Read Online Surrounded by Secrets by Mandy Harbin - Free Book Online

and my sister when she was trying to medicate him and Rob.”
    Mikaela nodded solemnly. “Yeah, Jack hadn’t been taking his meds and tried to rape her.”
    “He hadn’t been taking his shots like he should’ve been, so he was a danger to her. He should’ve known better.”
    Lillian’s hackles rose at Krista’s snippy remark. She leveled Krista with a flat stare. “He told me he attacked her. And he apologized. She doesn’t seem too scared of him when I’ve seen her around.
    Maybe you should let it go.” There went her idea of making friends. But Krista’s snarky attitude just pissed her off. If anybody was going to be mad at Jack, it was going to be Lillian. Period. End of discussion.
    She turned to leave, but felt a hand grab her arm. She turned around and saw Mikaela holding on to her. “Krista loves her sister. That was a very hard situation for everyone. But I think you’re good for Jack. You obviously care enough about him to defend him.”
    Lillian pulled her arm free. She didn’t need girlfriends to speak her case to Jack about leaving. She was insane for even trying to make friends with them. “I’m going home. It was nice meeting you all. Have a nice life.”
    She could not care about Jack. She wouldn’t. And she was damn tired of wearing other people’s clothes and brushing with a cheap toothbrush. She wanted her own clothes, toiletries, and bed. Besides, her father would be back soon, and she needed to clean out the fridge and do some laundry.
    She had a life back home, and it was time she got back to living it.
    * * * *
    Jack came barreling up to the dining room door just before dinner. He hadn’t even showered and changed out of his work clothes, so he was still wearing dirty jeans and boots. Not that it mattered. He had one thing on his mind. He was going to paddle Lilly’s ass! She hadn’t returned to work at all that afternoon.
    He’d come to expect her little disappearing act in midmornings and not seeing her again until early afternoon. Hell, he’d silently cheered when she would sneak away because it would give him time cool his growing hunger for her. If she really knew how much he wanted her, he’d be embarrassed.
    He’d gone from needing her to wanting her.
    He was okay with the idea of needing her. His body needed release, and his lion needed its mate.
    But wanting her? No, that wasn’t something he was looking forward to. Wanting her company, wanting her touch on him, wanting her snippy little voice bitching at him, he was a glutton for punishment when it came to Lillian Caldwell, and he couldn’t help it. She pissed him off and turned him on, and he could not get enough of her.
    Which was why he’d searched everywhere for her when she hadn’t returned to work. He had yet to find her. But when he did . . .
    Jack pushed the dining room door open amid the murmurs of his family and quickly scanned the room for his wayward mate, assuming she’d come out of her hidey-hole for dinner.
    He’d assumed incorrectly. Shit. She wasn’t in here either.
    “Where is she?”
    “Who?” Mikaela asked coyly.
    Jack growled. “You fucking know who.”
    “You better back off, bro, or I’ll take you out. You know better than to growl at my mate,” Josh warned.
    Jack shook his head and grunted. “Where. Is. Lillian?”
    “She went home,” Krista said. “She snapped at me and said she was leaving.”
    Mikaela sighed. “She was provoked, Krista,” she said without any judgment. “You’d have acted the same if someone bad-mouthed Toby to you.”
    Ariel walked over to Jack, and damn if his shoulders didn’t relax a little.
    “Krista told me that the attack came up in conversation earlier.” Jack winced, knowing what attack she was referring to, but Ariel continued. “She said that Lillian stood up for you and went home.
    Her intention was to go home anyway, and I think you should give her what she wants.”
    Jack felt his blood pressure rise. He knew he should give her what she