Page 41 of Set It Right
“When did you get those?” I asked before I could stop myself.
His brows lifted. “The tattoos?”
Heat flooded my face. “No, the…yes.”
Lily hummed into her coffee.
“A few years ago. The one on my arm’s for the ranch. My backpiece too.”
I glanced at his arm again. Now that he’d said it, the lines resolved into something that looked like the ranch’s gate with barbed wire threaded around it.
“And the words?”
He lifted his hand to his collarbone, fingers brushing below the ink.
“A reminder,” he stated simply before pulling his T-shirt from his waistband and tugging it over his head.
Lily pushed her chair back. “Connell, darling, didn’t you say you wanted to show me that article about that vineyard in Argentina?”
Connell stood immediately. “I did.”
They couldn’t have been more obvious as they made a swift exit, sneaky little smiles on their faces. It was adorable and sweet and made my chest pang for my own grandparents once again.
When we were alone, Cormac slowly exhaled. “You don’t have to look like you’re about to bolt.”
“I’m not.”
“You keep eyeing the door.”
So I don’t look at you…and your muscles…and all the changes I wasn’t around to see happen.
“You took care of me last night,” I said softly.
His jaw flexed. “Yeah.”
“Thank you.”
“Zara.” My name sounded different. Deeper. Rougher around the edges. “You don’t ever have to thank me for that.”
My heart gave an unsteady thud.
“I should, um”—I gestured vaguely toward the hallway—“let you shower.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Probably a good call.”
He stepped closer as he moved past me, the heat of his body brushing my arm. My breath caught, and he paused at the edge of the kitchen, looking back.
“Once I’m dressed, I’ll drive you to the guesthouse, then we can go pick your car up from Scott.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t,” he replied. “I’m going to, though.”
“I’m not going to argue with you.”
He nodded. “Good. It’d be a waste of time.” His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before returning to my eyes. There and gone. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Then he disappeared down the hall, and I found myself staring at the doorway long after he was gone, my pulse fluttering in my throat.
