Page 13 of Always Be an Us

Instead, she crosses her hands over her chest and sticks it out boldly.

Her eyes spark right back at me and despite my anger, I admire her gumption.

Usually, I have to watch my tone around women. I'm a large guy and I never want to scare them with my anger.

But the blonde doesn't look scared. She looks like if I say something else she doesn't like, she just might deck me.

I wonder if she will anyway.

Ultimately though, she shuts her eyes and draws breath through her nose, taking a step back and turning toward Amelia.

"You should go home with your dad," she says.

"No." Amelia shakes her head.

"That wasn't a request, Amelia Rose," I say. "That was an order."

"I don't want to go."

"I don't care what you want. You shouldn't be here in the first place."

Amelia turns back to the blonde woman, with a plea in her eyes. "You said you were going to give me the diary."

Diary?

The woman nods like she knows exactly what Amelia is talking about.

"Sure. Let me get that for you before you leave." She glares at me as she walks by, and in the process fails to watch where she's going. Her feet catch on a stone in her path, and her ankle twists.

She yelps and then falls forward, but I move to grab her up before she can fall.

Her body slams into mine. I wrap my hand around her waist, steadying her.

Once more I’m staring down into those beautiful blue eyes.

Desire rushes through me and it annoys me. I set her away from me.

"Are you always this clumsy or just around me?"

Her eyes narrow. "Are you always this annoying or just around me?"

She tries to sidestep me and nearly twists her ankle again

I sigh up to the sky and then, without thinking, I pull her in by the elbow and sweep her into my arms.

"What are you doing?" she stammers, eyes wide with shock.

"Getting you home safe," I say walking to the car. "Amelia, get in the car."

"My home’s over there, asshole." She points to a cottage close by "And put me down."

I ignore her pivoting to the cottage and shifting her higher in my arms. I'm not putting her down. She doesn't seem to know how to walk without hurting herself, so I'll get her home safe. As a thank you for taking care of my daughter before I got here. Lord only knows what other kind of trouble Amelia would have gotten into without her.

The blonde woman struggles and kicks but I ignore her without effort. She feels like a comfortable, luscious handful. But lifting her is no chore at all.

In fact, I try very hard not to think about how good her body feels in my arms.

"Let me down!"

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