I ignored Owen’s lewd comment and left before I reminded him back in Idaho the whole house heard how he’d “covered” Nat.
Halfway to the breakroom, the knot in my stomach turned to a boulder. I’d known the woman an hour and she already had me building a fortress to fight against my attraction.
This was a bad idea. So bad I started thinking Myles and Cooper should take Evette to the safehouse and I should go with Kevin to find this Delilah woman.
Yeah, that would be better.
I rounded the corner and froze when I heard Evette laugh and the thorn that had started to push under my skin burrowed deep. So deep I was worried I’d never work it out.
But I had to. I couldn’t give in. I had to fortify my defenses.
She’d be gone soon and this would be over.
How hard could it be to keep the woman at arm’s length?
I couldn’t know it then, but I should’ve guessed; it was harder than a motherfucker. Evette was shifty, devious even, a witchy woman who’d woven magic and ripped my heart from my chest and held the bloody organ in her palms. It was fitting actually, seeing as it was hers to take.
Chapter 6
“Bad timing,” Ivy told me and I glanced over the rim of my mug. “Yesterday all the babies were here and you could’ve seen Maxine. She’s getting so big and don’t tell anyone I said this but Kyle is hot when he gets all big daddy and possessive over his daughter.”
Ivy didn’t have a thing to worry about. I was never going to call Kyle Smith “big daddy,” not even when repeating a story. Besides, I’d already heard from Anaya how crazy Kyle was with his daughter. Another thing I was happy my friend had. It made losing her to Maryland worth it. I missed Anaya. She and Kyle had come to Riverton to see me a few times but I hadn’t made the trip out here to see her. My friend, being kind and sweet, said she understood my fear of flying but I knew she was disappointed I hadn’t been out to see her new house and meet her new friends.
As I stared at Ivy it dawned on me what she’d said and I couldn’t stop the hysterical burst of laughter.
Bad timing.
I suppose you could call a gun to your head bad timing—though I called it bad luck.
“Yeah, I would’ve liked to have seen Anaya and Maxine,” I told Ivy. “But I have the feeling Kyle is going to keep them far away from me.”
And I understood why. Being anywhere near me could be dangerous.
“Eh.” Ivy waved a hand in front of her. “The guys will have this sorted in no time and you can see them before you go home.”
My heart started to pound in my chest and it had nothing to do with getting back on a plane. There were several other modes of transportation I could use to get back to California. The mere thought of going back to my apartment gave me heartburn.
Or was it that I was lonely? That I had a sad, narrow life?
Sure I had friends. And after Piper had hooked up with Ace she’d done her best to include me in her new family. I’d been invited to plenty of cookouts at Gumby’s—incidentally, Gumby’s real name was Decker. He and Sidney hosted parties all the time. Their place seemed to be the family gathering spot. All of Ace’s teammates were great, their women were even better. And now Kalee was home but I was still restless.
Not restless for adventure. I was a homebody. But something was missing. I knew what the something was but I was actively pretending I didn’t. Acknowledging I knew meant I’d have to admit what I wanted and I wasn’t at a point in my life where I could handle more disappointment.
I knew I’d never have what Piper, Anaya, and Kalee had. I was too boring, too set in my ways. I’d rather stay at home and watch a movie or read a book than go to a bar. Which was a turn-off for most men.
But I still wanted what my friends had and I’d never have it, so I was living in denial that I wanted it.
“Hey,” Gabe said from the doorway. “You about ready to leave?”
Leave?
Oh, shit. I had nowhere to go, no money.
I’d ditched my phone then found an ATM. Unfortunately, I had a