Page 24 of Flyboy
"We already did."
She shrugged and pulled out of his arms. "Yeah, but I'm not sure it's the right thing."
"It is, and it's not negotiable."
Frowning she asked, "What's that mean?"
"I'm moving in with you whether you like it or not."
"But—"
"What if social services want to check the marriage is real?"
"You said that was unlikely."
"Maybe. Maybe not. But we're not taking any chances with that girl."
There was something in his gaze, some message he was trying to tell her…
Alyssa looked at Penny to find her peppering Roark with questions about the electronics on the table.
What had her sister told Jack? Had she finally revealed why she'd shown up on Alyssa's doorstep? Bringing her eyes back to Jack, she murmured, "What do you know?"
His gaze flicked to Penny, then back. "Later."
Shit. That wasn't good. Guilt filled her. Should she have pushed Penny harder? Pushed her to reveal her secrets? No. As much as Alyssa wanted to know how and why Penny found her, she knew she'd handled things the right way so far.
Penny was well adjusted—hell, she was better than well adjusted, she was one of the most stable people Alyssa knew and she was barely a teenager. And except for that one argument about contraception, which had been more a misunderstanding and overreaction onherpart than Penny's, they had gotten along fine, as though they'd known each other for years not weeks.
In three months, they'd gone from complete strangers to sisters and she'd be the first to admit their bond might have something to do with both of them enduring a life with Gina, except that didn't change the fact they'd become friends. As young as Penny was, their relationship wasn't one of adult and child. It was more adult to adult.
One more thing to hate Gina for. Penny was far too old for her age. She'd been forced to grow up before she should, and Alyssa was determined to make sure she could remove all those 'adult' worries from her young shoulders from now on.
Her gaze moved back to Jack.
She might not want to rely on him or be comfortable allowing him to take care of things for her but when it came to Penny, she knew she could trust him with her sister's life. And when it came to Gina, that's exactly what they might be talking about.
"Am I going to want to kill Gina more than I do now when you tell me?" she whispered.
The smile he gave her was sad and it didn't reach his eyes the way his usual smiles did. "She'll never hurt either of you again."
She believed him. The determination in his eyes, the steel edge in his voice, turned his words into a vow. With a tip of her chin, she acknowledged his statement then looked around. "So, where's the room service menu?"
"Over on the bar. I'm getting a cheeseburger and fries. We can share if you're not really hungry," Penny offered.
She walked over to pull out the seat opposite her sister. "You don't want to eat it all yourself?"
Penny shrugged. "We can always order more if we're still hungry after."
"Okay. We'll share."
"Want a drink?" Jack asked over her shoulder.
"Sure. Is there coffee?"
"I'll get it." Alyssa looked up at the only other woman in the room. "How do you take it?"
"Black. Thanks."
