Kian takes a step forward, the muscles in his arms twitching. I hold still, not backing down. He can fuck right off.
“No!” Luna’s shout has both of our heads turning toward the couch. She gets up and situates herself between us. I can only see the side of her face, but from her stony expression, it’s her turn to be angry. “He’s not leaving, Dad. And if you think about kicking him out, I’ll be going with him.”
“Goddamnit, Luna.” Kian grips the back of his neck, glaring at his daughter. “He’s got no right to be here. He’s caused enough trouble.”
She throws her hands on her hips and leans toward her dad. “Not one thing he’s done is his fault.” She throws her hand up in his face when he opens his mouth. “No! I’m over this. Twice that man,” she points behind her toward me, “has saved me. Not once have you thanked him for it. I would hope you would be grateful enough that you would look past your anger. I don’t care if you don’t like that he’s my teacher or that he’s older than me. You told me yesterday morning that you were sorry that I couldn’t understand how you feel. Now it’s me who’s sorry you can’t understand how I feel.” Her chest moves up and down with her heated rant. “You may not like it, but if August and I choose to see each other, you will learn to accept it, or you may lose something you don’t want to lose.”
“And what in the hell is that supposed to mean?” Worry mixes with the anger still lurking in his eyes.
“I don’t need to spell it out for you. You’re smart enough to know.”
His brows slash down. “You telling me you would choose him over your own father?”
Luna straightens her spine but drops her arms to her sides. I don’t need to see the devastation on her face to know her next words are painful to say. “Are you going to make me choose?”
For a moment, not a sound is heard in the room, except for sniffles coming from Luna’s mom and Luna’s heavy breathing. I stand behind her, not knowing what to say, but feeling a strange sensation in my chest. I’d never ask her to choose between her family and me, but knowing she would if pushed almost knocks me on my ass.
After a tense moment of silence, in which daughter and father glare at each other, Kian steps forward and yanks Luna into his arms. She stays stiff with her arms down by her sides until he says something in her ear, too quiet for me to hear. A soft hiccoughing sob leaves her and she wraps her arms tightly around him.
When his eyes meet mine over the top of her head, the anger is still present, but hidden beneath it is reluctant resignation.
Chapter 14
LUNA
Detective Erikson closes the small notebook in his hands and gets up from the chair beside my bed. “That’s it for now, Luna. Use the card I gave you if you think of anything else. In the meantime, don’t fret. A squad is already en route to bring in Dillon, Aaron, and Brooklyn. You don’t need to worry about any of them.”
I twist my fingers together in my lap. “Thank you, Detective.”
He inclines his head before turning to the door. Just before he walks through, he addresses Aleah, who’s been standing by the window. “I’ve still got to speak to August. Be ready to leave in fifteen minutes.”
He’s out the door before she can acknowledge his request. I don’t miss the look on her face as she watches him leave the room. It also didn’t escape my notice the way she gazed at him the entire time he asked me questions.
When the door clicks shut, Aleah comes to my bed, sitting at the end with her legs crossed, mirroring my position. She showed up with Detective Erikson thirty minutes ago. She said she overheard him on the phone with August. When she guessed something had happened to me from his end of the conversation, she insisted on coming with him. I was grateful that she came, and even insisted she stay when I was asked to repeat what happened to me.
She opens her mouth to say something, but I beat her to it.
“So,” I grin for the first time tonight, “he's the problem you’ve been having.”
Her eyes drop from mine and she begins tracing her fingers over the pattern on my comforter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mutters.
“Pul-lease, Aleah. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of him the whole time he was in the room. I may be a novice when it comes to matters of sex.” Aleah knows of my hymen status, so my words don’t surprise her, “But I know the look of desire when I see it. And, girl, you looked about ready to tackle him.”
Her eyes jerk to me, shock registering on her face.
“It was that obvious?”
“It wouldn't have been more obvious if you shouted to the sky how you feel.” I give her the truth.
“Shit,” she mumbles.
“I’m just going to say,” I wiggle my eyebrows, “having him as your problem, isn’t much of a hardship.”
Hot step-dad-slash-sexy-cop is the only way to describe Detective Spencer Erikson. I would guess him to be in his early fifties, but despite his age, he’s hot as hell. A body built from what has to amount to many hours spent in the gym, mostly dark-brown hair with hints of gray on the sides, and gorgeous blue-gray eyes.
I can totally understand her crush. If I didn’t have my own crush on my teacher, I might even feel a little tingle in my nether regions.
“But that’s just it,” Aleah says, interrupting my thoughts. “It is a hardship. He’s my step-dad, for fuck’s sake. Not to mention he’s thirty-two years older than me. And if neither of those were a factor, he’s shown no interest in me.”