Page 32 of Guarded Secrets
“What, no lollipop?”
“I’m all out of lollipops.” She raised up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “That will have to do. Now let’s take a look at your knee.”
“Knee’s fine.” His voice sounded like he was grinding rocks together. Why the hell had he made the stupid lollipop comment? It almost sounded like flirting, and he didn’t fucking flirt.
Then she’d kissed him. A simple peck on the cheek and his brain had gone into system meltdown.
“Owen—”
“I said it’s fine.” He sounded like an ungrateful bastard, but there was no way in hell he could risk letting her put her hands on him again. He didn’t trust himself not to lose all sense of decency and toss her over his shoulder and carry her off to his bed if she so much as breathed on him again.
The sharp rapping at his door was a welcome distraction. “Let Sawyer in. I need to grab a shirt and shoes.”
When he returned wearing a hoodie and fleece-lined boots, Keeley was sitting at the table opposite Sawyer and sipping tea while she gave her statement.
Owen gave his, then got his laptop and pulled up video from the security cameras. Which made him furious all over again when he saw Keeley’s frightened reaction to the little shit threatening her with a knife.
But she’d kept her wits about her and tossed her purse. Then the footage showed Owen as a blur of movement launching himself at the kid.
While he made a copy of the video, Keeley poked around in his kitchen and soon the aroma of brewing coffee filled the air.
Sawyer gave a grateful thank you when she brought him a cup. She looked at Owen, lifting an eyebrow in question. Yeah, because he was too scary to talk to. At his nod, she filled a mug for him too.
Owen leveled his gaze at Sawyer. “Any thoughts why a kid who knew Keeley would try to mug her for her purse?”
“Fernando’s not talking so we’ve got nothing yet. He’s a minor. We’ll have to notify Child Protective Services and get him a public defender. He’ll be held in juvenile detention while things get sorted out.” Sawyer turned to Keeley. “Anything you remember about him?”
Keeley covered a yawn, shaking her head. “He was squirrelly like most eighth-grade boys. I think he got in trouble for something at the end of the year, but I don’t remember the details.”
It was nearly one a.m. and Owen didn’t like her looking exhausted with dark circles under her eyes. “I think we’re done for the night. Keeley needs to get home.”
Sawyer gave him a knowing grin. Owen didn’t even bother telling him to fuck off.
They trooped outside and down the stairs. Sawyer gave a brief nod before heading across the parking lot to his cruiser.
CHAPTER TEN
“Let’s get your keys.” Owen unlocked the back door of the bar, flipping on lights. The lockers were along the wall of a short hallway to the kitchen. Keeley went to hers and opened it. She held up her keys like a prize. “This makes me feel like such a loser. The keys were on the shelf when I grabbed my purse and I didn’t even see them.”
“You found them now. Let’s go.”
As they exited the building again, he asked her, “Is Josie still bothering you?”
Keeley shrugged. “Tonight was my first shift since ‘the incident.’” She used her fingers to make air quotes. “She’s giving me the silent treatment. That’s a whole lot better than how she was Sunday.”
“She’s giving me the silent treatment too, because I didn’t let her give me a blow job when I gave her a ride the other night.” He stopped under the wash of light from the lamppost. “She pulls anything with you again, tell me right away. First time it happens, not after you’re bruised and ready to take her down.”
Owen jammed his hands in his pockets to keep himself from reaching for her. The urge to pull her into him and hold tight had him biting back an expletive. He was losing his fucking mind if he was fantasizing about hugging her.
As if sensing his tension, she suddenly looked dispirited. Her usual sunny optimism being replaced by sad eyes was a kick in the balls.
“Thanks for letting me back in for my keys. Um, listen, Owen, I’m sorry I’m a pain in the butt. I know you feel obligated to keep an eye on me. You’ve been really kind to my parents, and it seems that’s put an extra burden on you concerning me. I’m grateful as well as sorry.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“No, it’s not. Friday night Mom asked you to leave your business to get me and you did that. Saturday you took care of my car. Then you gave me a job when I needed one. At least working for you means I’m giving something back. But tonight you risked your life and injured your arm protecting me when a kid tried to steal my purse.”
Her lips moved into a ghost of a smile. “That’s a lot when you’ve never had particularly friendly feelings toward me to begin with. You don’t want my gratitude, I know that. But like I said once before, you have it anyway. But you’ve gone farther than needed to satisfy any kind of obligation to my parents. Going forward, I can take care of myself. You don’t have to look after me, and I won’t be a pain in your butt.”
