Slater

“Ash…what’s going on?” I wandered out onto the back deck so I’d have a little privacy. It’s not that I didn’t feel comfortable talking in front of Izzy, but if my oldest brother was calling, then something was up.

“I just got off the phone with Emerson.” Ash let out a weary sigh, though my muscles were already tense with frustration, my anger brewing as I felt a lecture coming. “He’s worried about you—and I can’t say I blame him, given the circumstances. And before you get bent out of shape and defensive, I know this is none of my damn business. Except that you’re my little brother, even if you’re not so little anymore.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. And quite frankly, I don’t know why he’s making such a big deal of this. Izzy’s no longer a client—and even if she was, so what? We’re both adults. And if we want to be together, then I don’t see how that’s anyone’s business but ours.” It’s not like my brothers and cousins played by the rules anyway. So why they were suddenly getting all high and mighty was beyond me.

“Have you told her about us? About the family business? Because I’m betting you haven’t, and if you’re sleeping with her—and if you really like her—then she needs to know.”

I knew Ash wasn’t trying to be an ass, but it still pissed me off that he was putting a damper on the way I’d been feeling now that I had Izzy all to myself.

“I don’t see how telling her about the distillery is going to make any difference in my relationship with her.” I knew he was referring instead to our family’s illegal activities, rather than Blackthorn Whiskey, but I didn’t care. We were no longer involved in any criminal activity, and I just wanted to leave our past where it belonged.

Ash growled at my response, clearly losing his patience with me. “That’s not what I’m talking about and you fucking well know it, Slater. This girl…she comes from a world that’s completely different than ours—one that we don’t belong in, given our past and the trouble that seems to want to keep following us. She’s way out of your league, and you’re going to get your heart broken when she finally finds out who we really are and the things we’ve done—even if that’s not who we are now. Not to mention, there’s a good chance you might be putting her in danger.”

“I’m not putting her in danger.” I growled out the words between gritted teeth. And it didn’t matter that Izzy was crazy rich and came from old money. I knew that under normal circumstances, this thing between us would never work, since anyone with that sort of background would likely look down their nose at me and my family, even though we were wealthy enough. But that wasn’t Izzy. She wasn’t like the rest of them. “As for the world she lives in, I can tell you right now that she doesn’t care about any of that. She’s not like that, Ash.”

“Really? So she’d be fine with you and your family being fixers? And she’d be fine knowing that trouble follows us around no matter how hard we try to avoid it? Especially when she’s already lost her mother to violence?” He let out a weary sigh even as his words and the weight of them sank in. “I’m not saying she’s not a nice person. But we’ve been less than nice in the past, and maybe because she is such a nice person, our past will be even more horrific to her.”

“Fucking hell. Why do you have to be a pain in the ass, when I really like her?” Far more than was wise. And yet…I hated that Ash might be right. Izzy might be sweet and open-minded—but that would only make what my family and I had done all the worse for her.

“I wouldn’t care, normally. But…this is different, Slater. Just cut your losses while this thing is still young, before it gets serious. Walk away and don’t look back. If not for your sake, then do it for her. You don’t want her to have to endure what Wren went through simply because some asshole was trying to get to me.” His words were like a punch to the gut, and it felt like the ground was falling out from under me. “This can only go down one way, Slater. And I’m really sorry for it. It’s clear you really like this girl. But this is for the best.”

The last thing I wanted was to put Izzy in harm’s way, especially when her own threat had only just been eliminated. And though there wasn’t currently anyone who wanted to hurt me or my family, it always felt like it was just a matter of time. We’d lost my father to that sort of violence, my parents’ house had been set on fire, we’d been threatened, blackmailed—and even worse, I knew for a fact that nearly every woman now married or engaged to one of my brothers had been on the receiving end of some scary stuff, and even some brutal violence.

And that was the last thing I wanted for Izzy.

I cursed Ash out under my breath and hung up with him, though I already knew what I had to do. Feeling disheartened, I headed back inside where Izzy was sitting on the sofa, playing with Lola and Winston. “Sorry about that. There was some family stuff that needed to get sorted.”

I sat down by her side, and as she took me in, her brow furrowed. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah…it’s fine. Just my brother being a bit of a pain in the ass.” At least I wasn’t lying to her outright. Not yet anyway. And suddenly it felt like the clock was ticking and my time with Izzy was rapidly counting down. Not that I was ready to give up just yet. There was just no way I could simply walk away just yet, even if I should. Because my last day with her was looming on the horizon, and I fucking hated it. “Maybe you’re right…maybe we should just stay here today. Laze about naked in bed, making love, and then hop into the hot tub when we need a bit of a breather.”

“I think I like the sound of that.” Suddenly bold, she straddled my lap and slipped her arms around my neck, nuzzling me as I grabbed her hips.

Yet I couldn’t help but feel that she might have a completely different attitude toward me if she knew the truth behind my family and who we really were. Given that I’d been working for a security company as a bodyguard and most companies would have done background checks, she had probably assumed that I was a law-abiding citizen who had never done anything wrong. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, even though I’d avoided getting my hands dirty for the most part. It still didn’t change where I’d come from, and I had no doubt she’d be none too happy if she knew the truth.

And that made me feel like a complete shit for wanting to drag her back to her bed, given that I’d yet to be honest with her.

What the hell was I doing?

Ash was right. I needed to walk away before both of us got in way too deep, which would only make things a million times worse when I was finally forced to tell her.

I really should go.

Yet, I didn’t think I could.

Not yet anyway.

But I’d tell her soon—or break things off. One or the other.

Too bad both options sucked, and I wasn’t ready for either them.