"Stop it!" he ordered more roughly than he intended. "I didn't mean anything of the sort!"
Mia pursed her lips in confusion, "But I'm only trying to understand everything, you__"
"Damn it, I don't want you to understand anything." He said through clenched teeth, then he stopped himself short to remind himself of the unfairness of taking his anger at himself out on her. It wasn't her fault that he'd gotten in a mess, and he wanted as much as possible not to involve Liam nor she in this. Raking a hand through the side of his hair to calm himself, he said to her with as much patience as he could muster, "I'll try to explain this as clearly and shortly as I can, and then I want the subject dropped, understood?" He demanded coolly.
