Page 52 of Falling For The Enemy (The Gilbert Curse)

Dash narrowed his eyes and then nodded. “I think you’re right. What was he doing in your room?”

“That’s something else I’ll have to ask him,” she said.

“I feel like part of it is my fault,” Dash said. “If I hadn’t destroyed Orr Industries, then Kit wouldn’t have retaliated.”

“How is this your fault?”

“I was the one who went after Orr Industries. That was all me. Then when they tried to move on, I crushed their business.”

“Dash.”

“Yeah, I know how that sounds. I was angry and you were in a coma, they didn’t know if Con was going to live... I wanted the Orr family to be destroyed.”

She put her hand on her brother’s wrist and squeezed it. She didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t justify his actions any more than she could Kit’s. They had both reacted in anger to a horrible catastrophe. It would be easy to just say it had all been Declan’s fault but she knew it was more nuanced.

“I’m sorry, ladybug, for my part in this.”

“I know you are. I’ve never doubted that everything you’ve done for me over the years is based on love.”

“That’s true, but I shouldn’t have done what I did to Kit’s family. I’m going to try to make that right,” he said. “Are you okay with that?”

She wrapped her arms around herself. For a minute, she wanted to say no. To strike out at Kit because he’d hurt her. But she’d seen the pain on his face when he’d apologized. He’d never set out to hurt her. That didn’t mean she forgave him, but she couldn’t condemn him either.

“Of course.”

He blew out a breath. “Are you going to...”

“What?” she asked.

“Take him back?”

“I’m not sure,” Rory admitted. “I was just starting to feel like I’d found myself. And now I’m questioning things that I didn’t before. Did I miss signs that Kit wasn’t being truthful because I wanted to believe he was someone he wasn’t?”

“I highly doubt that. He wasn’t intentionally trying to fool any of us. We all like him. So aside from not telling us he was related to Declan, I can’t fault him. He clearly had no idea his brother was capable of that shit. I kind of understand it.”

She tipped her head back, closing her eyes. She could understand it, too. But he’d lied to her.

“That still doesn’t make it right,” Dash said. “But I get it.”

“Me, too. I’m not sure where he and I will go from here.”

“You’ll figure it out. And if you decide you want that man, then you will make him yours,” Dash said.

“I’m sorry, but do you mind leaving?” Rory said. “I think I just need to be alone and think things through.”

Dash shook his head as he got to his feet. He leaned down and hugged her close. “I’m coming back for dinner and bringing everyone if that’s okay.”

“Sure. I guess you’ll have to tell them what happened.”

“No. That’s up to you,” he said. “I’ll just say you need your family.”

He wasn’t wrong—she did need her family. After Dash left she looked around her house, the one that Kit had helped her renovate and make into her home. Rory saw him everywhere and in all the rooms. She sat on the couch where they’d made love after the Halloween party and felt tears burning her eyes.

She couldn’t figure out what to do next, but in her heart she knew that without him even knowing what his brother had done to her, he’d helped heal that part of her.

The knock on his front door was loud, and when Kit walked down the hall to open it, he was not surprised to see Conrad Gilbert standing there. The other man stood on his doorstep in his chef whites, sleeves rolled back to expose his tattooed arms, glowering down at Kit.

Kit took a deep breath. “Are you here to talk or fight?”

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