Open Wounds (Harbour Bay #2)(61)

“Yep, Detective Nicholas Doyle, my Nicky. Do you know him?” Rose tied off the last stitch.

“Kellie trains with Nick,” Darryl said.

Rose gave her a considering look. “Does he ride you hard too? You’d think being his sister he would cut me some slack, but no.”

Kellie laughed and she relaxed, the tension draining out of her with one of the questions currently bouncing around her head answered. She peered over Rose’s head and her gaze settled on Darryl. As always, when their eyes met, her stomach fluttered and desire heated her blood. Her body tingled with awareness. She couldn't seem to be able to control herself where he was concerned.

“Yes, Nick’s a slave driver but I’ve come to respect him for it. He only wants the best from us.”

Rose nodded and wrapped a clean bandage around Darryl’s palm. “Yes, he does,” Rose agreed before changing the subject back to the more serious. “Now, change the dressing daily. Don’t let it get wet and if you start to feel your temperature rise call me immediately.”

“I will. Thank you, Rosie.”

Rose hugged Darryl, then squeezed Kellie’s arm on her way out.

“He’ll be all right,” she said soothingly, but in a tone that made Kellie think that if Rose decreed it, then it must be so. “It was nice meeting you.”

“You too.”

A moment later she and Darryl were alone, and she moved to stand beside him. He shot her look.

“What?”

“I was getting worried there for a moment. You were starting to look very dangerous, Kellie. I thought you were going to slug Rose.”

She snorted derisively. “Hardly.”

“You can’t tell me you weren’t jealous.”

“Like you were yesterday when you growled at Nick?” she countered. She wasn’t proud to admit that she’d gotten a little thrill when he’d snarled at Nick. She remembered his easy exchanges with the nurse. “Do I have a reason to be jealous?”

“No. I’ve never had carnal thoughts about Rose.”

She placed her hands on her hips, not believing him. “How is that possible? The woman is gorgeous.”

Darryl shrugged. “She’s like a little sister to me. Besides, Nick wouldn’t take kindly to one of us fooling around with his sister. Not unless marriage was our intention.”

“Ah, yes, because then it would be all right,” she said mockingly.

“We men are simple creatures.”

Kellie didn’t doubt that. They could be extremely single minded when the occasion called for it. She shivered at the sensual reminder of how intently Darryl could focus on a task. She led him out of the ER and towards the parking lot. His keys jingled in her hand as she walked.

“Come on. I’ll take you home and keep an eye on you.”

“No,” he said, coming to a stop. “It’ll be better to keep some distance between us.”

Kellie turned around to face him. He looked like a man with his mind made up. Clearly she hadn’t been the only one thinking. Sharp pain pierced her heart but she forced her face to be impassive, as if his words weren’t crushing her. She had given him the power to shatter her after all, she thought harshly.

“We’re good together, Kellie, but that doesn’t change the fact that getting involved right now isn’t the best idea. I could see how much it frightened you in there and how worried you are about me. It could be dangerous in the wrong situation and I think we both need to take a step back, at least until the case is over.”

She had to admit that he was right. She cared for Darryl far too much and it surprised her. She wanted him with every fibre of her being. The night they were together only seemed to whet her appetite for him and every day they spent in each other’s company had her falling for him even more. The intensity of her feelings scared her more than looking down the barrel of Wayne’s gun. He was kind, considerate, and just plain wonderful. She wondered what the hell he saw in her. She was temperamental, bitchy, and her sharp tongue had the ability to cut a person to shreds if she so chose.

What the hell would she do? They had moved too quickly, jumping into bed without thinking of the consequences, and now they were being brought into the harsh light of day. Not too long ago, she’d had everything worked out and now she was utterly lost.

She wanted Darryl’s strong arms wrapped around her comfortingly. How had she become so dependent on him in such a short amount of time? She hated that he had so much control over her and that she had very little. She needed to step back and maybe get some well needed clarity.

Darryl swore and stepped closer. He pulled her into his arms and she realised she must’ve let her true feelings show on her face. Damn her for allowing that mask to slip. She stiffened her spine and broke the embrace. She had to be practical. Maybe the time apart would be good for them. Make her realise he wasn’t as awesome as she believed him to be.

Could they be happy? She wasn’t so sure. She was too damaged to be able to sustain a healthy relationship. Darryl may understand the demons she fought but she’ll never be able to share them with him. And they were a very big part of her life. Surely she was just kidding herself. Maybe it was better to make a clean break now before either one of them got in too far over their head. Before he had the ability to break her heart so completely that there would be nothing left but the pieces.