He scrawled his signature across the bottom of an order and flipped it over. “Uh…yeah, I heard you were finally staking your claim on her. What’s your point?”
“My point is that your brother had his hands on her!” I shouted. “You fucking know?—”
“He didn’t do a damn thing,” Wyatt interrupted. “He had her pressed up against the wall, but I walked in and told him to back off. No harm, no foul.”
My temper flared, and I reached across the counter, grabbing him by the collar, pulling him toward me. “Are you fucking kidding me? No harm? One of these days, you’re gonna make one too many excuses for that waste of air, and he’s going to do some real damage,” I hissed.
I thought I saw a spark in his eyes, but as usual, Wyatt just stared me down with a bored expression. “If you’re finished, I have work to do. Some of us still have a thriving business.”
His words bit into my skin like a razor, but I didn’t let him get to me. I still had to check on Bailey and make sure she was okay.
“I swear to God, if he comes anywhere near her—if he so much as breathes in her direction, I will fucking bury him.”
I jerked him back, releasing his shirt, still feeling my blood pounding just below the surface.
“Well, I’ll be sure to let him know. He’ll be quaking in his boots.”
“I’m warning you, Wyatt.”
“Considered me properly warned.”
I stormed out of the office, fuming and ready to murder. It had been a long time since something got me this riled up, but damn…where Bailey was concerned, I didn’t seem to have any sense of control.
Not even enough to wait until our date to pick her up.
I had cooledoff to a minuscule degree by the time I reached Bailey’s apartment. Maybe it was a tad drastic to pick her up now instead of waiting, but the unease in the pit of my stomach wouldn’t allow me to leave her at her apartment when she could be in the safety of my house.
Hitting the buzzer, I turned and scanned the streets, sure that fucker Austin was lingering nearby, but all I saw was Mrs. Abernathy rocking on her front porch.
And she didn’t look all too happy to see me.
“Hello?”
I turned at the sound of Bailey’s voice crackling through the speaker. Relief washed over me, making me momentarily forget the danger.
“Bailey, let me up.”
“Liam?” The surprise and panic in her voice brought the first hint of laughter to my lips all afternoon.
“Bailey, let me in.”
It was silent for half a minute before the door buzzed and I was allowed entry into her building. My feet ate up the space between me and the woman I was in love with. I had to lay eyes on her. Only then would I be able to breathe properly.
The door swung open before I even raised a fist to knock, showcasing Bailey in only a towel with water dripping over her skin in tiny streams.
Goosebumps pebbled over her skin as her wet hair clung to every inch of her flawless body. Her towel was just barely large enough to gather at the center, gaping slightly at her thighs and giving me a peek of what awaited me tonight.
Momentarily distracted, all I could do was think of unwrapping this woman and having my way with her—of shoving her up against the wall and taking her right now instead of waiting until I had her home.
“You can stare all you want, but you’ll get to see the full package when?—”
I shot forward, wrapping my arm around her waist as I kicked the door shut and spun her around, pressing her up against it. A small gasp left her lips moments before I sealed my lips over hers, sliding my tongue into that beautiful mouth and tasting her for the first time today.
Fuck, I wanted to wake up with her in my arms every day, feel her body against mine, and taste her on my lips every morning.
As I pressed my body against hers, I felt the towel start to give and inched back just enough to let it fall open. Rosy nipples peaked out, heaving as my hand found the outside of her thigh.
Smooth and silky, my fingertips couldn’t stop the upward motion, sliding over her perfect thigh until I felt the heat pouring off her. With just a light brush, she whimpered, her eyes falling closed as my fingers slid over her damp heat.
