“Paranoid? Bat shit crazy? Scary as fuck?”
He grinned. “He’d like that you find him scary.”
“And that’s exactly what I’m talking about. That’s not normal.”
Except, it kind of was for her. Her brother inspired fear in pretty much everyone he met. She’d grown used to that reaction. And some of it had worn off on her. Not that anyone was afraid of her. They’d have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to fear her. But they were scared of what she might tell Carlin. Of making her an enemy and having him come after them. It made for a lonely life when everyone around you feared you.
Hmm, she wondered if he ever got lonely stuck in this big castle with just his two brothers.
“It is for Sawyer.” He shrugged. “Probably shouldn’t tell you this but Sawyer isn’t a terrible guy. If cares about you, you’ll never have someone more loyal or protective on your side.”
“But he’s not on my side, is he? He’s the enemy.”
“He wouldn’t be the enemy if you told him who you are.”
“What makes you think that? If he found out who I am, he might just kill me.”
Mr. Hottie’s eyes widened. Shit. Why did she say that? “Really? And just who are you?”
“Nobody. I’m nobody important.” She bit her lip. Was it time to dive into her lie? She’d concocted it while he was feeding her, which hadn’t been that easy since she kept getting distracted by his eyes.
It was embarrassing how attracted to him she was.
“That so? Well, then, Miss Unimportant, how come you seem to think Sawyer might kill you?”
“Cause he’s a psycho?”
He just watched her. She let out a breath, feigning reluctance. “Look, I’ll tell you who I am. But you have to promise to let me go.”
“Tell me who you are, and I’ll discuss it with my brothers.” There was a cagey look on his face. Maybe not the pushover she’d first thought.
“I’m a reporter, all right?”
“A reporter, huh?”
“Yes.”
“And you broke in here to get a story about what?”
“About you and your brothers, of course.”
“Right.”
“Three reclusive, handsome guys living in a castle. Women lap that sort of stuff up.” Oh,
God, was he buying this crap? Too late to turn back now.
“Is that so?” His voice had grown cold. That look of perpetual amusement had faded.
She shrugged. “Yep. The story was going to help me with my career. Truth is, I’ve been stuck doing crappy little stories. I needed something bigger.”
“I fail to see how we are a big story. There’s nothing interesting about the three of us.”
“I guess I was hoping to dig something up.”
“By breaking into our house?”
“First of all, this isn’t a house. My whole apartment would fit into your living room.”