Kat gave him one hell of a glare. “Don’t you start with me. You’re the worst, since you’re crashing here at my house like some out-of-work moocher. You had every chance to come clean, but you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t.” He didn’t sound the least bit sorry about it, either.
Kat narrowed her eyes. Bradley always knew how to pick at her, how to get her temper going. After their time together, he excelled at being able to get beneath her skin.
And Katalwaysrose to that occasion.
“I didn’t want you blaming yourself,” Olin said, his voice soft. “I was the one who made the decision—no one else.”
“Oh, trust me, I have far more than enough anger to go around so everyone gets their fair share.”
Olin didn’t respond right away, just staring at her. Finally, he shook his head and dropped his gaze to the floor.
Bradley spoke up, no doubt the one who was most used to dealing with Kat’s moods. “Look, Kat, be pissed all you want about us not telling you. None of that changes that now that you know, we have to decide what to do.”
“What to do? There’s nothing to do.” She gave a meaningful glare to Bradley. “Except you can move out.”
“Not happening. In fact, now that we don’t have to pretend like everything is fine, I’m pretty sure you’ll have to put up with Dean more often, too.”
Kat jerked her gaze around to Dean, who’d said little to nothing since arriving. She almost expected him to side with her, for him to say that the others were being unreasonable.
“He’s right.”
Bastard.
Dean kept going. “Jerry might have said he wouldn’t touch you directly, but men like him don’t keep their word, not when push comes to shove. Until he gets caught, you need to make sure you aren’t an easy target.”
“My house isn’tnearlybig enough for the three of you to stay here.”
“We won’t,” Olin said. “There’s no need for all of us to be here at once. We can rotate based on schedules. It gives us the chance to get stuff done but know that you’re not on your own.”
Kat let out a frustrated sigh. The tone of each man said she couldn’t talk them out of it.
Worse? There was a part of her that clung to their offer, to the idea that she wasn’t alone. She recalled the weeks before Bradley had come, when she’d been so jumpy and fearful in her own place, especially at night.
No matter how much it annoyed her to have shadows, she couldn’t deny that she did feel better knowing he was there, hearing Bradley’s bare feet against the wood floors at night when he’d make his rounds, listening to Dean’s snarky comments, feeling that sense of safety when Olin stared at her, the way he had the confidence to make her think things would work out.
Sure, she wasn’t sure how to deal with them, but it seemed that didn’t matter. No one was asking her opinion on the matter.
Kat had just gotten herself three sexy, dominant roommates. What would have been the start to an amazing fantasy just months ago didn’t seem so great, now.
It sucked when reality never lived up to fantasy.