The house is dark.

The only sound is coming from upstairs. From Kaylee's bedroom.

She's crying.

Fuck, I've never been this happy to hear someone crying.

I nearly run up the stairs.

Nearly break her door pushing it open.

She's curled up in her bed in the dark.

Hugging her knees.

Blinking back another set of tears.

"Kay." I sit next to her. Rub her shoulder with my palm. I need to fix this. Somehow.

"I'm sorry." She pulls her knees into her chest. "She asked. And I wanted to lie, but I couldn't. I couldn't say anything. I just stared."

This is my fault. This whole fucking thing is my fault.

Em is right.

I'm the adult here.

I'm the person who is supposed to protect Kaylee.

If there was some other twenty-six-year-old guy trying to get in her pants, I'd kick his ass.

"It's not your fault." I run my fingers through her hair. "This has been inevitable."

She nods. "Still."

"No, Kay. This is on me."

She shakes her head. "I didn't have to make up that stuff about Dean. I... I'm sorry. I made everything complicated. And you... you don't want complicated."

"Come here."

She pushes herself up and buries her head in my chest. "She's never going to talk to me again."

"She'll get over it."

Kaylee shakes her head. "No. She looked so betrayed. I've never seen that before."

"She will. I promise."

"No. I'm going to leave tomorrow, and everything is going to be fucked, and I'm going to come back here and everything will still be fucked." Kay clutches at my arms. She holds me tighter. Pulls me closer. "I'm sorry. I..."

"It's not your fault."

Again, she shakes her head.

She's not going to get it.

Not like this.

She needs someone to walk her through this.

To occupy all her thoughts.

Or maybe that's my cock talking.

I run my fingers through her hair.

I hold her body against mine until she stops shaking.

Is this for me or her?

I'm not sure.

She has me so fucked up.

I don't know up or down anymore.

I certainly don't know right or wrong.

"You want to feel better, Kay?"

She looks up at me with all that trust in her eyes. "Yeah, but I don't see—"

"You want out of your head or not?"

"I do."

"You trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then go to my room."

Understanding fills her eyes. "You mean—"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Well. Um. Yeah. Okay." She pushes herself to her feet. "Okay. Is Em okay?"

"She's staying with Walker."

"Okay. Good. I, uh... Okay. Do we need a safeword or something?"

It never hurts. "You have something in mind?"

"Tattoo."

Fuck, it's like she's trying to be adorable.

How the hell am I supposed to give her up?

I nod. "Tattoo."

"Okay." Her voice is halfway back to normal. Her posture too.

She's slow about moving into the hallway.

Then into my room.

The door shuts.

She's waiting in there.

For me to hurt her.

But not the way she thinks I'm going to.