Claiming Her Master, page 12
Still, the crush she’d harbored forever fanned back to life at seeing his big body across the scarred wooden desk with curiosity and maybe sympathy in his eyes. The temptation to unburden herself and offload her problems was great, but what was the point? It wasn’t as if she’d accept money from Ian.
She rose, the full effect of working a long shift finally hitting now that the adrenaline of chasing her brother to South Beach had worn off. Her hand pressed on the desk, steadying herself. Suddenly Ian was around her side of the room, pushing her exhausted body back into the chair.
“Sit, Cat. What the fuck is going on?”
“Danny stole my rent money,” she finally muttered, fighting and losing against a yawn.
“And…”
Was he a moron? What did he think would happen if her brother stole her rent money? “And I’m already behind on utilities. I’ll get kicked out if I can’t pay.” She was suddenly wide awake as Ian reached into his back pocket, pulled out a sleek, black leather wallet, counted out a few hundred-dollar bills, and laid them on the desk.
“Pay me back when you can.”
She glanced down at the ten crisp, clean hundred-dollar bills and started to laugh—well, laughter with tears leaking from her eyes, so not really laughter, but hysterics. One-thousand …how the hell did Ian think she’d pay that kind of money back?
“What?” he asked sharply. “Take the fucking money, Cat.”
“Hell no,” she said.
“Why not?”
“One, because I didn’t earn it, and two, because I’d never be able to pay you back.”
Silence. Then Ian blinked at her. “What the fuck is going on, Cat? You have money from your parents.”
When she didn’t answer and stared steadily at him, his eyes narrowed. “Don’t you?”
She remained quiet and then decided what the hell? Who better to tell than a really longtime friend? Let him feel the burn of what he’d had a hand in.
“Danny was my guardian, Ian. After high school when you were off at college, he made some messed up decisions. Like the drugs. It’s an expensive habit. All that pot you two smoked. It was a fun party thing for you. For Danny? It’s a lifestyle.” She shrugged. “Money’s gone. He sold the house a long time ago. I’ve been on my own since high school.”
“What about your aunt? The one who was supposed to take care of you while Danny went to college?” Except they both knew Danny had only made it one semester at the U before dropping out to major in cocaine.
“My mother’s sister was more focused on her family back in Cuba,” she said. “I think she was hoping to use my money to pull strings and get the rest of the family over here. I would’ve been happy to help, except I didn’t have control of the money. Danny did. Aunt Ros lived with us for a while until she was done with us.” Another shrug and then she found the energy to take another step and find her way home, leaving Ian’s money on the table.
“Cat, get back here,” he called before her big toe hit the doorway.
She peeked over her shoulder back at him, noting the Benjamins were gone from the desk. Ian had always been quick. “What are you going to do, Ian? I told you my sob story. It’s no worse than loads of people here in Miami. At least I had fifteen years of good before I got the shaft. At least I had a taste of the good life. Gives me something to want to get back to. Gives me dreams.”
“You used to dream of college and dancing. What are your dreams now?” Ian asked, his deep voice washing over her.
She frowned. She’d lied to Ian just now. Dreams were for people who had time and money. She only had the day-to-day grind of work, worry, rinse, repeat. Jeez, what would she dream about if she had the time?
“Rent money would be a good start. Getting Danny into rehab, a place to live where my landlord didn’t feel as if he could walk in any time of day even when I was sleeping.” Now she was getting on a roll and barely registered Ian’s frown when she mentioned her pervy landlord. “My parents alive again. A house with a pool. A steady job where my ass didn’t get pinched or fondled. Oh, and world peace.”
That second-to-last dream turned Ian’s frown into a full-blown scowl. Hypocrite. Like the girls in his employ weren’t paid to get more than their asses fondled?
“I can’t raise your parents from the dead, and I won’t buy you a house, but I can give you a job,” he said.
She stared at him. “Doing what exactly?”
He gestured to the chair. “Sit your ass down, and let’s talk.”
She shook her head. “Is this guilt speaking? I would’ve given you everything seven years ago. Now I want nothing from you.”
He stared at her unhappily. “I fucked up, Cat. I didn’t appreciate—”
“No,” she interrupted. “You didn’t. Do me a favor and stay out of my life. If you want to help, don’t let Danny at your parties.”
He nodded, because there was nothing else to say. She didn’t want his apologies or to rehash the past.
“Goodbye, Ian.”
He raised a hand but didn’t speak. Cat turned to leave, a wave of sadness crashing over her because this was the end of her dream in which she and Ian ended up living happily ever after. Why couldn’t he be the hero who ignored her words, saw through her to her deepest darkest fantasies, and leaped over the desk to beg her to stay? Instead he was the asshole who let her go.
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Lynne Silver is the author of sexy contemporary romance such as the popular Alpha Heroes and Coded for Love series. She absolutely loves to travel and explore new cities. She’s addicted to donuts, fancy purses, romance novels, and video games. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and two sons. She loves connecting with readers so please find her on social media.
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The Worthy Series
Unworthy- Ian & Cat
Worthless- Danny & Amy
Worthwhile- Drew & Olivia
The Alpha Heroes
Hot Nights with the Fireman
In Bed with the Bodyguard
In Deep with the FBI Agent
Coded for Love
Heated Match - Adam
False Match - Chase
Conquered Match - Ryan
Desire Unmatched - Xander
Desperate Match - Rowan
First Match – Shep
Others
Love Technically
Cruising for Love
Waiting on Love
His Desirable Debutante
Thank you to Dar Albert, cover designer extraordinaire. Thank you to Grace Bradley who originally saw the potential in this book. Huge shout out to Linda at Sassy Savvy Fabulous for all your work on my behalf. Huge thanks to the amazing Stacey at Champagne Formats who always goes above and beyond.
And thank you to my author friends who keep me writing every day.
Lynne Silver, Claiming Her Master
