Page 45 of Damaged Protector

“I even got these,” I told her, pulling out two long glass dishes I’d found in the kitchen department.

“Ohh, those are fancy!” she exclaimed, and my chest swelled at her excitement. At the fact that I’d brought some joy to her complicated life.

Ten minutes later, we were seated on barstools, eating our treats. “I can’t believe you used chocolate ice cream,” Mal informed me. “You’re supposed to use vanilla in a banana split.”

“Shut your ice cream hole, rookie. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Here, taste.” I scooped up a big bite and held it out for her. She rolled the ice cream topped with caramel, whipped cream, and a slice of banana around in her mouth, letting out a soft moan.

“Mmm, okay. That’s pretty damn good.” She dipped her head in deference. “I bow to your superior sundae-making skills, sir.”

Not wanting to dwell too much on that last word, I brushed it away like a pesky fly and grinned. “Don’t fuck with the master.”

“I might have both next time. I need some vanilla because this pineapple topping would be gross on chocolate ice cream.” She held up a bite to my lips, and I ate it from her spoon. Feeding each other seemed weirdly intimate, but I didn’t hate it.

“Good observation. You’re learning, grasshopper.”

She giggled before her face turned serious. “I wanted to dance today.” Her eyes searched mine for a reaction.

“Did you want to dance for yourself or for someone else?”

“For me.” She closed her eyes, her face turning dreamy. “I wanted to turn on some music and just move. I’ve missed it.”

“Then do it, Little Bee. As long as it’s what you want. I’ve already told you that you can use the workout room.”

When she opened her eyes, her smile was radiant. “I think I will. Thank you. I need to get back in shape because I was thinking of trying to find some studio space to rent so I could teach a few private lessons a week. You know, get some money for food and stuff.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” I commented.

We finished our desserts, and as we were standing side by side at the sink, my doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” I said, drying my hands and heading for the front door. Who the hell could be here at almost nine o’clock at night? I unlocked and swung open the door to find Cam standing on my doorstep.

“Hey, Hawk.”

“Wassup, man?” I asked standing back to let him in.

He huffed out a sigh as he entered. “Need to talk to Mal.”

As if summoned, she appeared in the living room, her face lighting up when she saw who our visitor was. She skipped across the room and straight into his arms. Cam kissed her cheek and squeezed her. It was obvious they adored each other.

Stepping back and holding her shoulders, he said, “Come sit down. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sounds serious,” she said as they sat on the couch. I took the recliner and relaxed back into the smooth leather.

“It is. My dad found mold in the walls of our house.”

“Oh shit,” she muttered.

“Yeah. We’re having to move into the pool house till they can get it all cleaned up. It’s a fucking mess.” He paused. “The pool house is pretty small. Bella is going to have to sleep with us for a while. Shiloh and I talked, and we can have another bed put in for you, or we can put you up in a hotel so you won’t feel cramped. We’ll pay for it, of course.”

I could see the sag of her shoulders and the droop of her face. “No, I couldn’t let you do that.” She gnawed on her thumbnail, processing what her cousin had told her. “I can move back home. School doesn’t start until August. I just came early to get acclimated.”

And to get away from her mother. She hadn’t specifically told me that, but from our conversation earlier, I knew it for a fact.

Cam took her hand. “Mal, I really want you to stay here in Texas. You’ll be so busy once school starts, and we all want to spend time with you. Let us get you a hotel room.”

The smile she forced onto her face was the bravest gesture I’d ever seen in my life. “No, it’s fine. No big deal.”

But I knew it was. A huge fucking deal. It pissed me off that her goddamn mother would probably gloat, filling Mallori’s head with I told you sos and a bunch of other bullshit.