Page 41 of Trouble

Mason’s already disappeared. He never sticks around to gab. Now it’s just Shawn and me.

I can’t help but peer up at her again. She’s stopped pacing. Now she’s standing at the glass, watching me. When our eyes meet, the words tumble from my mouth. “She’s his. I know that. But I can’t help but feel like she should be mine.”

Her brows furrow in concentration, like she’s trying to read my lips.

“What about Cade?” Shawn asks, drawing my focus.

“What about him?”

He pins me with a knowing look.

I glare right back at him.

“Did you read this week’s book?”

Fucking A. I’m trying to open up to the guy about my feelings, and he wants to talk about his romance book club? “Forget it,” I say, striding toward the stairway.

“Ask Mel about it,” he calls as I take the first step. “And Chief?—”

I pause with my other foot on the second step, but I don’t turn around.

“Talk to Cade.”

Closing my eyes, I curse silently. The last thing I need is to open up to Cade about how I feel. About her. About him. Especially when the emotions are so convoluted. They’re twisted and tangled.

All I know is that I can’t get the two of them out of my head, and I’m jealous that their connection is so easy. That they can just fuck and not overthink it. Like it means nothing. If I touched either of them, it would mean everything.

Stopping outside my office, I steel my spine and fill my lungs, preparing to turn her down gently but firmly. I’ll say I still have work to do. It’s not a lie. There’s always more to do around here. After she leaves, I’ll breathe easier knowing I didn’t make a move on my friend’s girl.

With that resolution firmly in mind, I push the door open.

“Declan?” Melina all but gasps, like she’s surprised to see me in my own office.

With a curt nod, I head to the locker in the corner where I keep a change of clothes. “Everything okay?”

I glance over my shoulder as I slide my suspenders down.

She nods, her focus lowered to the floor, so I pull my shirt off and quickly replace it with a clean one. I still need to shower, but I need her out of my space first. When I turn around to face her fully, her eyes are wide.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, worrying her bottom lip and wringing trembling hands. “I shouldn’t have come here. You’re busy.”

My heart lodges itself in my throat at the fear radiating from her. “What’s going on?”I ask, taking a step closer.

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. I was just in my head.”

Eyes narrowed, I search her from head to toe for any indication that she’s hurt. “It’s not nothing. What happened?”

She sucks in a breath. “It’s my brother.” She looks toward the window. “He called from an unknown number, so I wasn’t prepared when I picked up and—” A tear slides down her cheek, but she quickly wipes it away.

“You shouldn’t have to be prepared to talk to family.”

Her green eyes go misty, looking like polished sea glass. “With mine you do.”Tears cascade down both cheeks with that simple sentence.

I want to pull her into my chest, hold her close, promise I’ll protect her. And I will protect her the best I can. But there’s no shielding her from her emotions, no matter how badly I want to. All I can do is be a safe place for her to express them.

She blows out a breath so tremulous, she shudders. That simple whoosh of air is uncontrollable and full of pain.

Fuck. How could a brother treat his sister in a way that would have this kind of effect? All my life, my only instinct when it’s come to my baby sister is to protect her.

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