His nostrils flared. “You...you were drunk, Jillian,” he spat out, and popped his jaw. I watched a vein throb in his neck. He was seriously pissed at me right now.
Suddenly a flash from last night came back. I left Belle’s house, but instead of taking the long way home, I decided to walk down the beach, even though I knew that I shouldn’t. Only, it wasn’t just any beach. It was the beach called Biker’s Beach, and the one place everyone knew to stay away from at night. The rumors about how the bikers hung out to drink and other nefarious things were actually true. I knew better than to step foot there at night, but I was just in a rush to get home. Molly returned to the table with our food, placing the plates in front of us. I suddenly felt like I had lost my appetite.
“Thanks.”
"You are so welcome." Molly flashed a big smile at Hutch before she looked at me. "If you two need anything else, just give me a holler. Enjoy your breakfast." She winked at me and was off again.
I slowly began to cut up my pancakes, wondering if I would be able to eat. I remembered a couple of men weren’t looking to walk me home. I took a bite of my breakfast and looked up to find Hutch watching me with venom in his eyes. “You were there,” I whispered, but he shook his head. “Then—”
“I saw you.” He shook his head before he grabbed his silverware to start aggressively cutting up his pancakes. His jaw was set in a hard line. He growled deep in his chest before he stopped to stare at me. “You could have been hurt, Jillian.” He dropped his gaze. “What were you thinking?” He had spoken more to me right here than he probably had in his entire life. Then he began to brutally mutilate his food with his fork.
“Not like that.” I went to take the silverware away, but he pulled his hands away. “You cut them up one at a time so that if the other person wants one, they can. What? Why are you are you looking at me like that. Are you mad at me now?”
“Yes.”
“You are? Because of last night?”
He just gave a curt nod.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered before I picked up my fork to push my pancakes around the plate. I wanted to blame it on the margaritas, but I knew that wasn’t the honest truth. I was drunk, tired, and just wanted to get home to my own bed so I took a shortcut that I knew I shouldn’t.
“You could have been hurt,” Hutch muttered again. “What if—” I looked up to see him staring at his plate with his ears burning bright pink again.
“Thank you.” I bumped his shoulder lightly with mine. “Let’s eat up before our food gets cold. Maybe we can go for a walk on the beach after,” I suggested, effectively ending his train of thoughts.
Chapter Two
Hutch
The first time I noticedJillian— I mean, really noticed her — was a couple summers back, when she had just grown up into a full-fledged woman on me. It scared me how much I wanted her. She was sixteen at the time, and totally, completely, and absolutely off-fucking-limits, but I still watched her like some creepy dude. Jillian had always been different from the rest of the Ocean View residents. Happier, sweeter, and kinder to me even if we hardly ever spoke.
Thinking about her walking home alone on Biker’s Beach last night made me furious. I had been minding my own business, just sitting out on the sand, like I did a lot in the summer, when I spotted her stumbling down the beach. Alone. Everyone knew better than to go there at night, but by the way Jillian was acting, she had forgotten that rule. I hadn’t even thought about what I was doing when the first guy had started toward her. I just reacted. I hit him before I grabbed her and ran straight for her place without looking back.
“Hutch, come on!” Jillian cried as she caught me watching her. “How can you be such a slowpoke?” Her laughter was a melody to my ears. “With legs that long, you should be miles ahead of me by now,” she teased over her shoulder. Despite everything, despite how I knew this was so fucking wrong, my dick pressed against the zipper of my jeans. Or maybe it was just the sight of Jillian. Her chestnut brown hair, the way her green eyes sparkled with happiness in the sun, and that perfect, dancer’s body.
Out of your league, Hutch.
