Page 7 of Bliss: Part 1
“Did you like it?” I asked.
There was silence.
They did like it.
Damn…
“Bliss.” Dad shook his head and rubbed his beard. “We just ask you to be safer. You don’t know these men, and I don’t want any of them to see you out somewhere and think they have the right to get close.”
I understood his concern, and until now, I didn’t really think about the consequences of my actions. I bit my lower lip and looked around, carefully taking in each of their expressions.
“Okay, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize, kid,” Odin said. “We just want to make sure you understand our view of it.”
“I do,” I replied, smiling tightly. “I promise, I do.”
Odin and Dad nodded, and Rhys was over this conversation already. He let out a heavy sigh. “Now that we got that out of the way…what are we gonna do about the barn?”
I didn’t care about the barn. It was old and rundown and useless. Dad once had the idea of tearing it down and rebuilding it. To turn it into a guest house or something. Not that we’d need one. We never had people over.
While the others discussed their ideas, I turned my full attention to Dash who had no intention of talking about the barn either. He smiled at me and placed my hand on his chest.
“I liked what you did today. You were in total control, and that idiot fell for it. You’re a badass.” He kept his voice low so the others wouldn’t hear.
I pursed my lips and dropped my gaze to my hand. Curling my fingers around his shirt, I pulled him a little closer. “The others don’t think so. They’re annoyed with me.”
“They’re not annoyed. You heard them. They just want you to be careful.”
“And you?” I looked up again, taking in his dark blue eyes. “Do you want me to be careful?”
He furrowed his brows. “Of course, I want you to be careful. But…” He stopped, then a small grin tugged at his lips. “I don’t mind watching you flirt like that. It’s hot. Makes work more fun.”
I laughed and ran my hand into his hair at the back of his head, pulling at it slightly. “And you’re not jealous?”
“Jealous?” He sounded offended, but his expression was the opposite. He leaned in closer, his forehead touching mine. “You know you shouldn’t even think something like that.”
“Why not?”
I knew why not.
It was wrong.
It crossed a line.
But it felt…nice. Different. Exciting.
Dash cupped my face with his right hand, his thumb caressing my cheek. He kept his eyes on mine. “Because we’re family. I can’t be jealous of other guys flirting with you.”
“Yes, you can.”
“I can’t, Lissy.” He sighed but let out a laugh after. He lowered his voice even more. “All right, maybe I am a little jealous. But I don’t feel good about it. It’s not right.”
I stared at him for a moment, slowly realizing what he just confessed. I couldn’t hide a grin.
“I like that,” I whispered.
“You shouldn’t.”
