Page 42 of Deadly Oath

“Well.” Marie considers as we put in our orders for our lattes, walking to the other side of the counter to wait. “Everyone I know who has met him thinks he’s a good man. Everyone in town who’s mentioned him has liked him immediately.”

“Even though he kind of came out of nowhere?” I frown. “Everything seems pretty close-knit here, to me.” I think of how people have looked at me, clearly seeing that I’m not from here, that I don’t belong.

“I guess he’s just really personable,” Marie says, smiling, and I frown, trying to reconcile that with the Kian that likes to tease me, to needle me, to get under my skin. But then again—Idolike him, when he drops the teasing and is just himself. The moments of realness, of rawness, of protectiveness. The moments when he joked about the scent of shampoo, or the way he pulled me into his chest to sleep that first night in bed. Glimmers of the man underneath the unfeeling exterior.

“And you don’t know how he got the job of sheriff?” I press, knowing I’ve asked this question before, but finding it impossible to not push the topic again. “Connections in the town, relatives?—”

Marie shakes her head. “Not that I’ve heard. But if anything, from the talk I’m hearing, it makes folks around here like him more. They’ve all decided some new blood in the position is a good thing. He hasn’t made a lot of friends here, keeps to himself a good bit. But again, people just seem to see it as him being dedicated to his job. He’s good at it, it seems. And he helps out. Checks on the older folks, volunteered with a food drive not long after he got here. He really made himself a part of the community quickly.”

I bite my lip, feeling more confused than ever.

“What is it that’s bothering you?” Marie asks gently. “About Kian. You’re clearly torn about whether to keep doing this or not.”

“He’s—overprotective,” I say lamely, which is the best alternative I can think tohe tortured a man for creeping around my house.“We’re not really together, but he’s—very passionate. It’s a little stifling?—”

Every word feels disjointed, because none of it is really accurate. But I don’t know how else to describe what’s going on.

Marie laughs softly. “Sabrina, that’s just the start of a relationship with a man like that, that’s all. He’s head over heels for you, clearly, and he can’t admit it. So he’s getting all growly about things. Heprobably wants to feel like you need him. Next thing you know, he’ll be fixing things around your house.”

The thought of Kian with a hammer, shirtless and working on repairing something around my house, sends a tingling sensation through my stomach.

“So—” I draw out the word hesitantly, biting my lip. “You feel like I should give him another chance?”

Marie nods. “A protective man isn’t a bad thing, Sabrina,” she says gently. “They overreact sometimes, but it’s just because of how much we mean to them. And seems like maybe this is all new to Kian, too. He just doesn’t know how to express how he’s feeling about you, so he does it like this. He does seem like a very passionate man,” she adds, a small grin curling the corners of her lips. “I heard he goes out to those warehouse fights. One of Greg’s friends went out there, and won a good bit of money betting on him. Have to keep that quiet, of course. As the sheriff, Kian should be putting a stop to all of that, not encouraging it. But still—” her smile spreads. “It’s sexy, isn’t it?”

I can’t help but smile back at that, a small shiver running down my spine at the memory of Kian bursting into my house, still flecked with sweat and blood from the fight, hungry for me. “It is,” I admit.

“Give him some time,” Marie says firmly. “Let him find out you don’t need him for everything. But let him feel needed, too.”

All of this feels like advice for a relationship on much firmer ground than mine and Kian’s is. But I can’t help but cling to the bit of advice that I should give him more time. More chances. I don’t want to let go of this yet, and it doesn’t take very much encouragement for me to reframe last night’s events in my head.

Kian found someone sneaking around my house, and tried to solve the problem for me. He got a bit overzealous in trying to find outwhythe man was there, but if I’m being honest with myself, that was nothing compared to what I know my father’s enforcers would have done to a man caught sniffing around me without permission. Why Kian is willing to go to even those lengths, I’m not sure, but it’s clear that he has a rougher side. A more brutal one.

One that he’s willing to exercise to protect me. And in the end,even if the reminder of my old life makes me feel unsettled, is that really such a bad thing?

Especially in my current position.

I glance down at my phone, flicking open my calendar to look at the appointment that I scheduled yesterday morning, after I woke up from my night with Kian. I feel my cheeks heat a little, just thinking about it. I’d been tempted to cancel this morning, but now in light of this conversation, I’m not so sure any longer. And, after all, even if Kian and I don’t work out, that doesn’t mean I won’t keep dating. It’s better to be safe.

I clear my throat, looking up at Marie. “I—um, I have an OB/GYN appointment in Louisville. I made it yesterday morning, after—well, I thought it might be a good idea. For protection, and—” My face is flaming, and from Marie’s expression, she finds it amusing. “It’s the day after tomorrow, and I need a ride, if you?—”

She looks instantly apologetic. “I can’t. I’m so sorry. The kids have a school thing that day, and I need to be there. I absolutely would, if you change it?—”

I could change it, of course, but I don’t really want to. I don’t know how long this period of coolness between Kian and I will last, but especially after my conversation with Marie, I don’t want to risk it. And after the last time, I can’t be sure that he won’t lose control and come inside of me again without protection.

“Text Kian,” Marie says with a grin. “He’s the boss—I bet he can take an afternoon off and drive you.”

I didn’t think my blush could get even deeper, but it does. I stare down at my phone screen, weighing the options of whether to delay the appointment, or ask Kian to take me. And in the end, the desire to have more control over the situation—and, if I’m being honest, the desire to be able to seize the opportunity again if it arises—wins out.

I send Kian the text, asking him if he can give me a ride.

17

KIAN

Two days later, I find myself driving Sabrina to Louisville for a doctor’s appointment.

I said yes, of course, when she asked. I made her wait a few minutes, just to not seem too eager, but it seemed like the kind of opportunity I’d been hoping for to smooth things over. The encounter with the man I’d found sneaking around her house clearly shook her, and I wanted to put it behind us.

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