Page 23 of Blindsided
I stare at the blue ink on my skin, not sure whether to laugh or run away. “You think I’m going to call a man I found buried on a beach?”
“You pulled me out,” he points out with a shrug. “Seems like we’re friends already.”
“I thought you were jewelry,” I admit, immediately regretting my honesty when his lips curve into a smirk.
“You thought I was jewelry?” He looks down at his tattooed, ring-adorned hands and then back at me. “That’s a new one.”
“The metal detector...” I gesture weakly toward the abandoned device. “Your rings set it off.”
He glances at the metal detector, then back to me, his expression shifting to something more serious. “Why were you crying? Really?”
The directness of his question catches me off guard. “I wasn’t—”
“Airplane girl,” he interrupts gently. “I know crying when I see it.”
Maybe it’s the absurdity of the situation, or perhaps it’s just that I’m talking to someone who knows absolutely nothing about me, but suddenly I want to tell him.
“My husband’s been sleeping with my sister,” I say, the words coming out in a rush. “I found out right before our fifth anniversary party. So, I came here instead.”
Kane whistles low. “That’s rough.”
“Yeah.” I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite my layers. “Hence the crying and the terrible haircut I gave myself.”
He studies me for a moment, head tilted. “I like it. Makes you look dangerous.”
A startled laugh escapes me. “Dangerous is the last thing I am.”
“Don’t be so sure,” he says, his eyes lingering on mine. “You saved a strange man on a deserted beach. That’s either dangerous or stupid.”
“Maybe both,” I admit, finding myself smiling despite everything.
The sound of an engine breaks the moment. We both turn to see two cars pulling up at the top of the cliff path. A man gets out of each one, Declan and Rory, if memory serves me.
“That’s my ride,” Kane says, nodding toward them. “And probably another round of torture.”
“Will you be okay?” I ask, suddenly concerned. They buried him alive. What kind of family does that?!
He grins, a wolfish grin. “I’ll survive. Always do.”He takes a step back, then hesitates. “What’s your name? Properly, I mean.”
“Kori,” I tell him. “Kori Blake.”
“Kane Murphy,” he replies, extending a sand-covered hand for me to shake. When I take it, he holds onto it a moment longer than necessary. “Use that number if you need anything, Kori Blake. Ireland can be a lonely place.”
He starts to walk away, then stops, turns around, and grabs my arm.
Chapter 9
Kane
“On second thought, you’re coming with me.”
Her eyes widen, startled by my sudden change of heart. I grip her arm as she starts to tug it away. “What? No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” I insist, scanning her face. Even with the choppy haircut and puffy eyes, something is captivating about her. “Look, Declan and Rory just buried me alive for a ‘detox.’ You really think I’m going back to that car without backup?”
She tries to pull away, but I hold firm, not enough to hurt her but enough to make my point.
“I don’t even know you!” she hisses.
