Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

“Jessie—”

She raised her hand to stop whatever he was about to say. “I’ve spent most of my life loving you, Dustin Porter. Please don’t act like you didn’t know.”

She could see the mixed emotions on his face. Logan was a lot like his father. Sam couldn’t have cared less about hurting anyone’s feelings. That part of Logan’s character was pure Dustin.

Jessie gave a humorless laugh. “Don’t worry, Dustin. I said most of my life, not that I still am.”

“I have to give you credit. You always take the wind out of a man’s sails.”

She let him help her over the fence again. Once they were, she asked the question she had wanted to ask since he had shown up at her window. “Why did you come to talk to me, other than Asher and Holt asked you to?”

She caught his embarrassment before he could hide it.

“How’d you know they sent me?”

“You came to the window. I’m surprised they warned you that I threatened to shoot anyone who showed up in their privates.”

“They’re concerned about you.”

“They’re scared of me.”

“That, too,” he acknowledged.

“Did you videotape them asking for help?” She must have really traumatized her brothers to have had them ask for help from a Porter.

“No, but I can’t guarantee that Greer didn’t.”

“Men.” She rolled her eyes. “Ask a man to buy a box of tampons, and they get hysterical.”

“I don’t think it was the tampons that had them afraid. It’s that you actually took their guns out of the safe and within reach of every door and window.”

“They’re exaggerating.”

“Are they?”

Jessie could hear the doubt in his voice.

“Do they want me to move back into my apartment?” she asked sharply.

“God, no, they don’t expect you to go back to live there. They just don’t want to worry that you’ll shoot one of their dicks off if they forget to tell you it’s them before they come in.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. But if you feel the need to take out your aggression on them, go for it.”

A small laugh slipped past her lips. “Which one?”

“Asher would be my choice. He’s the only other man in the county who is as aggravating as Greer. But I would prefer you didn’t shoot him. I’d have to attend his funeral, and I hate funerals.”

Jessie kept her gaze on her feet as they neared her house. “Everyone hates funerals.”

If Dustin hadn’t found her, Asher and Holt wouldn’t even have had a body to bury.

“You took off before I could thank you. If you hadn’t found me, it’s no telling how long it would have been before my body had been found.”

“Don’t say that. You would have made it, Jessie. You wouldn’t have given up until you walked off that mountain.”

“No, I wouldn’t have. Just take my thanks and accept you did a good thing.”

“I’ll try. I’m not used to getting thanks for saving someone’s life. Usually, it’s the opposite with me.”

“I never believed you lost your temper and killed Sam. I’m glad they dropped the charges against you.” Reaching down, she started plucking the briars out of her jeans so she wouldn’t carry them into the house. Nothing could hurt worse than accidentally treading on one with your bare feet.

“That makes you and only a handful of others. I worry about when Logan hears the gossip.”

“You haven’t talked to him about it?”

“No.”

“Surely he’s asked about his mother?”

“When he was old enough, Holly and I both talked to him, telling him that Holly wasn’t his biological mother, that she had died.”

“You should tell him before someone else does.”

“That’s what Holly says, too.”

“So, why haven’t you?”

“What if he hates me?” Dustin kicked a rock out of his way, feeling despondent.

“Logan isn’t capable of hating anyone. He may be angry and hurt, but you might as well get used to that—every parent has to deal with those emotions as their children get older.

“Holt and Asher are back. I better go in and put the groceries away. Thanks for stopping by.”

“Would it be okay if I bring Logan by tomorrow when he gets out of school?”

Jessie stopped with her back still turned to him. “Does he know?”

“Only that you were kidnapped, hurt, and left on the mountain.”

“That’s not all he did.”

At his silence, she knew he was aware of what else had been done to her.

“Who told you?” Feeling betrayed that Holt or Asher had told him, she wanted to go inside the house and hide.

“You know your brothers better than that, Jessie. I’m the one who found you. I … could see how badly you were hurt.”

She hung her head down in shame that he had seen her bloody thighs. She had been a virgin that night, naively pinning her hopes that one day, Dustin would wake up and fall in love with her the way she had loved him. The day she had been kidnapped, the fairy tale she had prayed for had ended.