Page 57 of Redeeming Rabbit

Squirming out of his embrace, I grabbed a plate and dished myself up some of the scramble waiting in the warmer. Pancakes were also available, but I had no intention of going crazy with the carbs. Last night’s sex marathon had doubtlessly burned a lot of calories, but I couldn’t let Rabbit derail all the cravings I’d worked so diligently to curb.

The guys had finished cooking and were now cleaning up the considerable mess they made. Tina and I offered to help, but they chased us back into the dining room, insisting we were guests.

The dining room was still mostly empty, but people were trickling in. An attractive dark-haired man with a serious guy-next-door vibe nodded to us in greeting as he shuffled into the kitchen, coffee thermos in hand.

“Who’s that?” I asked when he disappeared behind the swinging door.

“Morse. He heads up the tech team.”

“Right. The guru who remotely helped Tap set up the camera outside my door.”

I took a seat, popped a perfectly proportioned mix of sausage, cheesy egg, and potatoes in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed, once again impressed by Rabbit’s cooking prowess. Granted, I didn’t know who had cooked what, but this was delicious. It tasted like the comfort I used to overeat in search of. This could be dangerous.

“If I attempt to go back for seconds, hamstring me,” I said.

“Deal.” Tina sat beside me. “So… I’ve been thinking about this investor dinner problem of yours.”

The kitchen door swung open, and Morse walked through carrying a plate of food and his thermos. He sat at the next table, facing away from us, and I caught the body language of someone who didn’t want to be bothered. I ignored his presence and focused on my sister.

“Have you come up with a solution?”

“I could ask Kaos to take you.”

“That’s sweet, but I don’t know. Perhaps I should just give in and go with Cameron.”

“The entitled douchebag who made a move on you? No. I’m not comfortable with that.”

I fought a smile, amused by how easy it had been for her to slip back into bossy big-sister mode. “Noted. I’ll take your concern under advisement.”

Her eyes narrowed at my sass. “Have you thought about taking Rabbit?”

For a split second, but had quickly dismissed the idea. “I don’t know if he’d be comfortable among my peers.” Nor did he seem the type to wear a suit. He would look incredible dressed to the nines, though. Perhaps we’d have to do a little dress-up roleplay.

“He might surprise you,” Tina said. “You should talk to him about it, at least. If you’re serious about this guy, you need to let him in past your defenses.”

Was I serious about Rabbit? Yes. The past month without him had been miserable, and I had no desire to repeat the experience. However, his intensity continued to concern me, and we still needed to talk.

“I’ll consider it,” I said, unwilling to agree to more.

Tina beamed me a smile. “Look at you, socially maturing and communicating.”

I rolled my eyes at her and swallowed my bite. “No promises.”

20

Rabbit

“You can’t let her go anywhere with Cameron Chamberlain.”

Morse’s ominous warning played on repeat in my mind as I hung out with Elenore on Saturday and Sunday, trying to figure out how the fuck to broach the topic. Morse had pulled me aside before we’d left the fire station Saturday morning to make sure I grasped how goddamn dire the situation was. As I’d asked, he dug up the dirt on the bastard who’d gotten handsy with Elenore, finding a whole slew of alarming shit. Cameron Chamberlain had never been convicted of any crimes, but the number of sexual assault charges against him was staggering. The fact they were sealed also bore witness to the power of money and influence. Thankfully, sealed files were no sweat for Morse and Tap. I didn’t know whether to be terrified or proud of them, but I was sure thankful we were on the same team.

Still, the tech team could be shady as shit, which was how Morse had found out Cameron had invited Elenore on a date to some investor dinner. Morse had overheard Tina tell Elenore she could take Kaos as a date instead. Over my goddamn dead body. I trusted Kaos and knew he wouldn’t try anything, especially since Tina had that man whipped. But I wanted a relationship with Elenore, which meant I needed to be there and support the shit that was important to her. She loved her job, and she believed in what they were doing. I wanted to be part of it. Hell, I might even make a donation.

It sure as shit wouldn’t hold a candle to what Cameron Chamberlain would invest, but I didn’t care. Just thinking about that fucking sexual predator putting his hands on her ignited a fire in my veins. I wanted to hunt him down and cut his goddamn hands off. That’d put an end to him touching without permission.

Too bad I’d promised Elenore I wouldn’t physically harm the bastard. I’d have to find another way to humble his ass. But that was a problem for another day because, right now, I needed to convince her to let me be her date. To a fucking hoity-toity investor dinner, a tatted-up mechanic had no business attending.

But how? I could try honesty, but then I’d have to explain how I’d learned about the dinner and the threat Cameron Chamberlain posed. That could get tricky. Instead, I took the easy way out and invented a dinner of my own.

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