Page 44 of Vengeful Guard

I sigh. “Unfortunately, I’m still on the take. But I’m thinking of breaking my rules on Sunday. You up for it?”

“You know I am." The grin in her voice is so clear it’s like I can picture her face right now.

“See you then.”

She hangs up the phone, and I try to call back a memory, the last time that Darla and I slept together, but her brown eyes keep turning green, her lithe body turning curvier. She keeps turning into Paige as I close my eyes.

It’s going to be a long time until Sunday.

13

PAIGE

I can’t sleep again, and this time, it’s not because of bad memories or nightmares. This time, it’s because my body’s on fire with what Kael and I did. Well, what Kael did. I guess all I did was rock back and forth.

I had an orgasm. A real orgasm. And they’re right about it being the stuff dreams are made of. Holy shit. I thought I was going to explode, and I almost screamed when I finally reached my peak. It was so hot, Kael rocking me back and forth, flexing his powerful thigh under me...

I can’t lie still in bed, trying not to think about it, and eventually, I figure I might as well get up. It’s almost daylight anyway, and this wouldn’t be the first night’s sleep I’ve missed recently.

I walk downstairs. I need to check on the delivery menus in the kitchen. I’m hungry, and I could go for something similar to what Kael made me for breakfast the other day—sausage biscuits.

I order breakfast, getting some for him too, feeling a little guilty that he seemed to push me away so quickly.

I mean, he’s right, I guess. We need boundaries.

It’s not like I want to date Kael, but why couldn’t we fool around a little? It doesn’t escape me that just yesterday, watching that movie with Lara, I’d bemoaned the brother’s best friend trope, talking about how gross it was.

But Kael is...different when he’s around just me and not Declan. He’s not as focused, not as strict about everything. He’s actually kind of fun, which is crazy to me. I’ve always thought he was the world’s biggest grump.

But he’s not like that at all, at least not away from everything else.

My front door opens at about six in the morning, my brothers bursting in with food.

I stumble down the stairs, nearly falling over.

Declan smiles. “Saw your delivery guy at the front gate.”

“What are you both doing here? Is something wrong?”

Gray’s face looks awfully serious. “Where’s Kael?”

“Asleep. The way you two usually are this time of the morning.”

Something’s happened, I just know it, and I figure they’re going to try to talk to Kael and keep me out of it.

Gray tilts his head toward the corridor. “Wake him.”

“Fine.” I walk over to Kael’s door and knock on it.

He’s up and at the door in a moment, wearing a pair of black sweats and thank god, a T-shirt.

I don’t know if I can take him shirtless after what happened yesterday.

And what did happen yesterday, anyway? Was it an accident? Did he not mean to make me orgasm, and I was just so worked up that it happened?

Is that why he pushed me away?

I don’t want to feel rejected, especially since most of the time I can’t stand Kael anyway, but I can’t seem to help it. I’ve always been pretty sensitive, and I’m kind of annoyed at him for being standoffish now.

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