Page 45 of Smolder

My chest was rising and falling so fast, and I knew he could tell, but there was no way I could control it. His eyes seemed to soak me in like I was his last meal as they drifted over my chest and down my body.

He took a step back, then another. “I’ll be back tonight. If I stay here much longer, I’m not sure I can keep from shoving you against that door and giving the neighbors a show.”

I let out a strangled laugh, then coughed, covering my mouth as I stared up at him.

His eyes twinkled with amusement. “You’d better go inside,” he told me.

I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay here with him. But Grams was alone inside, and I needed to be sure she wasn’t eating too much. She’d get sick, and then the night really would be ruined.

“Okay,” I replied, touching the knob behind me with my back still against it.

Reluctantly, I tore my eyes off Amory to turn around.

His hand closed around my arm, grabbing me, and I let out a cry and winced. Shit. Instantly, he let go of me. I was trying to think of what to say to him as I looked back at him, but he was already shoving my sleeve up.

I attempted to stop him and tug it down, but it was no use. He pulled it up until the handprint bruise was visible.

“Your father?” he asked, not taking his eyes off it.

“Don’t,” I replied as I finally got my shirt free of him and tugged it down so he’d stop looking at it.

His shoulders rose and fell. The veins in his neck stood out, and he took several deep breaths before he lifted his eyes to mine.

“Last night.” It wasn’t a question. He was stating what he already knew.

“He was drunk and angry,” I told him. “Please don’t do anything. Don’t ruin what happened. The kiss.”

He shook his head, and his shoulders relaxed. “I won’t. I’m sorry if I was the cause of that. I messed up last night, and you paid for it.”

“No!” I said fiercely, placing a hand on his chest. “This isn’t your fault. Just forget it, okay? I bruise easily. It didn’t even hurt.”

Amory nodded. “Okay.” Then, he reached out and ran his knuckles down my cheek. “I’ll be here at eight.”

That hadn’t been bad. I wanted to throw my arms around him and thank him for not making a big deal out of this. He winked at me with a small smile, then turned to walk back to his car, which I realized wasn’t the Porsche.

How many vehicles did he have?

I’d never pictured him in a truck, even an expensive-looking one. He opened the door, then picked something up. I watched as he placed a black cowboy hat on his head and then glanced back at me.

Amory Blaine in a cowboy hat was porn-worthy.

•Eighteen •

What was I going to do if she was guilty?

Sebastian

The only thing keeping me from taking that bastard out myself was knowing Royal was waiting on me.

“You look like you’re considering burning the place down,” Storm said beside me.

I tore my eyes off Miller’s Bar and looked at him then at Thatcher, who was leaning against the driver’s door of the Escalade with his arms crossed and a cigarette in his mouth. I’d asked him specifically to do this. If I couldn’t be here to do it, then I wanted him. Not because he was my brother, but because he’d not restrain himself. He’d make it hurt. He’d enjoy it. Until I could get there.

“I gotta go,” I told him.

Thatcher nodded his head once, then clenched the cigarette between his teeth. “Go on then. We got this.”

I took one last glance at the bar, then headed for my truck. It was ten until eight, and I didn’t want to be late. Thinking about how fucking incredible Royal had felt in my arms today and the sweetest-tasting mouth I’d ever had was what kept me from ripping things off the walls after I saw the bruise on her arm.

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