Page 67 of Double Shot
“Yeah, well, there’s nobody else like my Shady,” he said.
“Whydoyou call her that?” Conan asked.
Kyle was quiet for a long moment and I didn’t expect him to answer. It wasn’t his way to open up – not even about the small things and he especially didn’t talk about the past. He’d always said ‘what’s the point?’ and that ‘talking about it never changed it.’
“You know how kids are assholes?” he said quietly. “Back in school they started calling her ‘Shady’ to torment her. I didn’t like them messing with her, so I tried to protect her. I wanted to kick all of their asses, even the teachers who knew but couldn’t be bothered. I know now that they had more to deal with than name-calling and bullying, then. I couldn’t beat them all up, but I wanted to, and I tried. Got my ass handed to me more times than I could count, but I always got back up, all bloody nose and scab covered fists.”
“I can completely imagine you being willing to fight everyone in the world. What I find hard to imagine is you as a child, and losing fights,” Conan murmured, smoothing a hand along my back as much as he could with the arm that was buried beneath me.
“I know it’s cliché, but she’s different from all the other girls, and that hasn’t changed a bit,” he said. “I mean, I was this angry, angsty, asshole kid. I was really getting a handle on playing the manipulation game, I could pick out the sheep and the wolves, and was working out how to be the alpha wolf. Then, there she was. This skinny little girl, scared, but absolutely tough as nails, and she didn’t know anything about the game. She wouldn’t learn the game; she wouldn’t play it. Instead, she would challenge it at every chance, you know?”
“Not really. I’m not familiar with the American foster care system and I had most of my family growing up.”
“There was this other girl, Tara, she tried to teach Sadie the game but Sadie would point blank say it was stupid and she… I don’t know. She justrefusedto play by anyone’s rules. You know? Even mine. She moved at her own pace, but at the same time… she never lost that innocence, the kindness. Believe me, I wasThe Asshole. I pushed her and everyone else away but she just… she refused to give up on me, mate. Like you.”
I swallowed hard, knowing what that confession cost him and whispered, “How could I?”
Both of them chuckled.
“Good morning, Poppet.” I opened my eyes and looked up at Conan, he smiled down at me and brought my fingertips to his lips and he pressed a light kiss to them.
Kyle nipped lightly at the sweet spot on the side of my neck and I gasped quietly.
“I tried, I gave you every reason and opportunity to leave me, like everyone else had,” he said.
“I know,” I answered and twisted a bit so I could look back over my shoulder at him. His dark eyes held an equally dark light, one that I don’t think I had ever recognized before.
“Question really is, why didn’t you?”
“Precisely because everyone had,” I said softly. “Everyone needs someone,” I murmured. “As aggravating as you could get, I wasn’t willing to be everyone else. Besides, you looked out for me… and you did it without expecting anything back.”
“You sound so sure about that,” he said with an almost shy smile and I turned over, he took himself off of me to give me the room to do it. Conan turned on his side and spooned me at my back, propping his head on his hand to regard us, a hand on my hip, thumb smoothing circles against my skin. I tucked my hands beneath my face, Kyle mirroring Conan, laying on his side hand propping up his head, free hand kneading my breast gently but I wouldn’t be distracted. I fixed his gaze with mine.
“Aren’t I?” I asked.
“The only thing I wanted was everything,” he said, voice darkening, growing slightly seductive.
“Maybe then, but not now,” I said softly.
“Nothing’s changed between then and now,” he countered but I could taste the lie. I smiled slowly and shook my head and he cracked first, grinning wide and chuckling, looking away and letting out a breath with an, “Ohhhh.”
“I don’t understand,” Conan said, laughing. “Why does it sound like she’s just bested you, mate?”
“Because she did,” Kyle said, casting me a knowing look.
“Check and mate,” I whispered and smiled.
“Enlighten me, if you would be so kind.” Conan sounded even more perplexed.
“If he wanted everything from me,” I said, grinding my ass softly back into Conan who sucked in a sharp breath. “He wouldn’t be sharing.”
Kyle let out an explosive breath. “You’ve got me.”
Conan laughed a bit and said, “This is certainly a sort of generosity that isn’t much like you. The only sharing I’ve seen you do before this was magazines in a firefight and when you donated your blood.”
Kyle’s gaze slid off the both of us and he hooked a hand behind my head, pulling himself to me and pressing warm lips gently to my forehead. He drew back and I smiled. I could see it even through his guarded gaze, and it warmed me down to my toes.
I didn’t expect him to answer Conan, but he surprised us both when he did.
