Page 52

Shit.

This was not going to end well at all.

"Where's your sleeping bag?" I asked Quinton before he could get nasty towards Rain. Rain didn't look like the type to take nastiness from others well. He looked like the type to just punch someone and ask for forgiveness after the fact. If he punched Quinton, Quinton would more than likely punch him back. Then, they'd probably destroy my bedroom, and I didn't want that.

Quinton glared at me. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Suddenly, I didn't feel so badly about swearing at him and telling him off. He deserved it because he swore at me, bossed me around, and told me off all the time. He had it coming.

"Well," I said cheerfully as I waved my hand down towards the floor where Rain's makeshift bed was. "Rain's got his sleeping bag and his spot to sleep all picked out for him and ready."

"Thank you for that, baby girl," Rain cut in, telling me sweetly. "It looks great."

It didn't look great, what it looked like was a place to sleep and, considering I'd slept in worse places, it didn't exactly look bad either.

I smiled sweetly at Rain before telling him, "You're welcome."

Then I turned back to Quinton and the smile slid right off of my face. "Well? Where's your sleeping bag?"

"I don't have one and you damn well know it," he ground out. "I'm sleeping in your bed with you."

I pursed my lips and nodded, not like I was happy. "I thought that's what you meant. It's not going to happen."

His eyebrows rose high on his forehead. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I said so."

Once the words were out of my mouth my face started to heat up again. It was lame, and I knew it. Lame, lame, lame. I could not believe I had nothing better, no better reason to tell him off with and shove in his face.

Then, it hit me like a strike of lightning. "Rain's here, and you staying in here, sleeping in the same bed with me, will probably be uncomfortable for him."

There. That sounded remarkably reasonable even to myself.

Ha. Argue with me on that one, bossy man!

"Actually," Rain said quietly, "I do not mind him being in here and sleeping in the bed with you so long as it keeps you safe from harm while you are sleeping. I'd do next to anything to keep you safe, and this seems like a small thing to ask of him, and I am more than okay with it."

Damn it. Foiled by my own flesh and blood.

I glared at them both.

"Fine," I snapped and stomped around the bed.

I wasn't really mad, and couldn't be, because the reasoning was sound and very sweet. I was being rude and horrible. When someone cared about you and shared it so openly, you needed to acknowledge it in some way, and I was doing the exact opposite of that.

"Do you need more pillows?" I asked Rain as I tossed the comforter aside. "Or, another blanket? I can go back downstairs and see if Dash has more blankets for you, I know they are around here somewhere I just don't know where exactly."

"I'm good, but thank you for asking. You are like your mother was, sweet but with a spirit filled with fire."

My heart skipped a beat as I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.

Rain was breaking my heart, one word at a time.

I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up high, damn near to my chin. I settled in with my head back against the pillows as I clutched the blanket tightly to my neck. I needed to hold on to something to keep me grounded, and I needed something to hide behind in case this went badly.

"Will you tell me about her?" I whispered. "Will you tell me about my mother and my grandfather? I want to know about him, too."

Absolute silence filled the room and I began to shake. I should not have asked that of him. It was too soon, too fast.