Page 5 of Mob Bride

I accept the pills Mom hands me and pool enough spit in my mouth to get them down after several swallows. I take a fortifying inhale and turn in the direction Mom came from. I’m shaky, but I can make it.

“Put me down! What are you doing?”

Shane’s incredibly gentle as he lifts me into his arms. I barely feel the pressure of them, yet I know I won’t fall. Maybe I’m in too much pain to register anything more. But I suspect he’s that gentle.

“So you can fall over on a construction site and sue me? No thanks.”

He looks straight ahead, not even sparing me a glance. Rude.

You’re almighty ungrateful. Just because you’re in pain doesn’t mean you get to be rude to people. Especially people helping you.

That’s my mom’s voice in my head. I can hear it as clearly as if she were speaking it aloud.

Fine. I am being ungrateful. And I can be more gracious.

“Thank you.” I keep my voice low since he did, too. There’s no need to speak any louder than a whisper since our faces are practically touching.

Shane does his best not to jostle me, but the ground is uneven, and there are some steps. His hold tightens enough for me to keep feeling safe. It’s really like being enveloped by a bear. I’m so fucking tired I stop fighting the temptation to rest my head against his shoulder. Just for a moment.

I spy him glancing down at me as I close my eyes. Not that it takes much since they’re nearly swollen shut. They probably will be by morning.

“I have to pull the car around.” My mom’s voice is a million miles away.

“Joey can drive your car home. I’m taking you in the SUV.”

My eyes fly open—they open half an inch. “No.” I’m emphatic. “Mom, it would be better if I didn’t go to your place.”

“Why the bloody hell not? You need a doctor if not just your mum.”

“It’ll just cause more problems. It’s better I’m not there. I’ll deal with this when I get to the hotel.”

“You can’t possibly think you’re walking into a hotel looking like you do.” Shane’s incredulous. Obviously, he won’t be on my side.

“The hotel? As in one you’re already staying in?” Mom’s confused and frankly hurt.

“Yeah. I was going to call you in the morning to see if you were free for brunch. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. Lies upon buckets of lies. I had no intention of telling my mom I was in the city.

“You couldn’t surprise me before brunch? Carys, I’m doing my best not to demand some ruddy answers because I know you’re in pain. But you are sorely testing me. Why were you staying in a hotel? If you insist it was to surprise me, I’ll—” She’s at a loss for words since I’ll be thirty-one in a month.

“I’ll have men follow you, and they’ll tell Meredith why.” Shane’s lips nearly brush my forehead as he whispers, and I know Mom can’t hear him.

“Thank you for carrying me. Don’t get involved.”

I get a disdainful huff this time. “I’m well past ‘involved.’ I’m in the bloody thick of it.”

Shane’s men spread out to surround us as we head to what will be a parking lot. He calls out orders before I can stop him. I expect him to put me down, but he doesn’t. He isn’t the least fazed by carrying me. I shift to give him a hint.

“Stay still.”

“Put—”

“Not only will I have men follow you, I’ll wait until they tell me you don’t look like you’ve been pulverized, then I’ll spank you.”

“You will never.” He doesn’t need to know I like it kinky.

“There are three—four—people in this world who tell me what to do, and I actually listen to them. My cousin Dillan, who I work for, my parents, and your mother. You do not make the short list. Stay still.”

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