Page 13 of Second Shot

“He was my friend. Whatever you believe about me, you can’t denythat.”

She opens her mouth to protest, but I stopher.

“I know you blame me for what happened. I get it.” Emotions I haven’t let myself feel burn in my chest and squeeze my throat, making it difficult to breath. “But I’m hurting, same asyou.”

Silence.

I expect her to turn and walk away, or yell at me. What I don’t expect is the small amount of sympathy I see in hereyes.

“I know.” The words are still full of the anger she tries so desperately to hold on to. But there’s something else. A tiredness. Like she doesn’t have the strength to argue withme.

And that worries me more than the constant battle she fights against me. Because the one thing Brynne isn’t, isweak.

Part of me wonders if I should have told her the truth straight from the start. Maybe it would have shifted some of the blame away from me. She wouldn’t hate me as much as she does. But I swore to Sam I’d protect her. And the only way I know how to do that is keeping her brother up on the fucking pedestal where she placedhim.

A tear slides down her cheek, and I reach out, catching it with the back of my hand, grazing my knuckles across the soft skin. Her eyes close, and she lets out a small sound that’s a mix between a whimper and asob.

I hate that she’s hurting. Hate that I’m partially responsible for it. And I fucking hate that I can’t do anything to fixit.

We stand there in silence. My hand resting on her cheek. Her eyes closed. Our bodies close. The cold wind that whips around us is a stark contrast to the heat that burns betweenus.

Her lashes flutter open, gaze holding mine, and I get a glimpse of what we could have. Walls down. Heart exposed. I see her. Every beautiful, brokenpiece.

“I haven’t been able to think about anything butyou.”

“Kane,don’t-”

“Your touch.” I trace her mouth with the pad of my thumb, and she whimpers. “Your lips. The way your body fit perfectly againstmine.”

Even though I realize that if I let anything happen between us again, it’ll probably destroy us both, I can’t stop myself from slipping my other hand behind her neck, cupping the back of her head and leaning down so that our lips are only a breathapart.

She releases a shuddering breath and closes her eyes. “Kane…please…don’t dothis.”

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you. Wanting you.”Walk away,asshole.

“Don’t,” she whimpersagain.

“That night. I should have taken my time. Should have…protectedyou.”

She shakes her head, but doesn’t move away. “It waswrong.”

“Maybe, but it felt right. You can’t denythat.”

“Kane.I-”

I’m about to press my mouth against hers, show her how right it feels, when a baby’s cry echoes behind us, followed by a man’s deep voice. “Everything okayhere?”

Brynne’s face drains of color before she pulls away from me, taking a stumbling stepbackwards.

She glances over at the guy and stutters, “Fine. Everything’sfine.”

“Sorry.” The man shifts the baby in his arms, but it continues to squawk. “I couldn’t get him to settledown.”

A coldness settles in my chest. Who the hell is this guy and why is he staring at Brynne like he expects her to take the kid fromhim?

Brynne looks between him and me, fear flashing in her eyes, before her shoulders drop in resignation, and she walks towards the asshole who’s staring daggers at menow.

When she takes the baby from his arms, it stops cryingimmediately.

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