“You’re a con man,” Joel snapped at him.
“Oh, is that supposed to hurt my feelings?” He dropped his British accent. “Takes a whole lot more to do that.” Suddenly, Reese didn’t look so harmless and awkward. His hands had fisted at his sides. “You hurt her. You made Chloe cry, and no one does that, you hear me? As far as I am concerned, you had your chance, and you threw it away because you’re an idiot. If she’s giving you walking papers, then I will personally make sure that your ass heads out the front door—”
They were about to fight. How unnecessary. “My head is aching,” Chloe announced.
Joel’s attention immediately swung to her.
“Your little spat is making it worse.” She motioned between them. “Could we save it for later?”
Reese glared at Joel. Joel’s focus remained on her.
“It’s all right, Reese,” she added. “I can handle Joel.”
“Fine.” He sounded anything but fine. “But I’ll be downstairs. You need me, I can zip up here in a flash.”
“I’d rather you zipped up your luggage and left but…”
“Not happening.”
“Then I’ll settle for you being downstairs.” She needed to finish her talk with Joel. “Thank you.”
Reese grunted and stomped his way to the door.
“Don’t slam it—” Joel snapped right before Reese went out.
Reese quietly shut the door.
Joel kept his hard stare on her. “That was fun.”
“It didn’t seem particularly fun to me.” She swung her legs to the side of the bed. She waited just a moment, got her bearings, let the throbbing in the base of her skull ease, then she stood.
Oh, good. No weaving.
Before she could step forward, Joel was in front of her. “You are the queen of distraction.”
“I think my grandfather was a duke, but that hardly makes me a queen.”
His eyes closed. “Chloe…”
“I need to shower. You’re in my path.”
His eyes opened. “The attacker, sweetheart. I want to know everything. I don’t want you to distract me with some bullshit about us being only partners and not sexually involved.”
“It wasn’t bullshit.” Her shoulders straightened. She felt a faint twinge from her left shoulder at the movement. “You were very angry. Very hurt. After what you discovered, I didn’t think that you would want to jump right back into a physical relationship with me—”
His hands curled around her upper arms. His touch was careful even as his eyes blazed. “I want to jump. Let me be very clear. I want to jump you all the time. I see you, and I want you. I smell you, and I want you. I hear your voice, and I want you.”
She released a quick breath. “That’s…a lot.”
“All the time. So no, I’m not in the mood to back the hell away from what we have.” A pause. “Are you? Do you want us to be done because I was a fucking asshole who—”
“I understood why you left. You were angry—”
“I was afraid that I would do something to hurt you! You must have the same fear, Chloe. Deep inside. That’s why you had the dream last night.”
She held herself very still. “Dream?”
“You told me…you dreamed that you were stabbing me, baby. You must be afraid that I’ll cross the line. That I will be a monster, and that I’ll have to be put down.”
Put down. No. Chloe shook her head. Her hand rose and her fingertips trailed lightly over his cheek. “Oh, Joel, that’s not what the dream was about.”
His brow furrowed.
“I don’t worry about you becoming a monster.” She trusted him completely. “I worry that I will become one.”
“Chloe…?”
“My mother was a monster. She killed and got away with her crimes. One after the other. My brother turned into a killer, too. He stabbed her and my father so many times…” She swallowed. Her voice was low and thready as she asked, “What will I become, Joel? Sometimes, I do worry that it’s only a matter of time.”
“It’s not.” Adamant. Absolute.
If only she could have his certainty. “How do you know?”
“Because I know you.” His forehead leaned forward and rested against hers. “I trust you completely, and you are not like that, baby. I know you. I know—”
“And that’s it,” she whispered back to him. “That’s how I know you aren’t a monster, either, Joel. Because I trust you completely. I know you. So don’t let anyone else in your head, okay? Don’t let anyone shake your faith. You don’t need to be afraid of the dark.”
“Neither do you,” he rasped back.
Of course, I don’t. I am the dark.
Chapter Fifteen
“You’re not leaving my sight.” Joel fully got that he was stalking Chloe. Guilty as charged. He’d stayed outside of her bathroom while she showered. He’d shadowed her down the stairs in case she stumbled. And now he was dodging her steps as she strode through the house.
“I was rather thinking you’d come with me on this trip, so I will certainly be within sight.”
She was back to being all cool. Composed. She wore black pants, a loose, red top, and black flats on her feet. Her hair swung over her shoulders, and she’d applied a small amount of makeup to her face. Makeup to hide the fact that she was still too pale, and faint shadows had slid under her eyes. The shadows were cleverly disguised, she looked absolutely beautiful, but he could feel her delicacy, and it was making him extra protective.
Hell, who was he kidding? When it came to Chloe, he was always protective.
Marie and Reese sidled out of the study. Their gazes instantly settled on Chloe. “Going hunting, are we?” Marie asked.
Chloe shrugged. “Going to see Ruben about a dead body.”
“With a concussion.” Marie nodded. “Because, sure, why not?” Her eyes drifted to Joel. “And you’re down with this?”
“I’ll have a doctor monitoring my every step. How much safer can a woman get?” Chloe returned before Joel could answer.
A whole lot safer. She could stay in the house and not go out searching for a killer but…that wouldn’t be Chloe.
Chloe headed for the front door.
Marie and Reese moved into her path.
Joel closed in behind her.
Chloe’s shoulders stiffened. “What is this?” Her right hand waved vaguely in the air. “You are all surrounding me.”
“Good eye to detail,” Marie returned. She smiled. It wasn’t a particularly warm smile. “We’re done, Chloe.”
“Excuse me?”
“We’re done waiting. You’re not leaving this house without answering our questions.”
“But—”
“While you were showering, Joel texted us. We all want to know what happened with that bastard last night.”
Chloe glanced over at her shoulder to assess Joel. “A group attack? Truly?”
He shrugged. Was he supposed to feel guilty? He didn’t.
“Fine.” An exhale. Then she moved a bit to the right—the better to allow her to see them all at the same time. “I went to the chapel. He announced his presence. He swung a board at my head. I mentioned all of this to Cedric, by the way. He is fully informed—”