Page 47 of Tangled

As Colleen twisted and wrenched her arm away, her father jerked.

Tristan was standing with his forearm against her father’s neck, having shoved him up against the wall. Tristan growled,“Don’t touch her.”

Her father yanked at Tristan’s hand, but his arm was like an iron bar across her father’s throat and didn’t move.

Unconsidered duty made Colleen step forward to help her father, but she stopped. She didn’t want to go with him.

Her father spat at Tristan, “Andwhothe hell areyouto tellmewhat I can or can’t do withmy daughter?”

Tristan growled right in his face,“I’m the man who loves her.”

25

Just A Comeback

Colleen

Shock washed through Colleen like a warm ocean wave.

The man who loved her?

Tristan didn’t mean it.

He was just saying that to clap back at her father, and it was areallygood comeback, she had to admit.

Hecouldn’tmean it because they’d only met six days ago, and that was if she included Saturday night when he was Twist at the Devilhouse.

It was only Friday morning, and nine o’clock on Friday morning at that.

No one could fall in love in only six days.

No one could fall in love withherin six days anyway.

But with Tristan?

Well, yeah, she could see how someone could fall in love withTristanin only six days.

Obviously, he was a tall, hunky man with an iron-ingot jaw, ripped abs, and star-fire blue eyes, who was steadfast in the face of danger but fun to walk on the beach with.

And, yeah, he’d built Colleen up so she could fight her own battle, and then he’d stepped in to protect her from her father at the first sign of violence.

And he was a guy who said he’d been born on a poor Iowa farm but seemed to be working hard, because now he flew across the world in a private plane and rented penthouses in five-star hotels on the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean.

And he’d remembered how she liked her coffee from their first discussion at Starbucks after he’d gotten her fired. Every morning, a delivery person dropped off her caramel macchiato with a mountain of whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Who wouldn’t fall in love with that?

Other than Colleen, of course. She was fine. She wouldn’t fall in love with anybody in only six days. She was more sensible than that, and besides, there wasno wayTristan had meant it. It was just a really great comeback to freak out her father after he’d been a jerk to her, and she appreciated what he’d said.

And it was a truly excellent comeback.

Tristan was still glaring at her father, nearly nose to nose. He didn’t unclench his teeth as he said, “Now get the hell out of this apartment, and don’t try to contact Colleen unless she sends for you. She’s been throughenough.”

He flipped his arms around and grabbed her father’s shirt collar, propelled him to the door, opened it with one hand, and shoved him out before closing and locking the deadbolt.

In two steps, Tristan strode back to where Colleen was standing and wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her against his broad chest. His heart thumped under her ear. She slid her arms around his waist, holding on tightly. He growled, “Dammit. I’m sorry.”

Colleen could barely catch her breath. “Sorry for what?”