Page 81 of The Ice Queen in the Corner Office

My knuckles whitened as I gripped them into fists. I wanted to hurt every person who’d touched my sister.

Jill glanced my way, her eyes big with surprise, before she looked back down at Willow. I hated that it surprised her that I’d talked to my sister about her, hated that she still thought I was that guy who could ever do casual with her.

“How are you feeling?” she asked Willow.

“My head is foggy from the sedatives,” she said, her voice becoming clipped and reserved, more like the one she used in her job as a nurse. “And I’m hungry and thirsty, but otherwise I’m fine.”

“Did they hurt you?” Lee asked, his voice rough. “Did they…” His jaw worked, and he couldn’t go on, but we all knew what he was asking. So did Willow.

“They roughed me up a little when they took me and when I tried to get away, but that’s all they did. They threatened to do more, if Alex didn’t pay, but they didn’t hurt me, not really.”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I said. “We’re going to stay with Jill’s mom for a few days until things settle down.”

Willow nodded and lay her head back on Lee’s lap. He stroked her cheek and looked at her with so much love in his eyes…if he didn’t make his move soon, I was going to have to kick his ass.

“Turn right up here,” Jill said to Fin, who was now driving. Apparently, I’d slept through the change of drivers.

Fin turned onto the gravel drive that led to Nora’s bed and breakfast, and relief washed over me. Willow and Jill would be safe there.

Fin parked in front of the large house and Jill hopped out. “Give me a few minutes to get Mom up and let her know what’s going on,” she said before shutting her door and running to the house.

Fin slapped me on the back of the head.

“Ow. What the hell was that for?” I asked.

“You had a beautiful woman like that and you fucked it up?”

I glared at him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“While you were out,” Bert chimed in. “She told us the whole story, how you convinced her to care for you and then up and left her with no explanation.”

“I was keeping her safe.”

This time Bert slapped the back of my head. “And how’d that work out for you, genius? You pushed her away instead of just telling her what was going on, and she ended up in the middle of this cluster fuck anyway.”

I sighed, hating that he was right. “How about I take advice from you when you’ve held on to a woman for more than a week?”

“I choose not to get serious about a woman,” he said. “Is that what this is? You don’t want this woman? You don’t want Jill for more than a week?”

I wanted her for forever, but if I admitted that, I’d have to admit I’d fucked up, and I wasn’t ready to do that. Until I was certain being with me wouldn’t put Jill’s life in danger, I wasn’t going to do a damn thing but keep my distance from her.

Luckily, Jill trotted down the stairs and back to the car before I had to answer, a frown on her face.

She hopped into the backseat, squeezing in next to Fin. Fin scooted over, pushing Willow, who’d sat up when Jill left the car, back into Lee’s lap.

“Bad news,” Jill said. “The inn is fully booked. Some big family showed up at the last minute, wanting to celebrate Christmas in the mountains.” She sighed. “There’s two cabins available, but there’s only one king bed in each of them, so we’re going to have to squeeze in until we figure out something else.”

“Won’t be the first time I’ve slept on the floor,” Bert said. “How about we give the ladies one cabin and the four of us take the other?”

Internally, I revolted against his suggestion, because I wanted…What I wanted didn’t matter. I’d brought thugs and danger into Jill’s life, and I didn’t get to have alone time with her. “Sounds like a plan to me,” I said.

“I’ve got a flashlight,” Jill said. “And keys. I’ll take you to the cabins.”

We all piled out of the car and trudged through the darkness. Jill stopped at the cabin I’d stayed in first, the cabin where we’d spent the best few days of my life. “This is the guy’s place,” she said.

She handed the key to Bert, and he and Fin hurried up the steps and inside. Lee and Willow held back, talking in low voices just beyond the glow of the now illuminated cabin.

“Jill,” I said, taking the opportunity while I could. I stepped close to her. Maybe I couldn’t be with her, but I needed her to understand I’d left for her, to keep her safe, and not because I’d gotten scared or couldn’t commit. “I’m sorry I walked out on you the way I did. I should have told you why I was leaving, why I—”

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