Of course it helped that there was no real power behind her sock to his arm. “I hope you got it out of your system, because you’re not getting a second chance.” Shame heated her cheeks. She shouldn’t have taken her frustration out on him, even if he was acting like an ass. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” The fear of becoming her parents had always hovered on the edge of her mind. There wasn’t a day that went by during which she didn’t remember what it was like to curl into a ball as the rain of fists came down on her. She swore she’d never raise her hands in anger, and she’d broken the promise to herself. “I wouldn’t have let you do it if I wasn’t okay with it. You obviously needed to let off some steam.” She laughed, relieved he didn’t hold her loss of composure against her. “You mind telling me why you acted like such a jerk in front of my brother?” His expression turned serious. “Your brother is a reminder of how little I know about you.”
