re Quinn’s sister-in-law.”

She grinned. “I think that means you really like him if you want me to like you.”

“Fine. You’re right. I like him.” With a shake of my head, I replied, “But now I’ve said the worst possible thing.”

“How is a handsome man making you come bad?” she teased.

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