Page 69 of Sneak Attack

My hand settled over hers, and between the worried but patient look in her eyes and the feel of her hand on my body, beneath my own hand, I told her everything that happened outside.

By the time I finished, she’d flipped her hand, tangled her fingers with mine, squeezing me tight. I scrubbed a hand down my face and sighed. “Now I just have to figure out what to tell Jasper tomorrow, about why his mom’s car is still out front if it’s not gone by then and go to the station to file a report. Such a damn mess.”

“Well, I think for Jasper, just tell him his mom wasn’t feeling well. He doesn’t need to know specifics and he didn’t see anything.”

“You sure about that?”

“I was in the living room—”

“Peeking through the blinds?”

“Guilty.” She shrugged, and it was so damn cute I chuckled despite the tension still coiled tight in me. None of this was funny.

“I heard his door open, and I went to the bottom of the stairs as he reached the top of them. He sat down and asked me who I was and why his mom was mad. I suggested I read him a book and we went to his room. He was only out of his room for a minute or two, and he never came downstairs.”

“Good.” At least that was a relief. “I’m glad you were here. It wasn’t how I wanted you two to officially meet or anything, but if you hadn’t been…”

“He’ll be okay, you know. Lots of kids see their parents fight every once in a while.”

“Maybe. But if she keeps this up…”

“Am I really her trigger for all of this?” I hadn’t specifically told her she was, but Eden wasn’t dumb.

I lifted my free hand and brushed it down her cheek, curling it around to the back of her neck. Her skin was smooth, warm, and as her hair shifted, I caught a faint scent of something minty.

“I think you’re her final trigger.” I had to be honest. With Eden, I refused to be anything else this time. She was here, in my bed, and that kiss we shared earlier would have brought us up here with far fewer clothes on than we had now if we hadn’t been interrupted.

Someday I’d have her here.

Eden blew out a breath that made her shoulders fall. “I don’t get it. Why? I mean, how hasn’t she caught on that you don’t want her?”

“I have no idea. I’ve always been clear with her on that and she’s only making everything harder than it has to be. You want to know something else?”

“Not really.”

Funny was Eden.

I let go of her hand and pushed up so I was sitting with my back to my headboard. Eden followed, sitting up and facing me, her knees bumped against my legs as she crossed them like she was getting ready for children’s story time at the library complete with her hands in her lap.

“I think she planned it.”

“You already said the pregnancy—”

“Not that. The night Hilary died, I think she was the one who dragged Hilary through the house looking for us.”

“What?”

“She wasn’t stupid, I think she always knew how we felt about each other. And that night, when I couldn’t find you, I’d found Hilary and Selma in the kitchen at Brandon’s house. I was searching for you, but I tried not to make it obvious and made some crack about where the third musketeer was. Hilary said she had no idea, that you’d been around inside and out, but Selma had given me this look…like she knew what I was doing…I tried to hang out there, but I was antsy, wanted to find out and when I told them I’d see them in a bit, Hilary had gone in for a kiss. I dodged it, and Selma smiled, but it was that kind of smile, you know.”

“Where she looked like she swallowed a handful of lemon slices?”

“Something like that.”

“Okay, so she did. She grabbed Hilary and took her to find us, or you, but that doesn’t mean she knew what she’d find, or that we’d be doing anything.”

“Yeah, but think of Selmahopingfor something like, something that would break Hilary’s heart, break us up, and then I’d be free for her before I left for school.”

Eden pressed her hands down her cheeks and groaned. “She didn’t know that. What would happen.”

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