Page 34 of Bad Guys Need Love Too

When Dammit George was settled in the living room with a rawhide chew that’d keep him happy for at least half an hour, Ren found Lark in the kitchen. She was sitting at the dinette table, gazing into a cup of green tea as if it held the answers to every question in the multiverse.

He let out a deep breath and took a seat across from her. It took an inordinate amount of willpower not to start spewingapologies, but he kept his mouth shut. She deserved the opportunity to speak first.

It took a few minutes, but she eventually said, “It wasn’t Neal. There’s no way he’s the one who wants me dead.”

Tenley had said pretty much the same thing. She hadn’t gotten a murder-y vibe from him, and while that wouldn’t be enough to protect Neal in a court of law, Ren trusted her vibes more than most of the population’s stone-cold facts. But in this case, well, he didn’twantto trust her vibes.

Everything would be so much easier if Neal was guilty. In that scenario, Ren was the hero and Neal was the bad guy. And heroes always got the girl at the end of the story…right?

He hated that he’d even asked himself that question. It didn’t matter. This was about keeping Lark safe. Nothing more.

“I can’t prove it was Neal,” he admitted. “But the money was wired from his computer at work. Is there anyone else there that might benefit from your death?”

She rested her elbows on the table and rubbed her temples. “It’s a small firm. I get along…gotalong, I guess…with everyone there. And even if they didn’tloveme, I can’t imagine any of them hated me enough to kill me.”

“Did you know that Neal has gambling debts?” he asked quietly. “At least a hundred thousand to the casino in Central Heights. There are probably others, too. That’s just the first one I found.”

Her brow furrowed. “I had no idea. I mean, he did seem to get pretty upset when his favorite teams lost. But I thought that was just because he wanted fantasy football bragging rights with his friends.”

Ren shook his head. “No. He very rarely goes out with friends. When he’s not at work and not with you, he’s at the casino.”

“Ugh. How did I not know that? How is this all a surprise to me? I mean, am I totally oblivious, or just stupid? Because to be honest, I’m not thrilled with either option.”

“Hey.” He gently gripped her chin and turned her head in his direction so she was forced to look him in the eye. “You’re not oblivious or stupid. You just see the good in people. You havenothingto be ashamed of.”

Her chin wobbled, and he wasn’t sure if it was because she was upset, or because she didn’t want him touching her. Better to err on the side of caution, he supposed. Regretfully, he let her go.

“I want to believe you,” she said. “But it seems like believing people is what got me into this mess.”

“I could teach you how to be a distrusting asshole if you want.” He shrugged. “I’ve been told I’m good at it.”

Her chuckle ended in a snort that made him smile. “You know, somewhere between me and you is a well-adjusted, functional member of society. Together, we make a nice, normal person.”

Something dangerously close to happiness warmed his blood. “Normal is overrated,” he murmured.

She rolled her head around on her neck and groaned. “Yeah, I guess that’s true enough.”

He frowned at her. “Is your neck bothering you?”

“It’s fine. Just tense, I think.”

“Well,thatI actually can help with.”

Without putting anywhere near enough thought into it, he stood up, moved in close behind her, and put his hands on her shoulders. She gasped, then moaned, as he dug his thumbs into what was indeed an impressive knot of tension at the base of her neck.

And that moan reached right into his pants and got a nice, firm grip on his cock.

Yeah. He really hadn’t thought this through.

But he couldn’t quit now. Not with Lark melting under his fingertips. So, he focused all of his sexual tension on relievinghertension, trying his hardest not to feel like a complete creep while he was at it.

“Oh, my God,” she murmured, letting her chin hit her chest. “That feelssogood.”

It sure as hell did. Lark had the softest skin he’d ever felt in his life. “I bet. You’re carrying a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders.”

She let out a hiss that stopped him in his tracks. Fuck. He’d probably pushed too hard. He should’ve known her skin was too delicate for his rough hands.

But before he could pull his hands away completely, she grabbed his wrist. “Oh, please, don’t stop.”

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