In His Eyes

It’s hard to remember why I’m so furious at Dallas by the time I step out of the most amazing shower of my life and into the massive bedroom. My bedroom. For now, anyway.

There’s a light tap on the door, and I consider ignoring it for a moment. Kellan is passed out cold in the bedroom across the hall. Which means it’s Dallas standing on the other side.

The second knock is a bit louder and more forceful, startling me. I groan before rushing to slip on my robe and answer the door.

His eyes trail down my body before locking on mine. The act makes my body heat with need, but I tell myself it’s only because it’s been neglected for far too long.

“I thought you might like to have a real conversation now that Kellan is asleep.”

He’s right. I have a lot to say. Though I wasn’t expecting him to willingly give me the opportunity.

I move back and gesture for him to come inside, ignoring the flip of my stomach as he steps into the room and closes us inside.

“All right,” he says, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Let me have it.”

“You can’t go making big decisions like this without talking to me, Dallas. That’s really fucked up.”

He sighs, rubbing at the five o’clock shadow on his jaw. “Well, I was going to tell you at dinner. What were you even doing at the apartment?”

I huff, crossing my arms. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I wanted to take a shower before dinner.”

His eyes darken as they trail over me again, his smile breaking free once he inches closer. “Were you trying to get all gussied up for me?”

“You wish. And you’re totally missing the point here. Even if we did talk at dinner first, you had already made the choice for me. That’s not okay.”

“I’m not the kind of guy who asks for permission.” I huff with disgust, and he holds his hands up in surrender. “But…I’ll work on it. Does this mean you don’t want the job I secured for you at the courthouse?”

“A job? Like working for you?”

“Oh, no. I wouldn’t be able to focus with you running around my office all day. Besides, the two of us working and living together might be a bit much. You’d be downstairs, directing calls and filing paperwork.”

“I don’t know. This is too much. First you move us into your house, now this…”

“I’m trying to help you. Isn’t that why you showed up here in the first place?”

I take a calming breath. “You think it was easy for me to come here looking for Jackson with my tail between my legs? I did that for my son. He’s the only reason I’m here now, dealing with your insufferable ass. This might be a foreign concept to you, but sometimes people fall on hard times. We were doing okay on our own until I lost my job. But yes, I needed some help. That doesn’t mean I’m incapable of taking care of myself or my son on my own.”

“Are you done?” He smirks as I give a reluctant nod of my head. “Here’s the thing, I wasn’t a good brother to Jackson. Maybe if I had been, he would still be…”

Pain mars his face as his words trail off.

“What happened?”

“We don’t know for sure. Someone shot and killed him. The cops believe he was involved in some illegal activities and didn’t do much to solve his murder. And the only thing my parents cared about was keeping it out of the press.”

My heart aches. Jackson definitely knew some questionable characters, but there’s no way he would’ve been involved in anything shady.

“He came to me a few weeks earlier and asked for money, said it was really important. I refused and told him he had to live with the choices he made. When I saw that picture of Kellan, there was no doubt in my mind that he was Jackson’s son. And I think he’s the reason he asked me for money. All I’m trying to do is right a wrong.”

Guilt coils around my stomach. I’ve been so angry with Jackson all this time.

I wipe the tears from my face, clearing my throat. “Well, how can I say no when you put it that way?”