Page 92 of A Bond Beyond Blood

I shook my head, rolling it back and forth on Vinny’s chest.“He has nowhere to go.”

“Hey, look at me.”When I lifted my head, Vinny cupped my chin.“That’s not your responsibility, sweet girl.Not at all.Eli dumped him here because he’s a dick, but that doesn’t mean he has to stay here.”

The front door opened and closed softly and I tensed.

Vinny tipped his head, then smiled.“See?That was easy.”

I groaned as I pushed out of his arms and hurried to the front door, annoyed with myself that I couldn’t send Gannon off into the night by himself even after the way he’d destroyed me.I swung the door open and called his name.

Already halfway across the parking lot, he was mid-stride when I said, “Please stay.”

Gannon’s shoulders rose and fell on a deep breath, then he swiveled around and looked up at me.“I don’t want to hurt you.”

I snorted and shook my head.“Too late for that, Gannon.”

He grimaced.“I know.Iknowit is.But I saw your face in there, the way you looked at me in your room...if staying here brings you more pain—”

“I’m fine.”I pulled my cardigan closed and crossed my arms around myself as snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.Tilting my head back, I closed my eyes as they fell onto my cheeks, brief bites of cold before they melted into nothingness.

The squares squeaked as Gannon started back up.“You’re still so beautiful, Jackie—”

“Don’t.”My eyes flew open and I straightened, looking down at him, now stopped on the stairwell halfway between the asphalt and the second level.“None of that.You can stay, at least for tonight, but I don’t want you to tell me you miss me or think I’m beautiful.You don’t have theright.”

He breathed deeply, mouth in a tight line, then gave me one curt nod.

“Okay,” I said on a deep sigh.“Okay.”Nodding, I turned and headed back inside.Vinny stood just inside the living room, obviously waiting close by in case I needed him.I patted his chest as I passed.“I’m going to bed.You don’t have to—”

Vinny snatched my hand and laced his fingers through mine, falling quickly into step behind me.“If you think I’d rather stay out here with him than crawl into bed with you, little Fiorino, you haven’t been paying attention at all.”

When we reached my bedroom, Vinny paused at the threshold as I continued on into the bathroom.To Gannon, he called, “Touch a fucking thing besides that couch and the linens provided for you...and I’ll break your neck.”He paused, then added, “And don’t even think about going into her old bedroom again.That’s creepy shit.”

The door closed and Vinny joined me in the bathroom, stepping up behind me as I looked at myself in the mirror.

Bone tired.

I think I finally understood that phrase.An exhaustion so deep mybonesached.There were bags beneath my eyes and that puffiness was new—

“Sweet girl,” Vinny murmured, resting his chin on my shoulder, “it’s been a long day.Let me take care of you.”

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