11 #3
lifted her right hand to stop any complaints. “I’m doing it. I need to do it. You can’t stop me.”
He dropped his fork with a clatter. “I can refuse to accept it!”
At least he’d lost his patronizing tone. “You can try. But then you’ll make me sad, and I’ll . . .” Her heart clenched, but
this was important. “I’ll have to make you leave when I’d rather you stay.”
Anger gathered his brows together and added fire to his green eyes. “Blackmail?”
“That’s an impressive look, sexy really, but I know you won’t lose your temper on me.” Plus, she wasn’t above fighting dirty.
“Damn it, Glory—”
“Oh!” Utilizing theatrical drama, she put a hand to her ribs.
“What?” Galvanized, he came around the table, his arguments disappearing with light speed. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I keep telling you I am.” Despite a few real twinges of pain, she rose from her seat. “I just wanted your attention.”
Getting out of a hardback chair was trickier than rising from the couch.
He stood there, fuming. “Did you fake that just to shut me up?”
“It’s possible.” She picked up her mostly empty plate and shuffled her way toward the kitchen.
Angry footsteps followed her. “I won’t be manipulated.”
She refrained from pointing out the obvious. “All right, but I have to be fair. If I can’t do for you, I can’t allow you to
continue doing for me.”
A string of curses singed her ears. He couldn’t see her face, so she gave in to a smile. He was so stubborn, and so proud—but
then, so was she. “My independence is as important as yours. You might want to keep that in mind.”
“Fine.” With his concession out there, he took the plate from her. “I insist on limits.”
“I don’t know that I can agree with that. After all, our ideas of limits are different.”
Shoulders rigid and neck stiff, he scraped the plate into the garbage with more energy than was necessary. “Because I’m blue
collar and you’re part of Hoker’s most upscale family? Believe me, I know you have deep pockets. It’s not something I’ll ever
forget.”
So they’d always have that issue between them? Not a good start. “I wouldn’t have put it quite like that.”
“No? Let’s hear your take on it.” He got to work on his own plate.
The churlish attitude was stealing all her fun. She wanted to get him gifts . . . and she wanted him to like them. “I work
for a living, the same as you. Yes, my aunt and uncle are generous. I would never deny that. In many ways, they’ve treated
me the same as Callie.”
Exasperation brought him around to face her. “Not where it matters most.”
“We’re talking about financials right now.” Yes, her aunt’s expectations were high, but she’d taken care of Glory. “They covered
my expenses for college.”
“And expected you to be top of the class?”
Well . . . yes, they had. “I expected that of myself.” The absolute truth. “They gave me a great job in the company—”
“And ran you ragged.”
Not quite ragged, but yes, her aunt had definitely twisted Glory’s schedule to her advantage.
“I love—loved—my job and was good at it, but when I said I wanted to cut back on travel, they didn’t complain.
” Too much. “They gave me the new position I have now, and it’s perfect for me.
” Especially since she could stay close to Callie. “They’ve
always included good health insurance with employment. It’s why I can afford to be off work now.” Saying it all out loud really
drove home the advantages she’d been given.
Advantages Kam had done without.
For a few silent seconds, they simply stared at each other until Glory admitted, “I forgot the point I was making.”
“Don’t expect me to remind you.”
No, in his soured mood, he wouldn’t want to be agreeable. “I make my own way, Kam.” Mostly. Hadn’t she just detailed all the ways she’d been helped? “I’ve been working on being better. Less pampered.” More like Callie. “I won’t backslide just because of a few injuries.”
He snorted. “Broken ribs are a big deal.”
Yes, but so was her future—especially because the future would no longer be hers alone. She’d have a big responsibility, and
she was determined to do her best. “It’s been a week, and I’m feeling better. I can’t just stay parked on the couch. I’m already
restless.” When she inhaled slowly, keeping it shallow, the discomfort was minimal. “I’m going to help in the kitchen.”
“No way.”
“I need to move. My butt goes numb from sitting so much.”
Slowly, his antagonism converted to humor. “Want me to rub it?”
“Yes—after I’ve helped.”
In a lightened mood—maybe because he was thinking of her backside—he said without heat, “You’re the most infuriating woman.”
If he considered her infuriating, she might as well go for broke. “Once we’ve gotten everything put away, know what I want
to do?”
“Get your butt rubbed?”
His wolfish grin made her snicker. Here she stood, battered and bruised, her hair messy, her clothes baggy, looking absolutely
horrid, and still, he flirted. “Yes, but there’s something else, too.”
The buzz of his phone interrupted. After a single glance at the screen, Kam ignored it.
Glory didn’t. She gave him a look. “Aren’t you going to answer it?”
“Nah.”
Suspicions crawled in. Clearly, it wasn’t family, because he never ignored their calls. “Why not?”
Brushing past her, he went for more dishes. “I’m busy right now.”
Too busy to answer his phone?
The buzzing stopped—and then started again. “Answer it.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” she countered.
Grousing under his breath, he stalked past her with their glasses. “It’s Shara, and I already explained things to her.”
Shara! Now she was irked. “Maybe you need to explain again.”
He tried frowning, but Glory just gave him an imperturbable stare. She trusted him; that wasn’t the issue. At the moment,
she wasn’t sure of the issue, she only knew she didn’t like it.
“Women.” Despite his grumble, he took the phone from his pocket and answered with, “Not a great time.”
Whatever Shara replied had him looking up at the ceiling.
Deciding not to hover, Glory went into the kitchen, which was all of five feet away, and put the lid back on the food containers Addie had brought over.
Though she was slow, she had them into the refrigerator just as Kam ended a low and somewhat private conversation.
Before she could even turn, he was back and carefully slipping an arm behind her. “Will you please sit back down now?”
“Everything okay?”
“I can tell you’re dying to know, so yes, things are fine. Shara is just being persistent. I told her—again—that it’s not
happening.”
“How’d she take that?”
“If you’re asking if that’s the end of it, probably not. She came by the shop yesterday. She’s called a few other times. No
idea what’s gotten into her, but Addie said she’s probably jealous because of you.”
A dash of cold water wouldn’t have been as jarring. “Addie knew she’s been after you, but you didn’t bother to tell me?” That
hurt. They were practically living together. Or actually living together, except that his apartment was very nearby. Whatever.
Even if she was out of commission, he still shouldn’t have kept it from her.
“You,” he said after a peck to the end of her nose, “had enough to deal with. I wasn’t keeping secrets, but I didn’t think
it was necessary to update you on a pesky ex, either.”
No, probably not, but he should have, anyway.
“Glory, Shara doesn’t matter.” He put his big warm hands on either side of her face, then bent his knees to look into her
eyes. “We have plenty of things we can debate, but this shouldn’t be one of them.”
Wrinkling her nose, Glory said, “Guess I’m a little jealous, too?”
The warmth of his gaze told her he liked it. “You have no reason to be.”
Didn’t she? If she hadn’t gotten hurt, would Kam even still be with her? Glory’s heart said yes, but her head questioned everything.
The automatic sigh caused a twinge in her ribs.
He stopped, stepped around to the front of her, and then carefully settled his hands on her backside. “Okay?”
Um . . . “What are you doing?”
“This.” Warm and gentle, his hands carefully massaged her. “Tell me if I hurt you.”
Oh, heaven. Needing the support, she rested her forehead on his chest. “That’s wonderful.”
“Fantasy-inspiring?”
With a grin, she said, “Most definitely.”
His lips touched the side of her neck. “No reason for jealousy, okay? This? With you? It’s enough for me.”
So many internal battles left her weary. “How can that be?”
“Because it’s you. With me. And you’re alive and getting better, and I won’t ever take that for granted, not after almost
losing you.”
Those blasted tears filled her eyes again. She didn’t know if it was the new life growing inside her, the low-level pain that
never quite left her, or the uncertainty of the coming months that kept her emotions rioting, but to her, that almost sounded
like a vow. “I wish I could put both arms around you and squeeze you real tight.”
“We’ll get there, babe. I promise.”
She’d hold him to that. “Your magic fingers are both making me sleepy and making me wish I could do more.”
“For me, too.” Moving his hands to safer ground, he coaxed her out of the kitchen.
Allowing it, she sighed. “I have a lot to figure out.”
“Like?”
“Many things, actually.” When should she spell it out to Kam? Soon . . . but not tonight. “For now, there’s something I want
to do.” When they reached the couch, she hesitated. “I want to call Mike.”
First blank-faced, then irate, Kam stated, “Fuck that.”
“Your language is deteriorating.”
“I want to deteriorate that prick with my bare hands, so yeah, the language is sure to follow.”
Understanding how he felt, Glory stared up at him. “My life is currently on hold. I’ve been working on myself for a long while,
doing my best to be independent, to not rely so much on Liz’s approval, and just when I think I’m making progress, I’m supposed
to let Mike slow me down again?”
“You were in a bad wreck.”
“I’m well aware. It took me a long time to get comfortable in a car after the first one, but I overcame that fear once and
I’ll do it again. I’ve lived for years with self-conscious dread over my scars—”