Where the Sun Hides (Seasons of Betrayal #1)(80)

She opened her mouth to argue the point, but something kept her quiet. Maybe it was the way Kaz watched her silently, waiting for her to say something. Or maybe it was the way she let her mind turn over conversations she’d had with her father when she wasn’t performing up to his satisfaction in life.

“How often does he do that?” Kaz asked after a long while.

Violet glanced away, refusing to meet his stare. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I think you do, krasivaya. It’s the same damn thing as before—when you said he didn’t want a daughter who shamed him. Words like ‘shame’ shouldn’t be used between a father and his daughter. It’s manipulation. It’s unhealthy. And let me guess, how pissed off are you right now that I just called it out, because you want to defend him?”

She was going to deny that, too, but she couldn’t. Not with the way the anger was simmering in her bloodstream. She loved her father, and he wasn’t perfect, but he was hers.

And yet, Kaz had a good point.

Nothing he said was untrue.

“It’s not important,” Violet said weakly.

She didn’t even believe her own words.

“And this is not why I came here tonight,” she added, stronger than before.

“It might not be, but it’s out there now,” Kaz responded, unbothered at her anger. “You’re close to him, no doubt. He makes it seem like pleasing him is what will further you—what makes you better. Because that’s how it has been for forever, no? You make him happy, and in return he’s happy with you. But when he’s not happy with you, then he takes away what you want. His approval, affection, and that sort of thing. Am I wrong?”

Violet sucked in a hard breath, letting the air burn in her lungs as she held it in. “I said—”

“Don’t want to talk about it. Yeah, I got that. Just answer me.”

“Obviously you’re wrong, or I wouldn’t be here with you right now.”

“Wrong,” Kaz murmured. “That is only one single part of what makes everything I said right. Because you don’t always do what he says, and you don’t always believe what he tells you like its gospel. And sometimes it might not always feel right, but when you get someone else’s voice in your head instead of his, you start seeing that things aren’t colored just the way he says they are.”

“Kaz—”

“Like me,” he interrupted. “I am not what your father said I would be, am I?”

Violet clenched her teeth, but the word slipped out anyway. “No.”

“And that pisses you off, yes?”

Right then, he was kind of pissing her off.

Violet still knew Kaz was right. Even if it hurt a lot to admit it.

“No need to continue,” Violet said, blinking away the wetness starting to gather in her eyes. “The rose-tinted glasses have been pulled off, so thank you.”

Kaz grabbed her waist hard and pulled her to the very edge of the hood, keeping their bodies firmly pressed together. “I didn’t say it to make you angry with me.”

“I know.”

“But you are. Angry with me.”

“More with myself,” she admitted softly.

Kaz sighed, and then quickly pulled her down from the hood, snagging her hand with his own and weaving their fingers together. “Come on. Let’s go do something.”

“Like what?”

“I’ll figure something out.”

Violet didn’t doubt him.





The Porsche came to a stop on wet sand, and Violet was already unbuckling her seatbelt to get out.

“The pier is closed for a week,” Kaz informed, opening his door as Violet climbed out of the car. “They’re doing some minor construction, and closed down the beach for about a mile either way for safety’s sake, but they’re lax on monitoring it during the night.”

Violet looked around, noting there was no one as far as she could see. Parked right beside the pier, the Porsche was hidden by shadows, and so were they.

“And what happens if someone catches us down here?”

Kaz laughed. “They won’t.”

“You don’t know that for sure, Kaz.”

“I’m pretty sure,” he countered. “And it was this or my place again.”

Violet’s brow furrowed as she met him at the front of the Porsche. Kaz leaned against the hood, holding a hand out for her to take. She did, letting him tug her into his side. A heavy arm rested over her shoulder, and she smiled when he kissed her temple.

“I like your place,” Violet whispered.

Kaz’s lips moved against her skin when he said, “I know you do, but you should see more than just the walls of my apartment. Do something with me other than hide away in my bedroom.”

“I like that, too.”

He chuckled, deep and heady. “Keep that up and I’ll run us over there. I’m pretty confident I can get us there in under ten minutes.”

Grinning, Violet pushed away from his side. He said nothing when she kicked off her suede, booted heels, letting her feet sink into wet, cold sand.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I want to check the water.”

“It’s going to be freezing.”