Page 63 of See It Through
She hmphed. “It would serve you right if he had.”
Cormac gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Sorry, Han, but that prick needed to be put in his place.”
She rolled her eyes, and by the time she straightened them, we were the only two still outside. I was beside the truck, waiting my turn, ready for whatever she had to give me.
Her arms were still folded tight as she focused on me. “Did you flex your big muscles and intimidate the weaselly little man?”
I cocked my head. “All I’m hearing is you think my muscles are big.”
She scoffed and sauntered over to me, stopping when her boots hit mine. “Youwouldhear that. I don’t love you charging into danger for me, Remington.”
I held up a finger. “One, there’s no world in which I wouldn’t charge into danger for you. I’ve been in the middle of riots. It takes a lot to spook me. Two, this situation wasn’t dangerous. Cleve doesn’t strike me as a man who would willingly take on another man, let alone four.”
“That may be true, but you had to have noticed Cleve’s wife is a little unhinged.”
“Hard to miss.” I ran my hands along her arms, slowly unfolding them, then placed her palms on my chest. Mad as she might’ve been, she left them there, and I took that as a good sign.
“It’s best not to poke a hornet’s nest, you know.” Her nose crinkled. “Last thing I want is Christine Jones putting me on her list.”
I raised a brow. “She has a list?”
“Yep. It’s said she keeps it in her purse. The second you cross her or even annoy her, she writes your name on it. Kayla from the grocery store saw it firsthand when Marvin Tennison neglected to put a separator on the conveyor belt at checkout, causing their groceries to get mixed up. Kayla said Christine took her list out and wrote Marvin’s name in big block letters, and there were plenty of other names above his.”
I had to bite back a laugh. Hannah was telling me this story in earnest. “Anything happen to Marvin?”
She nodded. “All his flowers wilted almost overnight. And Marvin takes his flowers seriously. His neighbor said he’d cried in his garden for a solid hour when he came upon the horror show. Everyone suspects Christine had something to do with it, but of course, no one can prove anything.”
I curled my arm around her waist, tugging her a little closer. “It’s a good thing you don’t have a garden. Christine Jones doesn’t like you very much, but I’m not sure she’s a fan of many people based on our short acquaintance.”
A cute little line formed between her brows. “You’re probably on the list now too.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want you to get lonely on there.”
She let out a little laugh, smacking my chest. “Stop it. This isn’t funny.”
“Oh, I think it’s hella funny.” I walked her backward until she met the door of Lock’s truck, then I reached down and scooped her up from beneath her ass. Her legs locked around my waist, and her hands slid up to hang over my shoulders. “I’d been prepared to get things thrown at me when I got back.”
Her eyes narrowed. “There’s still time.”
“Hmmm.” I dipped down to kiss her throat. “Then maybe I’ll just stay close so you don’t have enough room to wind up a pitch.”
“Maybe that’s a good idea.” She latched on to my bottom lip and gave it a tug with her teeth. A growl traveled up from my chest, making her giggle.
“Menace,” I whispered against her smile.
“I’m not mad at you, Remington,” she stated.
“I’m glad for it, even if I’m surprised.”
“I get why you might be. The fact is, I’m Lachlan Kelly’s daughter, and I have two brothers who grew up in his image. They can’t help putting themselves in front of women—especially women they love. It’s in their blood. If you hadn’t gone with them, my granddad would have been the fourth one in the truck. So I’m not surprised you all went to confront Cleve. The men in my life are protectors. That’s all there is to it.”
“I’m a man in your life?” I asked.
Her legs tightened around me, putting her warm core in contact with my growing erection.
“As long as you’re around, yeah. I haven’t gotten you out of my system yet. Have you?”
“Hannah…” I kneaded her round, tight ass. My head was spinning, trying to catch up to where we were. I was still a mile behind. At the place I’d assumed we were going to be—and that place didn’t include her pussy grinding on me and her lips whispering against mine. “Does anyone ever get you out of their system? Seems impossible.”