Page 14 of The Perfect Snipe

My gaze turns to my daughter. “Go into the living room. Now.”

She crosses her arms and gives me a little growl. “You’re being mean. Stop it.”

“Out. Now.”

When she doesn’t move, Cat places a hand on her shoulder. “Stella, go. Let your dad clean my foot.”

My daughter stomps off through the side entryway and leaves us. A moment later Mason is back in the opposite entryway. He slides the first aid kit across the floor, then goes into the living room with his sister.

“She’s right, you are being a dick.”

“Shut—”

“I’ve tried shutting up before, it’s not for me.”

I growl as I inspect her heel, then take the tweezers from the kit and pull out the shard of ceramic stuck in her foot. She hisses in pain, her hand gripping the edge of the table. “Going to tell me how the shelf fell?”

“Going to tell me why you have an erection tenting your sweats?”

My hand tightens around her ankle. As if I wasn’t already on edge, she has to call attention tothat. I swallow hard and ignore her, cleaning out the bloody wound and wrapping it. “Shouldn’t need stitches.”

“Thanks.” She shifts in the seat as if to get up but I lean forward, crowding her. Cat looks up at me, her brown eyes narrowing. “What?”

“How’d the shelf fall?” I have a sneaking suspicion about what happened, but I want her to confirm her stubbornness got in her own way.

She leans in closer as if to challenge me. My heart races and my fucking dick twitches. Her full lips are so close to mine.

“I was trying to reach for a bowl. I was able to scoot it and then I sort of slipped and grabbed the shelf.”

“In other words, you didn’t use the damn step stool I left for you.” She moves to stand once again and I grip the arm rests. “Stop being stubborn and ask for help when you need it.”

Cat snarls, her upper lip twitching. “Thanks for fixing my foot, but if you don’t get out of my face we’re going to have a problem.”

I smirk and lift her out of the chair.

“Put me down. I can walk myself.”

“No.”

My arms tighten around her. She fits perfectly against me, even if she looks like she’s about to claw out my eyes. I carry her into the living room, then place her down on the sofa. After, I grab a couple of pillows to elevate her foot.

“Shouldn’t you go finish your shower?” Her gaze moves from my face to what I know is still visible in these threadbare sweats.

Thankfully, my kids have no idea what she’s referring to. I head back into the kitchen and start cleaning.

Fucking stubborn Hellcat is too proud to use a step stool. And that mouth of hers doesn’t stop.

I adjust myself, my dick still hard.

She’s got one thing right. After I’m finished cleaning, I’m going to need to finish taking care of what I started in the shower because fuck if my thoughts aren’t going to stuffing that sassy mouth of hers.

Chapter 6

Cat

Stella and I rush through the parking garage, the cold winter air nipping at our noses, our breaths coming out in visible puffs. The automatic doors of Mercy Hospital’s emergency room slide open with a whoosh, and a wave of warm air envelops us. The sudden change in temperature makes my cheeks tingle, and I shiver as I unwrap my scarf.

We were on our way to dance class when I got the call my grandmother was in the ER. They said she’d fallen.

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