Page 7 of On a Fault Line

COLLINS

There is no worse pain for me than seeing Penny crying her eyes out.

This girl has shed too many tears this last year, and I never need her to waste any on me.

She doesn’t realize that guarding her family is what has breathed life into me from a cycle of self-hatred and self-loathing.

Graham and Nic Hoffman provided me with a new life. And I will forever be grateful to them for making me want to stay in it.

After getting discharged from the military, I was destroyed. I thought I would stay in it for decades and retire at a high rank.

But then I was betrayed by the people I trusted.

And the irony is not lost on me…

Fuck.

This could easily be the biggest mistake of my life, yet I am out of willpower to keep stopping the inevitable from happening.

I carry Penny out of my office and into the living room. Helping her get comfortable on the couch, I prop up pillows behind her back and a couple under her ankles.

“I’ll make you some coffee and get you some breakfast.” I can’t believe I didn’t feed her. I was more concerned over another man seeing Penny half-dressed than tending to her basic needs.

She nods. “I just need some low-nutrition cereal.”

“So sugar in a bowl?”

“Sounds delicious.”

I move into the kitchen to get to work. I will concede and feed her this garbage that I have no idea why I bought other than the fact she loves it, but I plan to provide her with better quality food for the two meals that follow.

And if she signs this contract, then she’ll have to comply as well. There are few things I negotiate on, and my ability to care for her will not be one of them.

If Penny thinks her brothers coddle their women too much, she has yet to experience the lengths I will go to make sure she is happy and well. Plus, I’ve had a lot of practice already looking out for her. This contract is just an extension to what I’ve already been trying to do.

It’s just that now once she signs it, she has to accept all of my services.

It would be a genius plan, if I wasn’t guarding the little sister of my bosses.

Grabbing the box of Sweet Puff Paradise—who the hell markets this shit?—from the cupboard, I laugh over the three-dimensional googly eyes Penny must have glued to the bird mascot that is on the front of the packaging.

She is so freaking funny with her little pranks.

Reaching for a bowl, I’m careful to check for anything out of the norm in the cupboard. I know Penny is prone to adding fake critters to unsuspecting glasses.

When I have her cereal prepared the way she likes it, I walk it over to her on the couch.

“Do you want some coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

I give her a smile and then move back into the kitchen.

After a few minutes, the aroma of espresso fills the air, and the sound of Penny moaning with each spoonful of cereal causes my cock to stir. If enabling her brings her this much joy, then so be it.

Plus, I’m pretty sure she would die on the sugary cereal mountain to prove a point if needed.

She can win that battle. I preemptively forfeit.

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