Free Men-of-Action-Seres-04 -Saints and Sinners by Capri Montgomery Page B

that she was, she noticed the tension.
    “Don’t you like her, Daddy? I think she’s nice, but you’re not being very nice to her.”
    “Teagan,” he had admonished. Alaina’s fork dropped out of her hand and clattered against the china. She apologized quickly before assuring his mother that the dish was not damaged. His mother assured her it was okay either way before telling her that her son, meaning him since he was the only child, had managed to break several pieces over the years, which is why she only took it out for special dinners.
    “I don’t think he likes you,” Teagan confirmed.
    “I think your father is just tired. You wore him out today.” She was defending him, even after what he had said to her, done to her, she was defending his honor for his daughter’s sake.

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    “Oh…you’re right. I did,” she giggled and then went back to eating. The food in her mouth caused her silence, a silence that seemed more noticeable now. Apparently she was the one carrying the conversation.
    “Let me help you with the dishes,” Alaina offered.
    “No. No. You’re a guest in our home and in our home guests do not work. Next time you’ll be like family and then you can assist me.” She smiled warmly. Alaina’s own smile felt uncomfortably forced. It was as if she knew there wouldn’t be a next time. Even if there were a next time, he was sure she had deduced that she would not be anything like family.
    “My son will help me clear the table.”
    “Okay. Well if you don’t mind, I am very tired. I think I’ll go to bed early.” She excused herself with a polite goodnight to everybody.
    By the time Sully finished helping his mother cleanup, in silence, and putting Teagan to bed with a bedtime story, Alaina had already gone to bed. He was thankful for the reprieve. She hadn’t exactly talked to him since their argument that afternoon. She had talked to Teagan, to his mother, but not to him. For the first time he wasn’t thankful for her silence.
    He stood in the hallway watching her sleep. Her legs, long and smooth, curved in all the right places. Her face was peaceful; he would swear she was smiling in her sleep. He knew no more about her torment than what he had overheard, yet somehow with each word he had felt every second of her pain. He didn’t trust many people, even less when it Saints and Sinners 80
    came to women, yet something about her innocence, her heartache, made him feel closer to her.
    Somewhere along the way things had changed. He no longer protected her out of duty, out of coercion. He protected her now because he wanted to. He wanted to give her what she lacked, what she craved—warmth.
    He turned, and for a brief moment his eyes connected with his mother’s. She stood there watching him watching Alaina. One look in her eyes and he knew what she was thinking, but he couldn’t allow himself to think the same.
    He lowered his eyes to the floor and walked away.
    Alaina had slept the best she had in weeks. Something about being in this house, his house, had made her feel safe. It wasn’t Sully’s presence, although she wouldn’t deny she felt safe with him—though not always welcome. It was the feeling of home. She watched Teagan play and interact with her father and her “nanna” and it reminded her of a time before her own father had died. She missed it, that sensational feeling of warmth and love and home .
    She had gone to bed early, not long after dinner, and for the first time in weeks she had slept through the night without nightmares, without fear. She didn’t want to leave, but she needed to get home, and Sully seemed to be in a hurry to get her away from Teagan. She understood keeping Teagan away from danger, but it was more than that, something Capri Montgomery 81
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    she couldn’t completely grasp, but she was sure it had something to do with Teagan’s mother. Sully had known betrayal and perhaps that was the source of his bitterness. She was