Page 15 of Bray
“Zeb and Buck are coming with a board.” Colt offered the update as he stuck his cell in his pocket. “They’ll be here within the hour.”
“See? All set,” she added, although the last thing she looked wasset.She looked scared, but was stubborn for some reason. “I’ll lock the door and I have my granddad’s shotgun.”
“Still staying,” I insisted.
“Don’t you have to work?” she asked.
“Nope.” I did, but not now.
“Lainey’s coming with me,” Colt added. “We’ll be at Ma and Pops’ for dinner.”
She glanced to Lainey, who only offered her a shrug. She was smart enough to know when not to push.
“But–”
“Staying,” I repeated.
She looked down at her porch floor, then glanced up at me through her lashes. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
What was she talking about? “Inconvenience? Kitten, you’re not an inconvenience.”
Her eyes held such confusion. “Bray… why?”
Why? Why was I staying? Why wasn’t she an inconvenience? Hell, this woman needed more than a kiss, it seemed, to know what was between us.
“Because you’re mine and I take care of what’s mine.”
9
KATIE
I stared up at Bray.
“What?” I’m his? Him? Bray Wilder?
The way he was looking at me, with a fierceness I’d never really seen before, showed that he meant it. Still…
“What?” I repeated. “You can’t, I mean… we… you–”
“That’s right.We.This isn’t pretend. Never was.”
“We’re out of here,” Colt said, breaking into our stare-off. “Lainey’s with me. Buck and Zeb will be here in a little while. I’ll file a police report and get the security footage from Kyle.”
Lainey gave me an awkward side hug but I barely hugged her back because I was still staring at Bray.
He was staying here.
With me.
In my house.
What was I going to do?
Lainey’d been to my house often enough over the years. She knew the condition of the place. She knew I hadn’t done any kind of upgrade or changes since Gran died. Heck, since Granddad died. But the last time she’d spent the night–instead of stopping by like she did today–was in high school and Gran had made us her special peanut butter brownies while we gave each other pedicures.
Bray wasn’t going to want me to paint his toenails.
It was one thing for him to pretend to be my boyfriend at a bar, but this? It made no sense. It wasn’t too hard to fake it when I pretty much sexually harassed him at The Roadside. Even later, in the parking lot. That kiss…
