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"You do what you have to do, Sheriff I’ll do what I have to" Liaainst the couch casually, but every line in his body was tense He was like a coiled snake, ready to strike

Dece Liaain "You okay?"

She didn’t like the feeling of being under a microscope and she really hated that he read her so well It"Fine," she said through gritted teeth

Parker started gathering his folders and stacking them into a neat pile "Liaht" His voice was dis heavy in the air Deceht hi out for her since they were kids He was her one constant in life Her fa Liam to leave, however, punched a hole in her chest She didn’t like i the hurt look on his face

Sometimes he was hard to read, but other ti, and it was usually when she’d said so to reject him If she told him to leave now, he’d take it as a personal affront It was simply the way he was hardwired Fro the past feeeks, she had no doubt he wanted to stay with her and protect her Just like he’d done last night If she chose her brother over him, it would hurt him Even if she didn’t exactly understand why, she knew it deep in her core

Before she could think how to formulate a response, Liam stood "I’ll call you toether as she looked at Lia on in his head, but she got nothing His expression was blank

She flicked a quick glance at her brother "I’ to walk hirabbed his coat but didn’t ently cupped her jaw

Her heart pounded wildly against her chest After the kiss they’d just shared, she desperately wanted a repeat even if the voice inside her told her it was stupid

Instead of kissing her the way her body craved, Liahtly pressed his lips to her forehead "I’ll be thinking about you all night," hethrough her, straight to the ache between her legs By his knowing smile, she had no doubt he could smell her desire Stupid extrasensory abilities

"I…" She didn’t want to return the senti to care for hilinted under the foyer light as a half s all his warainst the front door She shouldn’t one Had wanted her house and her life back to herself Now that he wasn’t under the same roof, she wished he were Hell, she wished he were in her bed right now and that instead of just kissing, they wereand begging for more

"What kind of future do you possibly think you have with hiainst the entryway, his ar self-conscious under his scrutiny, she shrugged "I don’t knohat you’re talking about"

"Don’t lie to me"

She started to protest when he cut her off

"I don’t knohat’s going on between you two, but I’ you this now so there’s nolater If you mate--or bond, or whatever the hell they call it--with him, I’m out of your life I won’t stand by and watch you bind yourself to so you heartache and violence"

Her brother’s words were like a slap She straightened against the door "What?"

"I’ involved with one of thes I can’t…" His jaw clenched and he got this faraway look that was all too fa about Brandon, their dead brother A balloon of guilt rose, then popped inside her, every tier brother How her stupidity and na&iuotten him killed If she’d never h school, her friend’s drugged-out feral brother would never have latched on to December’s scent and followed her ho to protect her She pressed a hand to her stomach to quell the nausea She wanted to snap at Parker and tell hi stupid, unreasonable But it was her fault Brandon was dead, and Parker had looked out for her their whole lives He was her only falance at him she hurried up the stairs