again proved he couldn’t truly be trusted.
“I want you to stay away from Cooper Tidwell.”
Her eyes snapped open, and she lifted her head. “Coop is just a friend.” That wasn’t completely true, but it was all she could let him be.
Shane’s mouth curled on one side. “Baby girl, he wants you. Coop is my friend. I respect him, and he’s saved my ass a couple of times, so I’m willing to overlook his desire for you. However, I won’t be so generous if you’re encouraging him.” His hand tightened around her wrist, the same one he’d broken two months ago. It was still tender from time to time, and she winced at the flash of pain. “You know how I feel about cheating.”
“You were all for it when it was with my married sister.” For the first time in weeks, Shane lifted his hand to slap her. She braced for the blow, and then looked at him with surprise when it didn’t come.
Instead, he tapped her cheek. “Stop pushing my buttons, baby girl. I don’t know why you want to argue today, but I don’t feel like indulging it. I just want to hold you for a while.”
She subsided into silence, not offering refutation when he said, “Just remember you’re mine, and I won’t have any need to defend what belongs to me. I don’t want to hurt Coop.”
Neither did she. Hurting Coop was unthinkable, but she was afraid she had already done so and would really leave him in pain when she started avoiding him. What else could she do? She couldn’t have a relationship with him, so that meant she’d have to cut off all contact, as much as she could anyway. It was better to do it now, before he loved her, or before she loved him. Mina tried to ignore the voice in the back of her mind insisting it was already far too late to prevent that.
*****
Shane had been right. She was sick. By that evening, Mina was trembling and flushed, overheated but chilled. Janie tucked her into bed with a motherly kiss to the forehead, and she slipped into sleep. At some point, she woke screaming and thrashing. Nightmares of Shane hurting Coop while she stood by laughing haunted her, making it difficult to wake fully. The form over her was a shadowed blur, and she screamed, trying to push him away.
“Hold her down,” said a disembodied voice. “She’s delirious. I have to get this down her to break her fever. It’s too high to be beneficial at this point.”
Hands held onto her arms, and she continued screaming and struggling until someone shoved a spoon into her mouth. She wanted to spit it out, but a soft hand closed her mouth before she could. The bitter, earthy taste clung to her tongue, making her gag, though the substance went down.
Mina was aware of struggling for a bit longer, until exhaustion took over, and she slumped passively to the bed. As she started to slip away into unconsciousness, she recognized Lia as one of her tormenters. “Betrayer,” she whispered and surrendered to sleep.
*****
At breakfast the next morning, Shane listened carefully for news of Mina as her mother and sisters discussed her illness. His heart lightened a bit when Emme said, “Her fever has dropped some, and she’s not so delirious now. She’ll come out of it in a day or two, I think.”
“Goodie,” said Lia with a note of sourness.
Janie frowned. “What is going on between you and your sister, Lia? I haven’t seen you two exchange a kind word in weeks.”
Lia shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s just been super -bitch since the rape.”
Shane gritted his teeth, biting back the urge to defend her. It was getting harder and harder to pretend there was nothing between them. He knew they would have to admit to the relationship publicly soon and deal with any objections to the age difference. It was especially important to him to have her family at least know, and hopefully accept, they were together before she got pregnant. He didn’t want to embarrass her or have them feel like they were fo rced to acknowledge their bond
“I want you to stay away from Cooper Tidwell.”
Her eyes snapped open, and she lifted her head. “Coop is just a friend.” That wasn’t completely true, but it was all she could let him be.
Shane’s mouth curled on one side. “Baby girl, he wants you. Coop is my friend. I respect him, and he’s saved my ass a couple of times, so I’m willing to overlook his desire for you. However, I won’t be so generous if you’re encouraging him.” His hand tightened around her wrist, the same one he’d broken two months ago. It was still tender from time to time, and she winced at the flash of pain. “You know how I feel about cheating.”
“You were all for it when it was with my married sister.” For the first time in weeks, Shane lifted his hand to slap her. She braced for the blow, and then looked at him with surprise when it didn’t come.
Instead, he tapped her cheek. “Stop pushing my buttons, baby girl. I don’t know why you want to argue today, but I don’t feel like indulging it. I just want to hold you for a while.”
She subsided into silence, not offering refutation when he said, “Just remember you’re mine, and I won’t have any need to defend what belongs to me. I don’t want to hurt Coop.”
Neither did she. Hurting Coop was unthinkable, but she was afraid she had already done so and would really leave him in pain when she started avoiding him. What else could she do? She couldn’t have a relationship with him, so that meant she’d have to cut off all contact, as much as she could anyway. It was better to do it now, before he loved her, or before she loved him. Mina tried to ignore the voice in the back of her mind insisting it was already far too late to prevent that.
*****
Shane had been right. She was sick. By that evening, Mina was trembling and flushed, overheated but chilled. Janie tucked her into bed with a motherly kiss to the forehead, and she slipped into sleep. At some point, she woke screaming and thrashing. Nightmares of Shane hurting Coop while she stood by laughing haunted her, making it difficult to wake fully. The form over her was a shadowed blur, and she screamed, trying to push him away.
“Hold her down,” said a disembodied voice. “She’s delirious. I have to get this down her to break her fever. It’s too high to be beneficial at this point.”
Hands held onto her arms, and she continued screaming and struggling until someone shoved a spoon into her mouth. She wanted to spit it out, but a soft hand closed her mouth before she could. The bitter, earthy taste clung to her tongue, making her gag, though the substance went down.
Mina was aware of struggling for a bit longer, until exhaustion took over, and she slumped passively to the bed. As she started to slip away into unconsciousness, she recognized Lia as one of her tormenters. “Betrayer,” she whispered and surrendered to sleep.
*****
At breakfast the next morning, Shane listened carefully for news of Mina as her mother and sisters discussed her illness. His heart lightened a bit when Emme said, “Her fever has dropped some, and she’s not so delirious now. She’ll come out of it in a day or two, I think.”
“Goodie,” said Lia with a note of sourness.
Janie frowned. “What is going on between you and your sister, Lia? I haven’t seen you two exchange a kind word in weeks.”
Lia shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s just been super -bitch since the rape.”
Shane gritted his teeth, biting back the urge to defend her. It was getting harder and harder to pretend there was nothing between them. He knew they would have to admit to the relationship publicly soon and deal with any objections to the age difference. It was especially important to him to have her family at least know, and hopefully accept, they were together before she got pregnant. He didn’t want to embarrass her or have them feel like they were fo rced to acknowledge their bond
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