animal and there was nowhere else to go but my clinic?”
Yeah, she had a good point.
“Did the caller ask for you by name?”
She grew even more frustrated, rolling her eyes. “I can’t remember. Why? What the hell are you getting at?”
“Why? Because every scrap of information is important, Danni.” I realized I’d raised my voice. “At least it is to me. If you want me to trust you, then I need to know every damn detail of what you know, who you talked to, and what you’ve heard. Seems mighty fishy that you were there at the auction, were the person singled out to receive these mysterious phone calls. Then you have this file handy tonight? Were the men hanging outside your door guys you hired to play a part?”
Danni opened her eyes wide, the shock evident on her face.
“Look,” I started. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the hell was I doing?
“Don’t,” she hissed, throwing out her hand.
After jerking to her feet, she stepped over the dogs, placing her wine on the table hard enough I was surprised the glass didn’t shatter. I could feel the heat of her anger boiling through her. When she left the room, I dropped my head, chastising myself for being such a freaking ass. Everything about what was going on left a bad taste in my mouth, a reminder of my former life. I was pissed, more so than I could stand.
I rose to my feet, leaning over the mantel. Even the asshole in me knew that I should go after her. Damn it. What the hell was my problem?
A few seconds later, I heard her storming into the living room. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed she dumped a blanket and a pillow onto the couch.
“There. I certainly don’t want you to get cold tonight since you are sleeping on the couch. Good night, Mustang. Since you took my weapon from me, I guess you won’t have to worry about me shooting you in the middle of the night. Come on, Zorro. Let’s go to bed where it’s safe.” Backing away, she turned on her heel, storming toward the stairs.
“Danni. Don’t.”
She stopped for a few seconds, turning around abruptly. Even the dim light of the fire allowed me to see that she’d shut down. I had difficulty with trust, and what little we’d gained had just been erased.
“Don’t what? You know, when I first met you, while thinking you were perhaps the sexiest man I’d ever seen, I could tell you were an asshole. You proved my point more than once. Then, when you brought Rattler in, I could see something else entirely in your eyes. A real person, one who cared about a creature almost as much as I did. I think a tiny part of me fell in love with you at that very moment. When you saved me tonight, I was shocked, so ashamed at my behavior, but you were larger than life, refusing to back down.”
“Look—”
“Don’t you dare interrupt me! Then, when you held me after we… fucked, I melted like some lovesick young girl. You aren’t the only person with trust issues. I can’t trust anyone because the single man I thought I could love when I lived in Maryland lied to me. He lied about his work, his life, and the fact he loved me. It had taken me years to be able to trust anyone and he broke it in the matter of six freaking months. Then you. You, larger than life you. A man I thought I could… love. Well, wallow in whatever self-pity you have hung around you like a medal of honor. My bet is that you’re going to end up alone and very lonely. And. You. Deserve. It.”
When she stopped, her chest rising and falling from her anger, she dared me to say anything.
And I froze. What the hell could I say? She was right. I’d broken what little trust had been possible between us.
“To answer your question, I was terrified when those men appeared outside my door, honking their horns and hollering at me. Terrified. But it’s just as I thought. You couldn’t give a shit. Good night, Mustang. Thank you for saving my life. Hopefully after tomorrow, we will never see each other again.”
There was no point in going after her right now. Every muscle was tense, my mind reeling. My God, even my heart ached. I heard the thumping of Rattler’s tail just before he got off