Free Deadly Proposal (Hardy Brothers Security Book 4) by Lily Harper Hart Page B

anything else. Every time she moved, her face registered pain. Every time she leaned back on the couch, she grimaced. Every time he shifted while in proximity to her, she cringed.
    Things were improving, but James wanted his life back. He wanted his blonde back. He wanted their easy repertoire and sassy conversations back. He wanted everything back. He just didn’t know how to make it happen.
    The sound of footsteps on the stairs drew his attention to his open office door. Ally had only been upstairs for about a half hour. There was no way she was done with her visit already.
    When she strode into his office, her long hair flying, James was taken aback by the fury on her face.
    “What is wrong with you?”
    James leaned back in his desk chair, wracking his brain for the meaning of her question. “I think you’re going to need to be more specific.”
    Ally stalked over to his desk and planted her hands on it, palms out, as she leaned over and fixed him with an ornery look. “What. Is. Wrong. With. You.”
    “I’m. Not. Slow.” James was being purposely obnoxious. “I just don’t understand what you’re asking.” God, it felt good to be able to fight with someone.
    “Have you taken a good look at your girlfriend upstairs?”
    “I look at her every day,” James said. “I haven’t been able to look at anything else for a week.”
    “Well, she’s a mess,” Ally said.
    “I’ve noticed.”
    “Why aren’t you doing something about it?”
    “What do you suggest I do?”
    Ally’s mouth fell open. “Seriously? Tell her you love her or something.”
    James frowned. What did that have to do with anything? “What are you talking about?”
    Ally straightened up, glancing over her shoulder for confirmation that she really was having a conversation with her brother and she hadn’t fallen into some weird alternate dimension. “Mandy thinks you’re going to break up with her.”
    “What? That’s ridiculous,” James scoffed.
    “It’s not ridiculous,” Ally said. “Well, it might be a little ridiculous. She believes it, though.”
    “Why would she possibly believe that?”
    “Well, for starters, she says you won’t touch her,” Ally said.
    “She’s a walking bruise,” James argued. “The doctor warned me that any touch – even a minor one – would cause her pain. I’m not causing my girlfriend pain. That’s not my thing.”
    “Have you told her that?”
    “I should think it was pretty obvious,” James said.
    Ally tilted her head, her frustration evident. She moved back to the office door, shutting it to give them some privacy. She doubted Mandy would eavesdrop – but the woman was so upset she wasn’t putting anything past her right now.
    James watched Ally, curiosity washing over his face. “What are you doing?”
    “Just being careful,” Ally said. “I think we need to have a serious talk.”
    “Were we doing a comedy routine before?”
    Ally ignored the sarcasm. “Mandy has convinced herself that you’ve already got both feet out the door, and that you’re just waiting to break up with her until she’s better.”
    “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” James argued. “Why would I possibly want to break up with her?”
    “Well, she seems to think you find her ugly now because of the bruises and … the other stuff,” Ally said.
    “What?”
    Ally held up her hand to still him. “She thinks that you were planning on breaking up with her before the explosion.”
    James felt like he was caught on repeat. “Why would she think that?”
    “She’s convinced that you purposely forgot the party because you were trying to distance yourself from her,” Ally said. “She thinks you only came to the party because you felt guilty. She told me that you’re bored being in a relationship, and you want your old life back.”
    “Where would she even get that?’
    “Well, she’s going a little stir crazy,” Ally said. “That much is obvious.”
    “It’s only been a