Read Online Kiss of Moonlight by Stephanie Julian - Free Book Online Page B

back, he let her, knowing exactly what she was about to do. His daughter drew in a deep breath, her mouth set in a quivering line, and turned back to Tam.
    But before she could open her mouth, Tam shook her head and stood, reaching for Cat’s clenched fist. “Please don’t apologize. I’ve never seen anything so amazing in my life.”
    Cat bit her lip, indecision clear on her expression. “You’re not afraid of me? Of…what I did?”
    Tam’s answering smile loosened Kyle’s lungs. She didn’t look like she was in shock. “I’ll admit I was…amazed. Watching someone turn into a wolf isn’t something you see every day.” Tam looked over Cat’s shoulder at Kyle, her smile disappearing. “You were at my house last night, weren’t you?”
    He knew where this was going, knew she’d make that connection. He’d been hoping she’d at least give him a few hours to prepare. Apparently, she really was thinking clearly.
    And he saw she wanted answers. Now. Without looking away, he said, “Cat, you and Tivr go upstairs. Tam and I need to talk.”
    “Dad—”
    “No, Cat.” Tam’s smile returned for a brief second just for Cat. “It’s okay. Your dad’s right. I’ll be fine.”
    He stiffened as if she’d hit him. Did Tam actually think he’d hurt her?
    Cat hesitated another few seconds before she finally sighed and headed up the stairs, Tivr at her heels.
    Leaving Kyle and Tam staring at each other.
    Finally, she crossed her arms over her chest as if preparing for a battle. “You know everything, don’t you? I gave you enough information last night that all you had to do was Google my attacker’s name and ‘rape’ and it was all there for you to read.”
    Her expressionless voice made him flinch but the increasing despair in her eyes cut into him like silver blades.
    He didn’t want her to be hurt. He’d much prefer she get angry. Scream and yell at him so they could move on. So he wouldn’t have the urge to grab her and hold onto her so she wouldn’t shatter. But as much as he wanted to skip this part, he knew it’d be better if they got it over with. So they could move on.
    “Yes, I know everything.”
    Her chin lifted, almost as if he’d hit her with an uppercut. “Cat does too, right? I talked to her for two nights before you showed up.” She shook her head, her mouth twisting into a grimace. “You know, the hospital shrink told me I should find someone to talk to. Someone I trusted. She suggested a professional but I wasn’t ready. Not then. It’d only been a few weeks after the attack and I could barely look at myself in a mirror much less talk about what happened.”
    “Tam—”
    “No!” She slashed one hand between them, finally starting to show a little bit of the anger he’d wanted to see. “I thought I was talking to a dog . That I was pouring my heart out to an animal that couldn’t understand me. That my feelings would be safe .”
    Her fist rose to pound against her chest in the exact motion he and his fellow soldiers used. But her action wasn’t a salute. “I’ve been carrying this weight with me for months . Then I finally decide to spill my guts, to actually open my mouth and speak about what happened, thinking my confession was safe. So tonight, when Cat changed into that little black wolf, I honestly thought I’d lost my mind. But then I knew , I know I’m not that damaged.”
    She pointed a finger at him. “What I saw was magic. I know it even though I never believed there was anything like it in the world. I’ve seen the bad stuff. This…” She shook her head, “this was amazing. And I handled it. So don’t you dare look at me like I can’t handle whatever else happens. ”
    Tam finally stopped to draw in a deep breath as she continued to stare at him. Waiting.
    Vaffanculo , she was going to give him a heart attack. He’d never gone from fear to arousal so fast in his life. He wanted to grab her and kiss her because she stood before him strong and