Page 44 of Beautifully Broken Control

“Glad you know it.” He focused back on my hand, pinching the sides of the wound together.

I squeezed my eyes closed. “Is that really necessary?”

“If you refuse to go to the hospital like a sane person, then yes, it is.”

I felt something liquid and cool hit my finger. It stung but only slightly. Then there was more blowing air. I kept my eyes firmly closed.

Cain squeezed my hand. “All done.”

I cracked open a single eyelid. My cut was sealed closed, and the glue was dry. “How’d you know to do that?”

A shadow passed over his eyes, and I was immediately sorry I’d asked. “Secrets of a misspent youth.” He said the words with a smile, but it was forced. A lie. I hated that smile just a little bit. “Since I’m the doctor on record in this case, you’re going to have to let me examine your hand once in a while, make sure it’s not infected.”

I rolled my eyes and tried to remove my hand from his grasp, but Cain held firm. “That’s the deal, or I throw you over my shoulder and drive you to the nearest hospital right now.”

I threw up my free hand. “Oh, fine.” I muttered something about overprotective alpha males under my breath.

Cain ignored me and placed the offending knife and bloodied cutting board in the sink. “And I think you’re done with knives for a while.”

“What else am I supposed to do around here?” The things I was allowed to help with in the kitchen had become a dwindling list.

Anna pressed her lips together, trying to hold in her laughter. “You can do the dishes.”

Cain looked to Anna. “Maybe we should get her one of those metal gloves some chefs wear.”

Anna grinned. “We’re probably better off just getting her a full body suit made out of the stuff.”

Cain shook a finger at her in agreement. “Not a bad idea.”

I let some sort of annoyed growl escape. “I hope you both sit on an extra-prickly cactus.” They dissolved into laughter. “You can make dinner yourselves. I’m going to hang out with Lizzie.”

16

Cain

I pushedthrough the kitchen door and out to the rec room to tell Kenz we were ready to serve dinner. What I saw halted me in my tracks: Kennedy executing a series of spins, jumps, and contortions. How was it possible for a body to even bend like that? Her hair, not tied back, flew around her, the red in it catching in the gleam of the overhead lights. She was breathtaking. Graceful. Powerful. And something so unique, I couldn’t find a word to capture it.

As she came to a halt on the other end of the room, Lizzie jumped up and down, clapping and squealing. “Kennie! I want to do that! Can you teach me? Can you?”

Kennedy laughed as Lizzie sailed towards her. “I sure can. But it’s going to take a lot of practice. Think you can do that?”

Lizzie nodded in earnest. “I’ll practice every day after preschool.”

Kennedy wrapped her in a hug. “You’ll get there in no time.”

“That was impressive.” My voice seemed to catch in my throat as I spoke, as though I’d forgotten how to talk.

Kennedy started at the sound. “I didn’t see you there.”

“You were pretty focused. That was amazing, Kenz. Where’d you learn to dance like that?”

A flicker of shadow passed over her eyes, and her shoulders seemed to tense. “I studied ballet for a long time.”

It was a non-answer. Obviously, she’d studied. You didn’t get to be that good without endless hours of classes and practice. But I’d gone on a few dates with a ballerina, and I knew that those kinds of classes, the ones that taught at such a high level, didn’t come cheap.

I wanted to push. To force her to give me more. To find out what had caused that shadow, to make sure there wasn’t a threat of whatever it was returning. I pushed it down.Live in the uncomfortable.I said it over and over in my mind. I didn’t want to push Kennedy away. I didn’t want to scare her off. The thought alone should’ve sent me running for the hills, but it didn’t.

“Well, it’s damn impressive.”

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