Page 49 of The Right to Remain Mine

Willow blinked and lifted her face. She nodded. "Yeah." The word was a dazed murmur. "I need to leave too."

But she didn't move. He opened his mouth to say, I'll see you tonight before it struck him. Would he really see her tonight? He had to be pushing it, coming over every evening as it was. They never made plans for the future, though. So he didn't this time either.

"Bye," he said shortly, giving her a brief nod. He wanted to yank her into his arms and kiss her goodbye. His gut burned with the need to do just that. But because he wanted it so badly, he took a step back and then another.

Finally, he turned and walked from the house. As soon as he pushed his way outside, another blockade waited for him. Raith jerked to a stop and came eye to eye with Chase DeVane, who pulled to an equally surprised halt to find Deputy Malloy stepping from his sister's back exit.

"Holy shit," Raith breathed out the word, barely missing a collision.

It was a true testament to his nerves that he didn't leap right out of his skin. But, damn, he hadn't planned on bumping into the big brother thirty seconds after exploding inside little sister. "When did you get here?"

The assistant county attorney paused and nailed Raith with a suddenly suspicious look.

Damn. He'd buried himself with that question.

"I just walked up the drive," DeVane reported. "Why?"

"No reason," Raith evaded and moved past him. "Have a good morning."

DeVane didn't respond except for a slight quiver to his eyelid. He casually slipped his hand in his pockets and inspected Raith as if he were a vile piece of garbage. Raith didn't bother to inform the man his intimidating stare wasn't going to keep him away.

He turned without another word and started toward his truck across the street. Nothing could keep him away from Willow. Not her powerful brother or her even more powerful judge of a daddy. Not even the fact that she was so far above him socially there was no way he would be able to afford to keep her permanently. He was well and truly addicted. And like any obsessed junkie, he was going to keep coming back again and again until she finally threw him out on his pathetic ass.

Fifteen

Willow felt unsteady on her legs as she left her house. She'd hurried back to the bathroom after Malloy left and tried to clean herself as well as possible without taking another full shower. But she still felt rode hard and put away wet as she pushed her way outside.

Something was changing inside her. And Raith Malloy was behind the transformation. She could no longer convince herself he meant nothing more to her than a couple of hot nights in the sheets. He'd somehow become essential, as if a part of her sanity, her very happiness, depended on one rude, arrogant, cocky man.

But she had to keep these feelings under wraps, especially from him. Not only would no one else understand—they would think either he was a social climber or she was temporarily slumming for a few kicks—but he'd probably run for the hills if he knew how she couldn't stop thinking about him lately. She couldn't see Malloy as the settle-down type. So it was best not to let him find out she was having settling-down thoughts.

Buried in her contemplations, Willow didn't even see her brother until she plowed into his chest. Yelping in surprise, she pulled back quickly and tried to even her breathing.

He set his hands on his hips and tapped a foot. "Raith Malloy?"

"Oh my God." Her breath hitched as she pressed her hand over her heart. "When did you get here?"

Chase sighed. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? It makes me think I narrowly missed walking in your back door just now and seeing something that would've immediately rendered me blind."

Throwing her shoulders back, she said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah, well the beard burn on your neck and the rumpled look of the deputy who just left says you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Face heating, Willow slapped a palm over her jugular and strode around her moody brother. "Good morning to you, too," she said and started toward her BMW.

Chase followed.

She sighed. He wasn't going to leave her alone, was he? "What're you doing here anyway?"

He angled her an irritated glower. "Have you forgotten already?"

Willow slowed to a stop at his question and turned to him. "Forgotten what?"

"We're supposed to meet Mom at the caterer's this morning. I'm driving you there. Remember?"

Eyes popping open wide, Willow groaned. "I completely forgot."

"I figured," he muttered and glanced back at her house as he shivered in revulsion. "I didn't think you'd remember. That's why I told you I'd pick you up and we'd go together, but God, Will. Raith Malloy? How the hell long has this being going on?"

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