The woman looks at us all, throwing her arms up in the air before stomping past the table she was sitting at, her friends scrambling to get their things and follow her to the front entrance and through the heavy wooden door.
“Sorry for the interruption, folks, pick something from your meal to be on the house when you go to pay. Consider it reperations for having to listen to that woman's screech.”
A loud round of applause rings out across the floor as people return to their conversations and Axel spins around, facing me before looking down at Jovie.
“Hey, kid, you think your mom will throw water on me if I try to talk to you, or does she just do it to the ones who try and hit on Grizz?” He smirks like it's the funniest thing in the world to mock me, but I'm more interested in whether Brynn actually was jealous.
That woman was probably more plastic than human. It made my skin crawl. I never would have touched her anyway. Axel, on the other hand, has zero standards that I know of.
“She insulted my child, and I have a zero tolerance policy on that. She's lucky I only threw water on her,” Brynn huffs, crossing her arms and glaring at Axel.
“Kid, I think you'd better come with me because Mom and Dad need to have a chat,” he says, nodding at Bynn and me.
“Go on, Jon Bon, I'll be with you in a minute, and you can tell me which ghost story you want to hear. Me and your mom just need to clear something up.” I nudge her forward, Axel pulling out the chair she was sitting on, smiling. Blaze pours himself a drink, and Mac is putting in an order with the kitchen. I take hold of Brynn's hand, pushing open the staff door as she calls back to Jovie.
“It's okay, Jovie, I'll be back in a second,” she reassures her. I don’t even wait for the door to stop swinging before I've pushed her back into the wall. Less than a meter away is the bustle of the bar, but out here in the loading dock, it's just me and her.
“Brynn,” I growl, letting my hand roam up her arm, lightly resting it around her neck. She gasps, staring at me, not knowing what my next move is, but there's no fear in her features. Her pupils are blown wide, and the little pink flicker of her tongue gives her away.
Shelikesthis.
She wants me to crowd her, to take hold of her and protect her. I'm not convinced anyone has ever done it before.
“I won't apologise for looking out for my kid.” Ah, there’s the flash of anger I was looking for. “We can be out of your hair tonight, or I can go pack and we can leave now.”
She tries to avert her gaze, but I don’t allow it, moving my grip to the silky skin on her jaw. I make her hold mine, and I see the cloud of doubt. Assuming this is just another in a long list of times she's put her faith in someone, hoping for a different outcome. I lean into her, caging her body against mine, her hands coming up to grasp my cut. The leather creaks under her grip, her nipples beading under her t-shirt as I drag my nose up her neck, breathing her in.
“If I wasn't clear last night. You and Jovie are mine to protect. I will never pick another person over you, least of all some fake bitch looking for a fuck. I do what I say, Brynn. You just need to let me.”
She takes a deep breath, and I can hear the wobble she's trying to mask in her voice.
“You don't understand,” she whispers. “We’ve only ever had each other. Other people… They just let us down, and I can't let it hold us back anymore.”
“I was raised by a single mom. I've been Jovie, and I can tell you right now you're doing an amazing job. You're not leaving, Brynn. Stay for the winter. Stay for the Christmas festival. Stay for whatever reason you need to tell yourself. Just stay.”
Letting my hand fall, I circle her waist, groaning as I feel her pliable body under my grip.
“I can think of a reason,” she whispers, her hands moving to my chest, wiping away any memory of the other woman. My thumbs move up her waist, barely skimming the underside of her breasts. A subtle moan slipping from her plump lips.
“That's good, baby. I promise, I won't let you down.” My lips press against her soft skin, kissing her forehead before holding open the door. Her fingers wipe under her eyes, and she pats down a few imaginary wrinkles on her t-shirt. Collecting herself before putting a service smile on her face. Stopping next to me, she reaches up, standing on her tiptoes to give me a kiss on the cheek as she walks back out to the bar where Jovie waits.
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 8 - BRYNN
The sounds of car doors slamming followed by an excited flurry of little voices wakes me from a very deep sleep, and for a moment I lie there in the dull light, my heart racing as I try to remember where I am.
Then the scent hits.
The soap from the shower.
The coffee.
The pine smell that you can’t escape because of the forest that surrounds the small town of Hallowed Springs.
Grizz.
My fingers curl into the sheets as the memory of last night hits me. The way his hands felt on my body—rough and calloused, yet so damn careful. As if he was holding something he was scared to break. The way his voice drops when he says my name, and how he made it clear it wasn’t a request when he told me to stay.
