Page 61 of Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet 1)

“He was only seventeen,” she tried to explain.

“I don’t fucking care,” I muttered. “He’s an ass.”

Her smile was affectionate. Pressing her palms to my chest, she looked into my eyes, eyes that told me they loved me, and she said, “You’re such a good person; I can see why it’s hard for you to understand imperfection in others. Eric wasn’t—”

“I’m not that good,” I argued, shaking my head. “And I’m damn well not perfect. There’s nothing special about me at all. I make just as many mistakes as the next guy. But I’m not going to forgive some douche who left you after you were scarred no matter how much you defend him. He’s an ass.”

She chuckled. “You already said that.”

“Well it bared repeating.”

“You make me happy,” she murmured, smoothing her hand up my chest until she wrapped her fingers around the back of my neck. Then she leaned in until her mouth was only inches from me. “You make me feel light. And free.”

“Strange,” I murmured, pressing my forehead to hers and swallowing to combat the urge to kiss her. “You always make me feel heavy. Heavy and hot. So damn hot.”

I burned for her.

“Shaw?” she whispered.

“Yeah?” I whispered right back, my body thrumming and pulse quickening.

She licked her lips. “It’s five minutes after four.”

“Oh, thank God.” Officially off work, I crushed my mouth to hers.

Drawing her into my arms, I hauled her against me. When her breasts gouged my chest, I groaned. When my arousal prodded her hip, she gasped. Our hands gripped and tugged at each other while our teeth clashed and tongues tangled. I gripped her ass, securing her to me, while she rubbed her hip against my front, making me growl a throaty curse of pleasure.

Neither of us heard the door from the house open.

“What the hell is going on?” a voice snarled.

Isobel and I leapt apart before spinning to face the new arrival. Shame and fear filled my veins as Henry set his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes.

“Dad,” Isobel gasped. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth before glancing my way. I caught her eye, and we shared an oops mingled with an oh fuck look. Together, we turned back to him.

I looked down when she took my hand. Our fingers interlaced, and for some reason that eased me. No matter what happened, we were a united front.

“I kissed Shaw,” she announced.

That was obvious, and yet I still very nearly pissed myself when she said it.

“And I like him. A lot.” She used my hand she was holding to jerk me closer to her, all the while not taking her eyes off her dad. “He likes me too. Do you have a problem with that?”

Henry narrowed his gaze on his daughter, then glanced down at our connected hands before he looked up, right into my eyes.

I gulped, unable to decipher what he was thinking.

“I’d like to talk to Shaw in private,” he said to Isobel as he kept his gaze steady on me.

But Isobel shook her head. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“But—”

“He already told me about the reason he was brought to work here as a handyman.”

Henry pierced me with a deadly glare. “Oh, did he?”

He kind of looked as if he wanted to castrate me.

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