Page 35

A low throb has settled at the back of my skull.

“If you’re such an expert on open honesty, Mr. October, then why don’t you tell me what happened to your knee?” she asks.

I chuckle under my breath. “It’s not a secret. Football injury, college. Broken tibia, and a torn meniscus like an added cherry on top. I’m not sure you’ve noticed my permanent limp, since I do a great job of hiding it, but I’ll never be able to play again.”

I try for a casual, lopsided smile but it never gets to full lift off, too stilted to be real.

“Those who can’t do, teach,” I add.

Sarcasm is a great weapon.

Gilli reaches over and rests her hand lightly on my bad knee. Heat spreads from her palm, making my body hum. She lifts those dark eyes to meet mine and hers are so wide behind those glasses and rimmed in black lashes.

“What do the doctors say?”

“The same thing they said when the injury first happened and I went into physical therapy. I’m lucky to walk at all.”

Life might have been different if I’d avoided the tackle or if my tibia hadn’t punched a hole right through my skin like it was nothing. Before then, I’d spent my days training and my spare time up here with Soren. Women, fun, whatever I wanted, without consequences.

Gilli wasn’t a part of the picture then and her being here now doesn’t matter.

She’ll leave, things will go back to normal. Maybe I’ll be able to sample a little before she takes off. Done and dusted.

Her eyes hold mine and she’s the first to look away, although her hand remains loose on my knee.

“Have you ever played sports, Gilli?”

“Nope. This body isn’t made for anything but occasional yoga.” She slides her hand back to her own lap and gazing out across the lake.

I shoot her a sideways look, an eyebrow arched. “Are you sure? You’ve got great curves. I bet you’d do well at softball. You’d be able to knock the others on their asses.”

She’s still not looking at me. “You think you’re being cute,” she murmurs.

“Correction—IknowI’m cute.” My features twist into a practiced smirk that brings the ladies around. “And I’m trying to give you a compliment.”

I chuckle at her expression and the strong line of her profile. The pieces are coming together in my head, slowly, and probably slower than they would have been if I hadn’t had…shit, too many drinks.

Gilli is in no hurry to go through the getting to know you stage, not with any of us, including her stepbrother. Soren’s advice was to stay away from her and keep our distance until she gets tired of being ignored and goes back to wherever she came from.

I’m not sure she’s going.

She’s got a haunted look in her eyes and a stubborn streak a mile long.

It’s not entirely horrible having her around, either. Routine is restrictive and can be stifling. A little change is a good thing. It can give you a mental boost. Unhappily for Soren, I don’t plan on keeping my hands to myself, either.

As far as I’m concerned, Gilli is fair game.

“You don’t talk much. About yourself or anything else,” I comment. “Come on, give me a little something to go on. I’m doing all the heavy lifting.”

She arches her brow and sniffs, tucking her legs in closer to her torso. “Maybe there isn’t much I want to say.”

“Then you would be very different from your mother.” I roll my eyes. “The woman refuses to shut up.”

“You know my mother well?” Her tone goes sharper.

“Of course. I mean, I've seen her at family functions.” I purposely keep my tone light. “Always thought it was odd that a grown-ass woman with daughters could act so much like a single trophy wife. But I guess she’s earned it.”

“Why would you think so?” Gilli asks.