Page 54 of His Dark Purpose

“Please, don’t!”

His mother’s imploring tone was excruciating to endure. After all the things they’d been through as a family, hadn’t she learned to toughen up?

“He didn’t mean anything by it, did you, Seth?” Her gaze darted to her son’s frantically. “He just wanted somewhere safe to stay.”

“I came to see you, Mum.” Seth looked his mum up and down, his gaze lingering on her tangled hair and flushed cheeks.

So, that’s how she’s been surviving—flat on her back and with her legs in the air?

It was unlike him to be so judgmental, but standing there, he struggled to remember why he’d been so concerned about her when it was clearthatwas what she’d chosen.

It wasn’t until she tried to rise from the bed and discovered her ankle was tethered that the origins of his alarm struck him again—what if it wasn’t what she’d chosen? WhatifKyle had been keeping her there?

“Shit!” Fiddling with the rope, she tried to keep herself covered as her focus flitted back to the two men squaring off on the other side of the bed.

“Listen, I’m sorry if my presence upsets you,Mr. Kyle.” Seth intentionally threw emphasis on the final two words, smirking as Kyle’s gaze narrowed.

“Not your presence,” Kyle corrected. “Buthowyou got here. Can’t you use the front door like everyone else?”

“I tried the front door.” Seth’s hands fell to his back pockets, the fingers of his right hand tracing over the outline of the blade still stashed there. “But there was no answer.”

“You arrived so late, we were in bed,” she flustered.

“Yeah, I guessed that when you didn’t answer.” Seth glanced from his mother to the guy in the expensive-looking trousers, still trying to decide how the man who’d once been their landlord had become her lover.

“And you couldn’t wait until morning?” Kyle’s tone was sardonic.

“You wanted me to sleep outside?” The hand not grazing over the blade rose to Seth’s hip. He was getting a little tired of dancing around the point with Kyle, probably because he hadn’t had any sleep. “Because that doesn’t sound very reasonable.”

“Yet, breaking into my housedoessound reasonable?” Kyle’s lips twisted as though he’d tasted something sour.

“Nothing’s broken,” Seth assured him. “In fact, if I hadn’t come in here to speak to my mum, you’d have never known I even entered.”

“Mmmm.” Kyle shot his mum a knowing look. “I guess I won’t know until I take a look at the lock.”

“So, look.” Seth gestured to the bedroom door as though Kyle wouldn’t know where it was. He was keen on the idea of Kyle going, actually, having still not been able to speak to his mother in confidence. “I’m telling the truth.”

“And leave you here with Amy?” Kyle’s tone was wry.

Amy?Seth wrinkled his nose at Kyle’s informality.

“You think I’d hurt my mum?” Seth straightened, offense tingling along his spine. He might be a lot of things, and he might have done a few he wasn’t so proud of, but he would never, ever harm a woman, and he’d never contemplated binding one to his fucking bed. Glaring at Kyle, he edged closer. What kind of man did those things?

“Of course, not.” Kyle’s smile was flawless as he reached for her hand. “I’m sure you love her, but you’ll have to accept that I love her, too.” His attention darted from the blushing brunette resembling his mother and back to Seth. “From now on, we have to share. Jonah was okay with that, and I hope you will be as well.”

“Oh, yes, Jonah…” Ignoring the way his mum clung to Kyle’s hand and trying desperately to forget the memories of how her legs had looked wrapped around his back when he’d peered in earlier, Seth’s stare drilled into Kyle. “He told me about you.”

“Did he tell you how I bailed him out?” Kyle’s tone was imperious. “And how I paid for the best lawyer in the land to defend him?”

“Yeah.” Seth’s tone rose. “Am I supposed to be impressed because you’re rich?”

“No!” His mum snapped, apparently embarrassed by Seth’s response. “You’re supposed to be respectful and thankful for Mr. Kyle’s help.”

“Right…” Seth sounded unconvinced, but secretly, he acknowledged how much it stung that his mum had sided with Kyle instead of him. “Because that kind of sounds like the same thing from here, Mum.”

“Seth!” She spat out his name as though it left a bad taste in her mouth. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Prison, I guess?” Seth’s sounded nonchalant as he wandered deeper into the room. The place reeked of sweat and other bodily fluids he didn’t want to name. “But I’ll be honest… I don’t love the fact you’re shacked up with the same guy who chucked us out of the house on Aspen Way.”

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