Free The Staying Kind by Cerian Hebert

would make things unbearable if he wanted her to explain.
    Then there was the fact he was her boss’s nephew. He was obviously more than a little fond of the woman and he’d do anything he could to make sure nothing hurt Sadie. While she felt much the same, she couldn’t blame him for keeping Sadie’s best interests in mind. And Jessa’s as well.
    The one thing she didn’t want to think about, fought against in her head because it shouldn’t have mattered? He was damned handsome and so intense. A constant fire flickered in his eyes, and energy bristled from him. Whenever he was near her, it radiated. It could’ve been her imagination. Even so, it wasn’t any less real or less potent. How on earth would she handle this attraction?
    You ignore it. Rio pulled her pajamas from her backpack—nothing more than a pair of sweat pants and t-shirt—and headed to the bathroom.
    Thank goodness the part of the house he’d put her in seemed deserted. She could hear voices from another room. They sounded distant. Maybe Travis explaining to his daughter why Rio was there. How would Jessa respond to her presence?
    Well, she couldn’t worry about that. Travis didn’t have to bring her here. He wouldn’t want her involved with his dealings where Jessa was concerned. Let him sort out his own problems.
    Right now all she wanted was to strip out of her cold, wet clothes. Two hot showers in two nights. Life was good, she thought sarcastically, as her body relaxed when the hot spay of water hit her skin.
    Five minutes later she stepped out of the shower, now warm and clean, and dried off. She picked up her sweatpants, then decided she’d be more comfortable in regular clothes. She’d change into the sweats and tee later.
    When she finally made it to the dining room, Jessa was setting plates out. She gave Rio the same look she bestowed on her earlier in the day, with a bit more curiosity, and a heavy dose of suspicion, which Rio could well understand. She smiled awkwardly. “Can I help with anything?”
    Travis, holding the pizza box, stood in the door to the kitchen. His gaze traveled the length of her. Rio stood firm under his scrutiny, unwilling to show him how out of place she felt.
    She constantly felt out of place. It was par for the course in her life, but she survived by staying strong. Sometimes by not being noticed. She wouldn’t be able to do that here.
    “Yes, grab the napkins from the counter by the refrigerator and set them on the table,” Travis directed.
    The three of them moved around the kitchen and dining room silently. She supposed they were all lost in their own thoughts about what was happening here. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a normal family night.
    Then again, for Rio there was no such thing as a normal family night. She wouldn’t know one if it bit her on the nose, and this wasn’t any less bizarre than some of the situations she’d gotten herself into over the past twelve years of being virtually homeless.
    When they finally sat down, she followed Jessa’s lead and took two slices of pizza, eating in silence. No one spoke. A heaviness lay in the air, pressing down on them all, filled with questions wanting to be asked. Questions that Travis no doubt wanted to ask.
    Rio kept her eyes off him. To look at him would cause her nerves to jangle, and the knot in her belly to form again. She hadn’t gained enough ground with him to risk losing it so soon.
    She longed to be away from him and his scrutiny. Which wouldn’t be any time soon, since living under his roof meant she’d be under his constant watch.
    After dinner, Travis sent Jessa off to finish her homework. Rio studied the way he was with the girl. Despite the teen’s cold attitude, Travis treated her tenderly, especially when he touched her shoulder and gave her a probing stare. Rio could see how much he wanted to hug his daughter, break through the icy wall that prevented him from making any kind of move.
    Rio wanted to tell him to embrace