Cain by Kathi S. Barton Read Free Book Online Page A

would want you to. So long
as he ain’t expecting you to turn tricks...you ain’t, are you,
young man?”
    “ No, ma’am, I’m not. I
just want her to get off the streets and safe. Just like you do,”
Cain answered. He suddenly had a thought. He wondered if that was
how she had survived all these years. Cain hoped if it had been her
way of life, that she had been safe.
    “ I really, really hate you
right now,” Julie said as she jerked away from him.
    Cain watched as she went back toward
Moon’s house. He followed her. There was no way he was letting her
out of his sight again. Not now that he’d found her.
    Cain watched as she gathered up her few
things and stuffed them into a plastic grocery bag. She had another
pair of pants and a few books. Then she kissed Moon and told him to
tell Toby that she’d see them both around. He reached to help her
by taking the bag to carry for her. He stepped back when she
growled at him. No one had ever growled at him before and it
startled him somewhat. Not even that stupid dog they’d had as kids.
But he was sure, in that second, he’d never been so afraid. Not
that she’d kill him, but he was pretty sure she would hurt a couple
of his more...private parts if he tried to reach for it again. He
simply pointed the way to his car parked down the
street.
    Julie didn’t say another word to him.
Not all the way across the lot of the Howard Building’s parking lot
nor when he’d opened the car door for her. He did nearly lose his
fingers when she jerked her door from him and shut it before he had
time to move fast enough. By the time they got to his house, he was
pretty angry himself.

~CHAPTER SEVEN~
     
    Julie didn’t even wait for Cain to come
around and open her car door. But jumped out as if the thing was on
fire and she was going to save herself. She had a good mind to set
it on fire anyway, damned man. She stomped up the front steps to
his house and waited for him, daring him to say a single word to
her. Once the door was open, she stalked inside and sat on the
floor. She was off the streets, there wasn’t any way she was moving
in with the idiot.
    “ Are you planning to be
this childish the whole time you live here? If so, this could get
really tedious. Come up the stairs so that I can show you your room
while you’re here.”
    “ No.” Julie laid her small
collection of books next to her on the floor and then folded her
pants on the other side of her. She left her toothbrush and other
toiletries inside to use as a carryall.
    “ Julie, I’m doing this for
your own good. You could—”
    “ Fuck you.” Her temper was
near meltdown. She had never been so furious in her life. If he
thought to make her stay, he was in for a big surprise.
    “ You aren’t making me the
bad guy in all of this. You can’t expect me to just let you live on
the streets like an animal.”
    That’s it! He’d pushed her over the
edge just that quickly. She leapt up off the floor as she rushed
toward him. “Animal! Animal? Why you arrogant, misguided,
overbearing asshole. What give you the right to judge me? Where do
you get off thinking you have any say in what I do?” She poked him
in the chest. “Where I live?” Another poke. “And how I chose to
live?” She poked him again.
    When he only stared at her, looking
down his nose, she turned away. Furious tears streamed down her
cheeks as she gathered up her things. She was leaving and he’d
better not even think about trying to stop her.
    ~~~
    Cain seemed to wake up when Julie
opened the front door to leave. He only meant to stop her, just to
pull her back from the door when she jerked away from him. Their
feet got tangled up and they started to fall. Cain moved to shelter
her from his weight falling on her and she landed over him as his
back hit the floor. The breath whooshed out of his
lungs.
    They lay there, both breathing hard for
several seconds. When Julie sat up, her legs wide over his hips,
Cain held her there by grabbing