Page 76 of His Mansion

He slapped a magazine into her hand. It was folded open to a page with bold pictures. The photos were gorgeous, a celebration of light and shadow. She recognized Nathan’s work from the test shots he’d done for her.

Nathan moved to her side. “What’s wrong? My photos are good.”

“The pictures are great, the story is crap,” Kane growled. “It’s dark and bitter, and more like aNational Enquireror a scandal sheet than anything else. The man was supposed to be making a comeback from a drunk-driving accident—turns out he’s the one who was drunk, and the article shows he’s even more of a loser than before the incident.”

“Oh, come on, so just because someone else in the series hasn’t done as well as Melanie, that’s my fault? My byline is on the photos, not the story.”

“Yeah, but it seems that you’d be in on the whole series concept. What do they intend to write about Mel?”

Nathan shook his head. “What I shared was what I was told—it’s all supposed to be positive stuff. I had no information about the guy in this article other than clicking the shots, so don’t make me out to be some kind of evil villain.”

Melanie had had enough. She swung to Nathan’s defense. “Kane, stop it. Stop it right now. I trust Nathan. We not only go way back, but we’ve talked a ton over the past couple days, and I know he’d never do anything to hurt me.”

Kane glared at Nathan for another moment before turning on Derrick. “And you—I thought you were my friend until I had an eye-opening conversation with Jack. How the hell could you think taking another guy into her bed would be a good thing for Melanie? What kind of asshole are you?”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She held out a hand to stop Derrick from answering. “Oh my God, Kane, you did not just say that. How dare you stick your nose into my personal life?”

“It’s true though, isn’t it? You fooled around with them both this weekend.”

The fact she hadn’t actually slept with Nathan was none of Kane’s business. “Derrick’s number-one focus has always been what’s best for me.”

“Letting another guy into your relationship? That’s not how a man who cares about you acts, Mel.”

The implied insult that she wasn’t capable of making her own decisions was more than enough to ignite Melanie’s temper. “Oh, like you’re the one to give me shit. You’re sleeping with Dara, and so is Jack. How it that any better? In fact, if anything it’s even weirder because you and Jack are like best friends. Don’t be a bloody hypocrite.”

“We both had a long-term relationship with Dara before we stepped into anything physical. You’ve only been with Derrick for a couple months, and he’s already inviting another guy into the action? When you don’t know how long the dude will stick around or what his real motivations are? It’s not the same.”

“Butt the hell out, big brother.”

“Iamyour big brother. I care about you and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“This isn’t about you. Holycrap, you have no idea, do you?” Melanie shook her hands in his face before stepping back. Nathan had retreated slightly, standing uneasily by the edge of the living room. Derrick waited at her side, a dark tower of barely contained simmering rage. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her brother. An emotional explosion trembled on the horizon. She lowered her volume to emphasize her words. “You have no idea how much pain I’ve been in over the past couple years. Not physical, but mental. How I could barely make it out of bed some mornings because I was sure someone would find a way to remind me I wasn’t what I used to be. That I was lacking.”

Kane’s face had gone pale under his summer tan. “I didn’t know it had been so bad.”

She hadn’t finished. Slowly over the past week all her burdens had come unraveled, been lifted from her, and being able to vocalize what a relief she experienced made her voice tremble. Melanie lifted her chin defiantly, directing a fierce look in his direction. “Well, after this weekendIknow I’m not less of a woman than I was before the accident. I had two gorgeous guys lavish attention on me, and it felt damn good. They gave me physical proof that not only was I strong and brave, and all those things, I was desired. Lusted after, even, andby God,it was amazing.”

All Kane’s bluster disappeared, and he seemed to struggle to get the words out. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

Guilt radiated from him, but that wasn’t enough to wipe away his interference or the other hurt his words had caused. She turned her back on him for a moment to lay a calming hand on Derrick’s arm and speak quietly. “Thank you for letting me deal with this.”

Derrick nodded, the tension in his body relaxing a notch. “Your battle, but let me know when you need backup. By the way…” He leaned in closer. “You’re spectacular when you’re pissed.”

Oh God.The flash of amusement his words caused smothered a huge section of anger still burning inside her. Impulsively, she wrapped her arms around his broad chest to hug him tight. How did he do that? Offer exactly what she needed to hear? “You are so perfect.”

He rested his chin on the top of her head for a moment as he squeezed. Derrick was a rock, her rock. Solid, and completely there for her. Not to take over her life, but to provide a firm place to stand while she took back control.

She was falling in love harder by the minute.

Melanie turned to face her brother. He’d meant well—she needed to remember that—but it was well-meaning friends and family who had caused a lot of her pain. “There’s nothing else to say, Kane. There was nothing you could do to fix it, so I kept it to myself.”

Kane looked wearily around the room as he dragged a hand through his hair. He took in Nathan, standing alone to the side. His gaze lingered on Derrick and the way he held her close. “Okay. You’re right. You’re right, and I need to butt out. But Mel…if you do need me in the future, tell me. Please.”

She sniffed, her throat tight with emotion. “I will.”

He glanced again at Nathan. “Anything, including shit like breaking knees. I know how to make someone disappear so they’ll never find the body.”

Yup, that sounded like her family. She forced out a laugh. “Have shovel, will use it? Kane. It’s going to be okay. I really do trust Nathan.”

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