Series: Silver Spoon MC Series by Nichole Rose
Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 195(@200wpm)___ 156(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 195(@200wpm)___ 156(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
She went through hell because she didn't trust that I'd protect her. She thought I'd side with him. The day she told me that, I made a vow to myself that I would never let myself become him. I'd do everything I could to be something better, and to fix everything he broke. People would always come first to me, no matter what. I won't change that now, not for any reason. Not ever.
I won't be him.
"I'm sorry," I say. "I know that had to hurt."
"You aren't going to ask if he was there?" Catriona eyes me doubtfully.
"No," I say gently, shaking my head. "I told you already. I'm different, little one. You'll tell me what you want to tell me and nothing more. You don't owe me answers or explanations. I didn't ask you to come here for that."
"Why did you ask me to come?"
"Your brother is in trouble," I say, choosing my words carefully. "Sooner or later, it's going to catch up with him. When it does, if you're there, there's nothing stopping it from catching up to you too."
"I haven't done anything wrong," she protests.
"You work in a pawnshop full of stolen goods. You spend a lot of time around the Vipers. Whether you're a member or not, I think you know how that looks for you." The police don't have to prove she stole anything or was otherwise involved in anything. Simply knowing they sell stolen goods where she works is enough to make her complicit. The fact that she's taken steps to cover for her brother makes her guilty of obstruction. When the feds make their move, they won't hesitate to round her up with everyone else if she gets in the way.
Her best shot—her only shot—is to walk away. I can protect her. She just has to let me.
"He's my brother," she whispers.
"I know." I rub her back, not without sympathy. For him, I have none. For her, my heart aches. She shouldn't be in this position. She's too goddamn young, too innocent.
She's quiet for a long, silent moment and then she sighs. "What do you need from me?"
"You can't go back."
"I know," she whispers. "I…um, I packed up my stuff before I left. He doesn't know I'm gone. We had a fight and he stormed out. I left a note."
"Did you tell him where you were going?"
She shakes her head. "I just told him that I was going to stay with a friend, and that I didn't want him to look for me." Her bottom lip quivers. "I left my cellphone behind so he couldn't track it. Um, I guess I need to find a place to stay. And a job. I have some money saved up but not much."
"You'll stay here."
She blinks at me. "I can't do that."
"You can."
"I cannot."
I smile at the shocked outrage in her voice. She's fucking adorable.
"Stay tonight then and we'll talk about it later," I say, unwilling to fight about it now. She will be staying here though. There's not a chance in hell I'm going to let her out of my sight. I just spent a week going out of my mind. No fucking thank you on doing it again. "All I want to know right now is what you need from me. What can I do right now to make it better for you?"
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, chewing on it. I gently pry it from between her teeth before she does any damage to it, not wanting her to hurt herself.
"Tell me," I command quietly, reading the anxiety in her eyes.
"H-hold me?" she whispers, almost like she's afraid to ask. And then she grimaces. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask you to do that. It's just…it's been a long time since anyone held me, and I feel…safe with you. Is that weird? That's probably weird, isn't it? Maybe I should just stop talking now." She places a hand on my chest, stretching like she's going to crawl out of my lap.
"Catriona, look at me."
She reluctantly lifts her gaze to mine, the lights in her eyes muted and dim.
"You feel safe with me because you are safe with me," I murmur, cupping her cheek in my palm to keep her from breaking my gaze. "You will always be safe with me, little one. And holding you damn sure isn't a hardship on my part, so stop thinking it is. But before we do that, I just want to make sure you understand something."
"Okay," she whispers nervously.
"I'll hold you for as long as you want me to hold you and I'll love every fucking minute of it, but I'm not making love to you tonight," I say, my voice firm. "So if that's what you're after, you need to put that thought out of your head right now."