Page 53 of Vengeful Union

“He gives me the creeps,” she mumbles, shuddering.

“I know you might not believe it, but he gives me the creeps, too.”

“I can’t imagine what it’s like. Having a father like that.”

“You’re lucky.”

She glances at me.

“I wouldn’t exactly call myselflucky. My mother died, and I was born into the Burke family, which means I’m constantly looking over my shoulder.”

“But your father loves you and protects you. He doesn’t use you as a pawn in his war.”

“I guess I am lucky," she says softly, and squeezes my hand as we walk past the pool house.

A golf cart with the keys in it sits on the other side of the pool house.

Her eyes fly to mine. “You don’t expect me to ride in that thing, do you?”

I laugh. “It’s a golf cart, Lara, not a dirt bike.”

“Still,” she says, getting in gingerly. “Drive carefully.”

I grin as she settles inside, and I crank it up, taking off as she squeals and holds on to the side of the golf cart.

“Rory!"

“This thing only goes about twenty-five miles an hour, honey. Relax.”

She huffs out a breath, and I smile, thinking about how cute she is. She’s let her hair down, and it flows down her back.

I take a sharp turn, and Lara clutches at me as if she’s going to go flying out. She grabs onto my bicep tightly as we head up toward the gun range, and her eyes widen.

“Are you taking me to shoot?" she asks excitedly, and I snort.

“Can’t trust you with a gun, Lara. In any other circumstance, I would want you to know how to defend yourself. But you have to understand?—”

“I understand,” she says gloomily as we drive by the gun range.

I hum, happy because we’re getting close to my favorite part of the estate–the edge of our property.

As we approach the waterfall and the creek running from it, Lara’s mouth drops open.

“You have a waterfall on your property.”

I grin. “It’s right at the edge, between our estate and the next. No one owns it. That’s what’s great about it.” I stop the golf cart and turn it off, getting out before reaching my hand out to Lara.

She keeps ahold of my hand as we walk closer to the water.

The sound of the water rushing over the rocks drowns out my negative thoughts, and I sit down on the shore of the creek, not caring that my jeans are going to get dirty.

“I never would have thought you were an outdoorsy type of guy.” Lara sits next to me and takes off her shoes, sticking her feet in the creek and giggling as the water rushes across her toes.

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“Accountants aren’t really known for their love of the outdoors.”

“I’m notjustan accountant, you know,” I say haughtily, and Lara laughs, leaning against me.

---