Page 93 of King of Malice

He said shit. I said even shittier shit. I know I’m not spending the next few weeks sleeping outside. Maybe tomorrow I can get my phone and tell the organizers I need to leave.

But for tonight…

I’m stuck outside. My pride will allow nothing less.

I can already feel that I’ve messed this all up. From sleeping outside in a tiny nightie, to screaming my past at Zane, I’m doing my best to ruin this whole thing. I’m sure I just succeeded.

I step on a rock and hiss in a breath, lifting my foot. “Shit,” I gasp, as I hop up and down.

“Cadence,” Zane says from behind me.

I spin, holding in another gasp of surprise. “What the?—”

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Sneaking is a professional hazard of Special Ops.”

I want to tell him I hate him, and that sneaking up is a terriblething to do to a frightened woman. But before I can get the words out, he’s sweeping me into his arms.

“What are you doing?”

“You can be mad at me inside.”

“You’re not hearing me, don’t tell me what to do.”

He sighs. “I’m hearing you. I’ll sleep on the couch. Or outside if you prefer. I’m rather adept at using a rock as a pillow, another skill thanks to the military. But either way, you can be furious with me in the bed and not outside with hardly any clothes on and no shoes.”

“Oh.” That is actually really nice. And the fact that he’s still willing to do that for me almost makes me sorry I said all the things I said.

My arms wrap about his neck as he carries me into the house. There is still a part of me that wants to tell him I can take care of myself, that I’ll sleep outside if I want to, but I’ve burned out a bunch of the anger, and now I just feel tired. Low.

Besides, he’s right.

One of us sleeping on the couch is a way more sensible solution. And the fact that he’s giving me the choice to kick him out…. “I’ve got a real temper,” I say softly.

“Always?” he asks.

“What does that mean?”

“Like did you have it as a small child, or did it develop later?”

I blink a few times. “Later, actually.”

He doesn’t say more as he opens the door and once again carries me into the cabin.

Not that it’s even close to the same as when we stepped over the threshold last night.

He closes the door and starts for the bedroom. “If you’re thinking that it doesn’t matter when my anger issues surfaced, just that they’re too much, I wouldn’t blame you.”

He stops in the middle of the living room. “You aren’t too much, Cadence. I like a little fight.”

“Fight?” My brows lift as he enters the bedroom.

“What I know I don’t want is a woman who spends all her time telling me about her latest shopping trip, or her decorating plans, or…” He looks up at the ceiling. “How she’s already mapped out the perfect wedding.”

My insides go completely soft because I have never been one of those girls.

“You’re not going to scare me off because you’re a little complicated.”

“Really?” I swallow down a lump, wanting his words to be true.