Breaking Away (Assassins, #5)(17)

She shrugged her shoulders, typing something on her phone, as she said, “Yeah.”

He rolled his eyes, pulling onto the main road before saying, “Okay, what did you two talk about?”

“She just wanted my history. I gave it to her.”

“Okay,” he said with a nod, then he stopped and looked over at her, “You didn’t lie, did you?”

“Oh yeah, I did. I don’t know that chick.”

Damn it.

“Claire, what is the point of you getting help if you lie?”

Claire shrugged her shoulders again as she said, “She saw right through me, don’t worry.”

Relief flooded him as he let out a breath.

“Thank God.”

“Yeah, so she’ll probably hound me next week for the real story, which I have no desire to relive.”

He looked over to see that she was looking out the window, a sad look on her face. He blew out a breath before saying, “It’s for the best.”

“So you have said.”

He didn’t know what else to say, so he clamped his mouth shut and drove towards Green Hills Mall. He figured that she could find everything she wanted there. After coaxing her to pick something, she finally did, and then there was no stopping her. He learned that Claire’s style was her own. She went from picking preppy clothes, to nerdy stuff, and then ended up at sporty. She threw in some brightly colored 80s stuff and then some conservative stuff. He didn’t care what she bought, as long as it made her happy.

“Is it okay if we go to Victoria Secret’s?”

He made a face as he shook his head.

“How about I sit out here while you go in. I don’t want to see the panties and bras you buy.”

When a true smile graced her face, his breath caught. She was so pretty when she really smiled.

“Okay, can I have some money?”

He handed her his credit card and sat down, placing all her bags around him. He watched as she walked into the black and pink store and stopped at the loungewear, picking up a few things. He didn’t know why since she had bought out the nightwear section at American Eagle, but there was no way he was stepping foot in the store with her while she bought undergarments.

That was not happening.

After waiting for what seemed like hours, she finally came out with a few bags and handed him his card.

“Why’d you get more lounge clothes?” he asked as he stood up, grabbing all her bags.

She looked down and shrugged her shoulders.

What the hell did that mean?

He watched her, waiting for an answer.

She finally looked up and said, “I have dance tomorrow.”

“Dance?” he asked, confused. He didn’t remember signing her up for that, or even know she wanted to dance.

“Yeah, with Reese.”

“Reese?” he asked, even though he knew exactly who Reese was. He had met her a few times, but never really talked to her. Only admired her from afar. She was hot as f*ck with dark hair that went down to her bottom, honey brown eyes, and suck-you-dry lips that could bring a man to his knees. She had delectable curves and the greatest ass he had ever seen. Even though she was super sexy, he knew with one glance that she was a ball buster. Since he loved his balls very much, he tended to stay away.

“Harper’s sister. She owns a dance studio and asked me to train there. I’m on some probation or something. Harper seems pretty excited for me, and I guess it’s cool.”

It was the most she had talked to him without yelling since she had been with him. He ignored his need to fall to his knees and thank the Lord above, saying, “That’s right, I knew that, and yeah, it is cool. Reese is really awesome from what I hear. I didn’t know you liked to dance.”

A small smile pulled at her lips as she looked down at the ground. . “Yeah, I do. A lot.”

“Wow, that’s cool, Claire. Have you always danced?”

He could see the smart remark in her eyes but, to his surprise, she didn’t say it. Instead, she said, “Yeah, since I was like seven. Mom had me in it for a while. Then she couldn’t afford it anymore and stopped paying. I used to do things around the studio to pay for my classes.”

Phillip looked down, feeling completely guilty. She had to work to dance? She was a child. What the f*ck was his sister’s problem?

“You must really enjoy it.”

“Yeah,” she said offhandedly.

Phillip could tell that this meant a lot to her, and it killed him for not knowing this. He used to know everything, and now it was like he was with a stranger. It scared him how much he wanted her to love him and to know that he loved her. Never in his life had he cared about someone as much as he cared about Claire. He never told anyone he loved them. With Claire, he was basically screaming it at her. He usually wasn’t so emotional, but he felt like he had to hold onto her like a vice grip because he was so scared she would turn out like her mother and grandmother. He wanted her healthy, and he wanted her to succeed in her life.

Looking down, he took in the beauty of her. She was filling out since she came to him, and actually looked like a normal teenager. Things were still a little rocky, but he felt good about them. He felt like things were going to work—she just needed time.

“Do you need to get anything for it?”

She looked up at him shyly as she asked, “Can we go by a dance store? I’d like to pick up some stuff.”