A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

“I’ll have something for you in about an hour.” Harris is good, he’s been with us for years, mostly doing work for Dad, but now that we’re working at Thorne Industries, he’s done a lot of deep diving research for us.

I hang up and glance at Finn. “He said an hour,” I tell him. “I’m going to see her.” I’m already grabbing my keys from the holder when I feel Finn’s glare burning a hole through me. I look at him. “What?”

“You’re going to go there, where the asshole is playing house?”

The thought of Kalyn stuck in there with him doesn’t sit well with me. Perhaps I should let this go for a while, but I can’t. Not after I’ve seen the evidence.

“If I go there as an old friend, he won’t know shit,” I tell Finn. “Also, he was in our house; I can play the welcome to Thorne Haven card.” He looks dubious when I say this, but I’m not giving up on my idea.

“You just want to see her.” Finn grins. “You’re so easy to read,” he informs me with a chuckle while he shakes his head.

“I need to make sure she’s okay. If he was angry about me stealing her time at the party, he could’ve done something to her.”

For a long while, Finn stares at me, but after a few moments, he nods, knowing I’m right. I don’t trust a man who’ll hit a woman. I may want her to pay for her little lies, but deep down, my feelings for her are still soul-stealing. She’s always been a force in my life, in my mind, and at times I certainly act like an obsessive stalker when it comes to Kalyn.

She’s always brought out my possessive nature. Especially when we were in school. But this time, it’s different. I’m doing it for her safety. The memory of her in her school uniform has me remembering all the bastards I had to warn off her. She didn’t realize just how popular she was with the guys. But it was me who ensured they steered clear of her. Even though I didn’t publicly claim her as mine, they knew not to touch her.

“Be careful,” Finn warns, drawing my attention back to him and away from the past. I make my way out to my silver Audi R8 with my brother’s warning ringing in my ears. By the time I’m out on the road, my nervous energy has turned to the need for vengeance, this time not aimed at Kalyn. This time, I want that bastard to fucking pay for hurting her.

It doesn’t take long for me to reach the Narro house and press the buzzer outside the enormous black metal gates.

“Hello?” Kalyn’s voice comes through the speaker, and my chest tightens with the need to be near her. As angry as I am at her, she still holds my heart, only, she doesn’t know it.

“It’s me,” I say, and I don’t miss the soft gasp that filters through to me. “Open the gate, Kaly.” I don’t have to command her to do anything because I know if I sat here long enough, she’d let me in.

Once the heavy gates swing open, I pull up the drive and stop right outside the door. Exiting the car, I make my way around and up the steps that lead to the door. By the time I reach it, it swings open, and I’m met with those cocoa eyes.

“What are you doing here?” she asks before I can get a word out. “You shouldn’t have come here.” The fear in her voice only sets me on edge because if she’s scared of him, what Finn and I thought about him is correct.

“Let me in, or I’ll cause a scene,” I tell her. For a long moment, she stares at me before she steps aside.

“Fine. But you can’t stay long; he’s in the shower.” Her hiss is tense, her gaze darting to the staircase before swinging back to me. “What do you want, Cassian?”

“Tell me something, little liar,” I start, taking a step toward her, expecting her to move back, but she doesn’t. With me, she stands her ground, and it only makes my cock hard. “Is he doing something to you? Is he hurting you?” I keep my voice low, so if the asshole decides to walk out from wherever he’s hiding, he won’t hear me.

Those pretty eyes widen in shock at my question; her mouth pops open into an O that makes my blood heat with desire. “You should leave.”

“I asked you a fucking question. If you don’t answer me, I’ll go up there and ask him.” The threat is purely that, to scare her into telling me. I wouldn’t put her in danger, but I need her to be honest with me.