“Then why didn’t she tell the truth? Why not try and get away from your father?”
The tattoo shifted as she shrugged. “Because she knew he’d kill us all if she left him.” A small shudder passed through her. “I’m going to have a new scar, and it’s going to be ugly. Maybe I’ll have the vines extended farther down my arm.”
“You don’t need to cover anything.” He tugged her closer, until her body pressed against his. “Your scars are part of you. You’re a survivor.”
“I’d still prefer not to have them.”
Matt pressed his lips to hers. He closed his eyes and let the kiss spin out. When he lifted his head and looked down at her, her eyes were still closed. They fluttered open, and she smiled. They’d kissed before, but somehow this felt more intimate. It wrapped around his heart and squeezed.
She could have died last night. The realization hit him like a blast of Freon, and he went cold straight to his soul. Falling in love with her—he couldn’t even pretend that wasn’t what was happening—meant gambling his heart on a woman who would always take risks. Could he accept that? He kissed her again, letting it spin out as he held her closer. Her body fit against his in a way that he could only describe as right.
He answered his own question with a resounding yes. He was all in. She was worth risking everything.
Dana’s voice sounded from downstairs, disrupting the moment. “Dinner in fifteen minutes.”
Bree broke the embrace and reached into the shower to turn on the spray.
Matt didn’t trust his voice. He cleared his throat and swallowed. “I’ll wait in the bedroom.” The words sounded husky, almost harsh.
He backed out and closed the door behind him. As he listened to the water run, he pictured her . . .
Nope. Don’t go there.
Their relationship was progressing toward a physical one, but he would not rush a single step, and this was not the time. Still, it was a nice thought. Very nice.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Todd.
“What’s up?” Matt answered.
“We have the license plate number for the vehicle of the man who accepted the envelope from Paul Beckett last night.” Todd’s voice sounded tight.
“Who is it?”
“The building inspector.”
“Does the inspector have any previous allegations for accepting bribes?”
“Not that I know of,” Todd said. “What now?”
“I’ll talk to the sheriff.” But Matt was sure she’d want to launch a quiet investigation.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Cady wiped sweat from her forehead. “Awesome workout! Thanks for coming, ladies!”
Her kickboxing class filed out the front door. Her brother, Nolan, stepped onto the mat in his full white Brazilian jujitsu Gi. “Great class, Cady.”
He ducked, weaved, and snagged her by the waist, lifting her off her feet as if she were tiny, which she was definitely not.
“Nolan, put me down,” Cady said. With two older brothers, she’d learned to sound bored when they teased her.
He set her on her feet. “You’re no fun anymore.”
Cady rolled her eyes. “You need to grow up.” She poked him in the chest.
“Never.” He grinned. Despite his bald head and full sleeves of tats, when he smiled, she could still see him as a twelve-year-old. Equally badass-looking men filed in, and Nolan started them on warm-up drills. He stretched his arms over his head and winced, quickly covering the pained look on his face. A career as a professional MMA fighter had left him physically broken. The human body could take only so much abuse before it rebelled. He was only forty, but his body had high mileage.
Cady moved closer. “You take it easy tonight. Make them do all the work.”
He waved and moved off to teach class.
But she knew he wouldn’t. At least he’d given up fighting.
She collected her gear and pulled on a zip-up hoodie over her tank top and leggings. Then she headed for her car. She’d stop home, shower, and feed her own dogs, then head to the kennel to feed the rescues. At Matt’s request, she’d hired Justin to clean the kennels and hang out with the dogs, but she wasn’t ready to trust him with more responsibility yet. He hadn’t been out of rehab long enough for her to know if sobriety had stuck. He had a bad record with drug dependency and relapse. Plus, his wife’s death had left him fragile. She’d known him since childhood, and it saddened her to know what opioids had done to him.