Page 66 of Vengeful Secret

There’s no way in hell I should have ever asked her to do this, and now that I have, I feel beyond guilty.

“I should have been watching you,” I say miserably. “I should have followed you instead of standing at the stupid bar.”

“Gray, please. Just… just be with me. Don’t blame yourself. This was bound to happen. They know who I am. They know Ciara, Gray. I’m terrified.”

“Of course, you are."

She buries her face in my chest, still crying and whimpering, and I rub comforting circles on her back.

It takes a long time for her to feel better, to stop crying, and when she does, I take off, wanting to get as far away from the Murphys as possible.

19

SUTTON

The soundof my sniffling as I try to stop the tears from streaming down my face is the only noise in the car. I hate the way I’m reacting to this, but I can’t seem to help myself.

Gray seems stone cold, quiet, but I note that his knuckles are bleeding as I see him grip the steering wheel.

I get myself under control just as we pull through the manor’s gate. “You’re bleeding,”

Gray glances at me, his green eyes widening as he looks down at his knuckles.

“I guess I am.” His voice is shaking slightly, probably from the adrenaline.

When we park, he comes to open my door and tries to scoop me up.

I put my hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes. “Gray. I’m okay. Really.”

His shoulders slump, and his face finally starts to show emotion—exhaustion, fear, worry.

He stands up straight, rubbing one hand over his face, and then the emotions are gone. His face is blank.

I would say I envy the way that he can do that, but honestly, I guess all mothers have to learn it. There are times when I’ve been so upset and frustrated I can barely think, but I have to put on a brave face for Ciara.

I take Gray’s hand, leading him into the house.

It’s almost eerily quiet in the Burke mansion since it’s the wee hours of the morning. We go upstairs hand in hand, and Gray gets ahead of me, pulling me into his room.

I don’t complain. After the way he saved me tonight, I’ll follow him anywhere.

Really, I always would have. I’ve always been madly in love with Gray, since the moment we met, but circumstances keep us apart. It has nothing to do with lack of love, for either of us.

“I could go downstairs and make you some tea,” he offers, but I shake my head.

“Sit down. Let me help you.”

It’s easier to take on the caretaker role than to give in to the swirling emotions in my head.

Gray wordlessly sits down at the end of the bed, and I look around for the first time.

Just like his name, his room is decorated in shades of gray. There’s a charcoal comforter covering the made bed, and the curtains are a pale gray. I wonder if it was decorated this way on purpose, maybe when he was younger.

I hurry to the bathroom, finding a first aid kit under the sink, and I bring it back into the bedroom to see Gray just staring at me.

“You don’t have to do this. I can take care of?—”

“Sometimes you need taking care of, too.”

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