Page 8 of Rebellion

What was he thinking?

She shook her head suddenly. “No, it’s fine. You didn’t hurt me.”

Anger filled him for a second time, and he had to breathe his way through it. Why was she lying to him?

“I obviously did, since you just went pale as a ghost and flinched back in pain.” His gaze narrowed as he studied her. Something else just occurred to him. “Unless it wasn’t me who hurt you. Show me your arm.”

Panic filled her.

She couldn’t let him see her arm. Couldn’t have him asking her questions about what had happened.

There was no way that she could tell him the truth...

“Sofia. Show me.”

His voice was steel. Pure demand.

And very unlike the soft tone he’d used to talk to her before. When he’d thought that he’d hurt her.

The last thing she wanted was to lie to him.

But it wasn’t like she could tell him the truth, could she?

She rarely saw his harder side, but she knew it was there. You didn’t get to be the bodyguard of Rogan MacGuire without proving that you had a ruthless, dangerous side.

“No. Thank you for helping me, but you can leave now.” She thrust her shoulders back and raised her chin. It felt good to assert herself. To say what she wanted for once. Too bad she couldn’t grow a permanent backbone.

And the sad truth was that the only reason she could refuse Colm’s request was because she trusted him not to retaliate and hurt her.

Request? Who are you kidding?

That had been an order, pure and simple.

“Sofia,” he rumbled, his Scottish accent thickening again.

Despite the firmness in his gaze and the way he’d growled at her, she still didn’t fear him. She cocked her head to one side, letting a smile tease at her lips.

When was the last time she’d smiled? It happened so rarely she couldn’t remember.

Probably when you were talking to Colm.

What she wouldn’t give to be free to pursue her feelings for him. To feel as safe as she did with him all the time.

God. That would be incredible.

Her cousin would kill to keep her safe. But even he didn’t know about all the monsters in her closet.

And he couldn’t know—she couldn’t lose him.

Aleksandr was all she had. Without him, she’d be lost.

She’d be nothing.

“Yes?” She tried to act nonchalant, to sound unaffected. But she could hear the breathy tone of her voice.

“Show me your arms.”

“Have you got an arm fetish? Seems a weird thing to be interested in.” She winked at him, trying to lighten the mood. Sofia knew how single-minded he could be.

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