Page 17 of Shattered

“A car?”

“You don’t have your license yet. Besides, have you seen the junker I drive?”

“What’s my budget?”

I hated how he knew our financial situation. It wasn’t as if I went around announcing how dire it was sometimes, but he wasn’t dumb. He saw the pile of past due notices piling up on the kitchen counter. Maybe one day, if my luck shifted, I’d be able to pay all of my bills when they were due, instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul. It was an endless cycle, one I hoped to break once I picked up more editing gigs.

“Five hundred,” I told him, mentally calculating my potential income over the next week and a half. Cutting out anything that wasn’t a necessity of life still wouldn’t come close to the amount I gave him. Then again, depending on what he wanted, I could do one of those “buy now, pay later” deals, if they didn’t take your credit score into account.

“How about a new external hard drive for my laptop, a used one would work too. I’m running low on storage space.”

Actually, he could use a brand-new computer. His was secondhand when Gran bought it for him three years ago.

“Sounds great. Look up what you want and shoot me a text with the specifics. Do you want to invite anyone over?”

“Pheebs.”

Phoebe Jenkins was an awkward goofball with a fiery spirit. I absolutely loved her. She was also Jett’s best friend. When the two of them got together, they’d huddle up in the living room, gabbing incessantly about the latest andgreatest video game or watching old reruns ofFriends.Come to think of it, she reminded me of her namesake on the show. Cute with a side of quirky.

“Cool.”

He appeared lost in thought for a moment, his eyes shifting around without truly focusing on anything in particular.

“What’s going on with you and Koen?”

I froze, caught unprepared to answer questions about my budding relationship with the gorgeous agent. Especially when I didn’t know what to make of it. I’d felt an overwhelming connection with him, almost from the beginning. The problem was, my emotions bounced all over the place where he was concerned. Did I want to climb his hard body like a freaking tree? Undeniably. However—and here came the tricky part—I wanted a whole lot more. The way he made me experience both desire and safety confused the hell out of me. Probably because I’d never had either.

Blame it on the insane amount of romance novels I read, but I wanted the Rolls Royce version of falling in love. The kind where my partner offered up the moon and stars for my affection. If his statement earlier about not letting me go was any indication, Koen had the potential to give me just that. Could I trust him though? It wasn’t a concept which came easily to me, ever since my creators decided getting high and gambling were more important than providing for their own flesh and blood.

Koen had already proven he was a protector. Case in point, his insane proposal. Plus, there was more than a passing interest on both our parts to explore a relationship. My heart knew he had the best of intentions, although it was taking a smidge longer for my head to get on board.

“We’re dating, apparently,” I answered truthfully.

“I’m glad.”

“You’re okay with it?”

“More than. He’s good for you.”

“I think he’ll be good for both of us,” I offered quietly, leaning my head against his shoulder.

“Yeah.”

Long minutes passed while we sat in relative quiet. The old grandfather clock in the hall provided a calming backdrop as it ticked away the seconds. So much so, I could’ve fallen asleep right there.

We rose simultaneously, then went in opposite directions when we reached the top of the old staircase;

“I love you, Jett.”

“Love you too, Sis.”

I heard the soft click of his door closing when I whispered, “I’ve got you.”

4SIN AND SALVATION

Koen

Me: Good morning, Angel. Are you ready for today?

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