the ground then back to me and jerked his chin. He moved beyond the range safety line without a word.
I clenched my jaw so fucking hard and remembered how Shiloh felt naked in my arms. Then I remembered the panic in her eyes when I told her we were going to be friends. And lastly, I remembered the relief I saw when I didn’t leave. Relief so stark it pierced my heart and wounded my soul.
I fucking hated explaining myself.
Fifteen minutes later Glen was packed up and I was watching him walk back to the office.
I waited until he was a good distance away before I moved toward Echo.
“We need to talk about Sunny.”
Not a great way for Echo to start but I held onto my patience and bit back a smartass retort. I didn’t think Shiloh’s brother was taking time out of his day to have a chat about the state of the world’s economy.
“We do?”
“If you’re fuc—”
“Respect, Echo, but if you finish that you and me are gonna have problems.”
“Bigger ones than we have now?” he asked.
“Didn’t know we had problems. But just to say, you showing up at my work, interrupting my class, staring me down like I’m a piece of shit, I was willing to overlook all that and give you time. You starting this conversation by disrespecting Shiloh, that I will not overlook. So, yeah, you trash-talk your sister we’re gonna have bigger problems than we have now.”
Echo narrowed his eyes and did his best to puff out his chest. I had to admit, the motherfucker was a Hulk. I wouldn’t come out unscathed if we went to blows. But if he thought he could intimidate me like a pussy he was sadly mistaken.
“You got some fuckin’ balls—”
“Seriously? You really wanna talk about the size of my balls? You wanna grab a ruler and measure my cock, too? Or do you wanna get down to what’s on your mind? I’ll help you out and start by repeating what I told River. I don’t respond well to threats. You can make ‘em and I’ll respond by telling you to shove ‘em up your ass. I know what I got in Shiloh. I don’t need you or your brothers educating me. I’m seeing Shiloh and I’m taking it slow. Not only for her, but for me, too. What we have is new, it’s good, and as time goes on it’ll get better. You have a problem with that, I don’t fuckin’ care. You wanna bitch and complain about me, go find one of your brothers or your boys and talk all the shit you want. But do it knowing you’re a fuckin’ dick for doing it. Because you don’t know me. You don’t know what I feel for Shiloh. And you have no goddamn clue where I plan on taking this. The last thing I’m gonna give you is this; if I wanted a quick fuck, I’d find easy. She’s your sister so you have to know Shiloh is the opposite of easy.”
When I was done Echo was staring at me like he was ready to brawl. Which was going to suck; I was wearing my favorite white Squash Daddy tee. It was old and worn and I’d had it since my first deployment and on every one after that. Getting blood stains out was going to be a bitch and a half.
“Sunny’s not easy?”
Out of everything I said, that was the last thing I thought Echo would home in on.
“Do you know your sister?”
“Come again?”
Maybe he didn’t know his sister as well as he thought he did, and as much as I wanted to call him out on it something inside of me knew Shiloh would be right mad if I told him what she’d said about everyone leaving her.
Shiloh played the part of Sunny well. She had the teasing, light disposition down pat. But the woman was full of darkness and holes.
“Shiloh’s a great many things, easy isn’t one of them. Now, why are you here?”
“Wanted to size you up,” he said and shrugged.
At least he was honest.
“Right. And you thought it best to do that while I was at work and piss me off in the process?”
“Actually, I was here to talk to Jason about an old case he worked when he was with the DEA. You being here was a bonus. Two birds and all that.”
“Great. You get what you need or do you have more to say?”