Page 56 of Stay in Your Lane!

I knew I’d gone too far the moment I said it. Leanne looked like she’d been kicked in the stomach, and my dad’s face was turning red. Even Stuart was staring at me like he didn’t recognize me. I wanted to apologize—to Leanne, at least—but I couldn’t stand another minute in that room. I turned on my heel and walked out after Kyle, grabbing my jacket and keys as I went. I didn’t plan on interrupting his conversation, but it turned out he was done with it by the time I got outside.

“Colin found out I went to the ER last night,” he said grimly.

I shook my head. “How?”

“A plainclothes cop in the waiting room called him.”

Ah. Shit. “Shit.”

“Yeah. He wants to talk to me. I said I’d meet him at my place.”

Well, that was convenient. “We could talk about the case with him, see if he’s learned anything,” I said. “Maybe get some information about Detective Reardon.”

Kyle nodded absently. “Maybe. Can you take me to pick up my car?”

I wanted to offer to drive him myself, but he was going to need his car and I had to be back here by the afternoon. “Sure. Can I go home with you afterward, though?” I didn’t want him to have to have that conversation on his own, and I really didn’t want to come back here before I had to.

“So you can play with my cats and feed my piranhas again?”

Kyle was trying to keep it light, but I wasn’t in the mood for light. “So I can be with you. So you don’t have to have that talk alone.” We were together when it came to figuring out this case. Plus, I just wanted to be with him right now…and maybe all the time, but that was a talk for later.

“Okay.”

Win.“Great!” I leaned in and kissed him, then lifted my keys and jangled them. “Let’s go get your car, then.”

CHAPTER 16

KYLE

It said a lot about how much yesterday had fucked me up when Everett’s driving didn’t really bother me. I didn’t even register his erratic moves, terrifying lane changes, or complete disregard for the speed limit until I was in my own car, realizing how smooth and relaxed the ride had become.

At least he’d gone easy on the stops and starts. That much I’d noticed because I’d braced the first few times, expecting to get thrown into the seat belt or slammed back against the seat. My ribs and all these bruises would not have been pleased about that. For as oblivious as he could be sometimes, he’d seemed to pick up on that, and he’d given me a relatively smooth ride.

Relatively.

Driving toward my place now with Everett behind me, I kind of wished we’d stuck with his car. As much as his sharp turns and jerky lane changes could turn my vision white, just steering my own car hurt like hell. Nothing like some bruised ribs to turneverythinginto a painful core workout. Ugh.

Eventually, though, we were at my place. My cats talked over each other to let me know how displeased they were that I’d spent the night away. Five sets of fish eyes watched me grumpilybecause it was past feeding time (Gladys was messing around by the filter and Paul was hiding behind some plants, so I didn’t even know if they’d noticed me).

“Do fish get hangry?” Everett asked as he took the bowl of meat, shrimp and fish pellets from me.

“Don’t know,” I said with complete honesty. “Steve’s always cranky, and the others… Eh, they’re not exactly cuddly lap pets, you know? So it’s hard to tell if they’re hangry or just… piranhas.”

“Aw, man. Now I wish they’d be lap pets!”

I eyed him, but from the way the corner of his mouth twitched, he was making a joke that time. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Tell you what—you get your scuba certification, and we’ll turn them loose with you. Then you can decide if you want them in your lap.”

He snorted. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

“Just… feed the damn fish.”

He laughed, and he started carefully pouring the contents of the bowl into the aquarium. As the fish came out to eat, he watched them, mesmerized.

It was cute, what could I say? Everything he did was cute, and I was a sucker for a man who was this enamored with my animals.

Especially a man who’d insisted on sleeping next to me last night, not because he wanted to fuck me, but because he was worried about me. Not that I’d have said no to sex with him under better circumstances, but that hadn’t been his motive last night. He’d been afraid to let me out of his sight. He was worried about my injuries, and I suspected he’d also been scared someone would show up here while I was sore, bruised, and alone.

So at his insistence, we’d stayed together. The protectiveness was endearing. It was also welcome, and so was the affection.The sweet way he touched me and looked at me. It had been way too long since I’d shared a bed with someone, and I’d missed it more than I’d realized. I was also caught off-guard by how this man—the one who was half-Golden retriever, half-bull-in-a-china-shop—could be as gentle and careful with me as he’d been last night. Yeah, he could be a little oblivious sometimes, but even in his sleep, he could be conscientious and protective if he was properly motivated.

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