page18 (1/2)
Sensing histo see hie in the ribs with her elbow “Don’t let your head get too big, Mr Boss Man, or you won’t fit through the door”
He nudged her right back “Too late for that, honey,” he joked
“Anyway, you’ve got ued now So how did that skinny kid froendary Mac Buchanan?”
“Well” He pulled her across to hiot worse before it got better”
“Oh, no Give ood news”
“Between the ages of ten and fourteen I had three different sets of foster parents”
“Go on I’ it didn’t end well”
“You got it in one They were great people who tried their very best to helpfor the around insidereally Maybe it was er who didn’t like being told what to do I liked to think it was this Anyway, the end result meant I was sent to yet another children’s horeat way for a kid to celebrate his fifteenth birthday”
She fanned a hand in front of her face “Well, for all its proble My childhood was uneventful by comparison”
“Your parents indulged your every whim, I reckon”
She did her best to appear coy “H about erly await the next installment of your life”
He looked at her long and hard “The show’s over for today, honey I’ve already said too much It’s your turn to cleanse your soul”
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean” All of a sudden, his de “Who the hell is this Karl guy? You didn’t think I’d forgotten already, did you?”
Feeling cornered and outwitted by Mac’s strategy of opening up to her and then expecting her to do the same, she fluffed and fumbled her words “I’m sorry I just can’t tell you I–I–I can’t—”
His beautiful silver gray eyes narrowed on her, but not in a benevolent way “And who the hell is Ashley?”
“I–I–I need to go to the bathroom”
He gripped her forear right here, lady”
“Let go of me”
“Not until you tell me who Ashley is”
She shook her head violently “No No, I can’t”
Chapter Nine
As Kendall lay on a sun lounger by the pool, her nose buried in a trashy novel by some talentless author he’d never heard of, Mac couldn’t help but feel disappointed Four days ago he’d deliberately opened up to her, revealing his childhood in painful detail in an attee her to reciprocate
The night of the great storm had been an eye-opener, and he’d clearly heard the names Ashley and Karl shriek frory sky Such was her anxiety, she’d shouted loud enough to drown out the thunder and lightning that had flashed and gruh above her When she’d screamed the name Ashley, her voice had been laced with compassion and concern Conversely, when he heard the name Karl, she’d been unable to hide the sheer hatred she felt for the guy
Even now, he could still hear those bitterly spoken words ringing in his ears Let her go Burn in hell, Karl You fucking sick bastard I hate you I hate you I hate you