Page 85 of Beware of Dog

When he looked at Cassandra, he wanted to open up his own chest and stuff her inside where she could be safe. He wanted to know what every part of her body tasted like, and wanted to return to those wells again and again, constantly. He wanted to hear her laugh—tomakeher laugh, and to make her come, make her claw his back. Wanted to make her breakfast and hear her hum in pleasure over his efforts in the kitchen.

Cass made himwarm.

Cass made him smile so wide his face hurt, and laugh so hard he couldn’t catch his breath.

Cass had the power to devastate him in every possible way.

What were Raven’s legs compared tothat?

Raven smoothed her already-smooth hair. “What can I do for you, Shep?”

Shep carried the folder that Kat had given him. In this instance, dread didn’t cramp his stomach or shorten his breath or turn his palms clammy. He’d known this day would come, and now here it was. He could stitch his own face up in the mirror if her ring busted it open the way he expected. All the way over here, he’d rehearsed what he wanted to say. He only had so much capacity for gentleness; blunt honesty would have to do the heavy lifting.

“I need to tell you something,” he said, and eased down onto the sofa across the table from her. “And you’re not going to like it.”

Her eyes went huge. Her pale, delicate throat worked as she swallowed. She was a deer in headlights, but her voice cracked out, sharp and already angry. “What?”

“Cass has been dealing with something at school, with her roommate.”

Raven blinked; she hadn’t expected this line of discussion, he could tell. “They’ve been arguing.”

“Nah. Well, I mean, yeah, but not about stupid shit.” He gave her a quick rundown of the Sig-Jamie situation, and Cass’s role in it. “I’ve told her over and over to tell you about it, but she says she doesn’t want to add something else to your plate.”

“Oh God.” Raven pinched at the bridge of her nose. “Oh, Cass. God, that’s sweet. Misguided, but sweet.Damn.” She sent him a miserable look. “And she’s been handling it all on her own.”

“No.” Herehisvoice got sharp, and Raven’s head lifted, expression going bewildered. Shit. “No,” he said, softer, “she’s not been on her own. She’s had me.”

She blinked. “Yes,” she said, slowly. “Yes, she does, doesn’t she? You’ve been incredibly helpful, and I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you properly for keeping such a close eye on her.”

He grimaced, and held up the folder. “Might want to hold up on that thanks. There’s something else.”

She stilled. He hadn’t said it yet, but he thought maybe she knew. “What?”

Honesty, he reminded himself. There was no way to cushion it. “Cass and I are together,” he said. “We’re sleeping together.”

He thought she’d been still before, but now she froze completely. She didn’t blink, didn’t breathe. Her hand caught suspended on its way to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“And that,” he continued, “makes it sounds cheap, and it’s not. She’s…I love her. She’sitfor me. Old lady and all of—”

“Stop,” she gritted out, and he stopped.

Raven turned her head and blinked into the middle distance, lips parted, chest lifting unsteadily like someone who’d been punched in the gut. She was reeling. She gathered her hairin one hand and held it off her neck. “Jesus,” she murmured. “Jesus Christ. Cassandra, youidiot.”

“Hey, she’s not an idiot.”

“No,youare!” Raven rounded on him, color flooding her face, eyes flashing. She balled both hands into fists in her lap, and the massive diamond on her left hand winked when her fingers flexed. “You stupid, selfish, amoral, randy fuckingcreep. Are there not enough whores in Albany? In Manhattan? Was there nowhere else you could stick your cock except inside my little sister? I’ve mistrusted you since the moment I laid eyes on you, and now I know it was well-founded! You are the lowest—”

“Calm down before you have an aneurysm.”

She shot to her feet, shaking all over with rage. And with hurt. More than anything, she was devastated. “How dare you? You—you—you…” She made a sound like a sob, and clapped a hand over her mouth; it reminded him of Cass the night of her birthday, and some of his hackles smoothed.

“I didn’t tell you to get you all worked up,” he said with a note of apology. “Are you even really surprised?”

“I should be!” she shouted through gapped fingers. “I should…God, I always knew she’d throw herself at a bloody Lean Dog one day, but I hoped it wouldn’t beyou.”

“Okay, fuck you. Did you not just hear the story I told you about that dipshit at school? Is that what you want for her, huh? Some rich boy who’s gonna treat her like shit, but at least he can get into all the right parties?” When she started to retort, he doubled down. “No, fuck it. If you really want that, want her to be with someone for money and social status, you’re worse than I thought. Be happy somebody loves her, and takes care of her, how about it. I may be a sack of shit, but I’m not the worst thing that could happen to her!”

“Have you no self-control?”

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