Page 638 of Love Bites

“I know,” I said. “Don’t beat me up about it. I already feel bad enough.”

“I’m sorry, doll. This was not your fault. Lock. No lock. Alarm. No alarm. When a sicko does something sick, there is no one to blame except the sicko. You didn’t choose to hurt that poor man, whoever it turns out to be, and dwelling onwould’ves, could’ves,andwhat ifswill give you gas. I just worry about you is all. I don’t know what I’d do without you, you know?” Sunny hugged me again. It felt good. She really did give the best hugs.

I could feel some of the tension drain from my muscles. “I do know,” I said, hugging her back. “I don’t know what I’d do without you either. You always have my back.”

“Always,” she said fiercely. She leaned back and looked me in the face. She squinted her eyes, her brow furrowing. “Why is your face so red?”

I hadn’t realized it was, but her mentioning it brought a fresh rise of heat to my cheeks. Sunny’s eyes widened as she took in my guilty expression. She glanced once at Billy Bob out in the hall talking quietly with Babel now. To her grace, she didn’t say anything. However, I knew an interrogation would be forthcoming.

Babe and Billy Bob walked back into the room, neither of them looking as if they’d figured out anything.

“We need to tell Sunny,” Babe said.

“Tell me what?” Sunny asked.

“Who the victim might be.”

“Ed,” Billy Bob said, his tone low and fierce. “It might be Ed Thompson.”

The blood drained from Sunny’s face. She slumped onto one of the high stools next to the center island. “No,” she said. “It can’t be.” She stared at me, her eyes pleading with me to refute Billy Bob.

I shook my head.

Her reaction was similar to mine. “We just saw him yesterday. He came in for lunch. How can it be Ed?” She gripped my wrist. “How could I have missed it? What good is it for me to have a psychic gift when I can’t even use it to save my friends?”

“This isn’t your fault, sweetheart,” Babe said. He massaged her shoulders, and she slumped back against him, drawing comfort from her husband.

“Babe’s right, Sunny. This isn’t your fault.”

An infant’s cry from the other room brought us all to attention.

“Shoot,” Sunny said, the front of her shirt darkened as her nipple fountains exploded. “I left Jude in the living room when we came in. He’d been sleeping so soundly.” She looked down at her blouse. “I packed a clean one in the diaper bag.”

“And nipple pads, I hope.”

“Being a mother has its perks and its drawbacks,” she said. Babe went with her into the other room, leaving Billy Bob and me alone.

“You holding up?” he asked, careful to keep to his side of the island.

I nodded. Why had he kissed me earlier? Had he felt sorry for me? Remembering his hands kneading my back, his lips seeking mine, his tongue exploring my tonsils, I knew the passion hadn’t been one sided. “Should we talk about what happened?”

“Not now,” he said.

Well,motherfuck! Seriously? “Cool,” I said. “Actually, we don’t ever have to talk about it. Let’s pretend like it never happened. As a matter of fact…” I shook my head. “…I just scrubbed it from my brain. We’re good.”

“Chavvah.” He made my name sound like a warning.

Sunny and Babe came back into the kitchen and saved me from more humiliation.

“Can you guys take me home?” I glanced at the now glowering Billy Bob. “We need to get the restaurant figured out, or we need to ask Blondina to cover the food for the council meeting. Either way, there is a lot to do.” I didn’t add that I desperately wanted to get out of sight of a certain asshole werewolf who kept sending me mixed signals.

Billy Bob interceded. “I think you should stay here, Chavvah.”

“Not happening, Doc.” I sounded terse and emotional. Why wouldn’t he just let me have what was left of my tattered dignity?

“At least, let me examine your back before you go. A few of those cuts were pretty deep.”

“You were hurt?” Babe said with a pinch of alarm. “Doctor Smith didn’t say that you were attacked.” It was my younger brother’s turn to glower.

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