Page 101 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
“You’re really pretty.”
She laughs again, shaking her head.
“Can you walk, or does Rafe have to help me carry you out of here?”
“Pfft. Pfft,” I say again because I like how it tickles my lips. “I can walk fine.”
She doesn’t believe me. “You sure about that? You’ve already almost been blown up. The last thing I want to tell Kara is that you fell and hit your head again.”
The mention of my sister sits like a lead weight in my chest.
“I’m drunk.”
“I already said that.”
“I don’t want Kara to see me like this.”
“You’re not your dad. Adults are allowed to drink.”
I shake my head, trying to clear the alcohol from my brain. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t want her to see me like this.”
She stares into my eyes, then nods. “Okay. Let’s get Rafe home, and I’ll take you to get some coffee and sober you up a bit.”
“You’re going to take care of me?”
“Seems only fair, doesn’t it?”
“Why’s that?”
She tries to step back, but I squeeze my thighs to hold her still.
“All you’ve done is try to take care of me since the moment you bulldozed your way into my life. If you’re going to marry me someday, then I guess I should start pulling my weight around here.”
“That’s a great answer, fiancée.”
She tugs on my hand to help me stand. “Easy there, big guy. There’s no fiancée yet. That’s something we work up to.”
So says her. I’ve already designed the perfect ring in my mind. Now I simply need a trusted jeweler to create perfection.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
LOTTIE
“Areyou going to be able to keep your voice down in here?”
Thane rolls his eyes and then trips up the last of the library stairs. “I thought we were getting coffee?”
“We are. I always come here to get coffee—even though it’s terrible—to take some of the financial strain off Sharky.”
“I said I would take care of that.” He’s cute when he’s tipsy, even if he does sound like he’s pouting.
“This way.” I tug on his arm and lead him to the corner and gently nudge him into a chair before turning toward the small kitchenette.
I pop a pod into the machine, and it whirs to life, while I stick another twenty in the cash box.
“Won’t someone steal that?”
He’s sitting in the chair with his legs splayed wide and his hands clasped in his lap, but his gaze tracks my movements with hunter-like intent.
