But I don’t. I step in closer, lowering my voice just for her. “You always this reckless?” I ask.
She lifts a brow, pretending innocence. “Define reckless.”
“Walking into a bar full of bikers in that outfit. Poking frat boys after I told you to keep your nose outta trouble. Dancin’ like you don’t know what that does to people.”
Her smile goes sharp. “Oh, Iknow.That’s the point.”
I stare at her, trying like hell not to grab her right here in the middle of the bar and remind her exactly why this game she’s playing is dangerous, for both of us.
“You’re gonna drive me insane,” I mutter.
“Maybe that’s the point, too.”
Jesus Christ. She’s fearless. And I hate how much Ilikeit.
“Go sit down, Bri,” I say, voice rougher than I mean it to be. “Before I forget why I’ve been keepin’ my distance.”
She leans in, close enough that her lips almost graze my ear. “You already forgot,” she whispers, then pulls back and flashes me that wicked smile again. “You’re just too damn stubborn to admit it.” Then she turns on her heel and saunters off, hips swaying, boots clicking against the floor like she owns the whole damn place.
And me? I’m just standing there. Hooked. Branded.Burned.
Rev watches me approach the table again and raises an eyebrow. “Well?”
I drop down into my chair, grab my beer, and say nothing. Because I can’t. Because if I do, I’m gonna say something likeshe’s mine,and that’s a road I can’t come back from. But deep down? I think I already took the first step.
Rev doesn’t push. Just gives me that knowing look he’s worn since we were teenagers getting into fights over girls and whiskey, back when life was easier and our hands were clean. He takes a long pull from his beer, eyes tracking Bri as she slips back into the crowd with Ansley, laughing like she didn’t just light a fuse in the center of my damn chest.
“You’re fucked,” he says casually, like he’s talking about the weather.
I grunt, leaning forward, elbows on the table, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “You think I don’t know that?”
He smirks. “Yeah, but I like sayin’ it out loud. Makes it real.”
I glance at him, not in the mood for his smart-ass commentary. “She’s too young.”
Rev shrugs. “So’s a grenade, but it still blows shit up.”
I snort. “Was that supposed to help?”
“Nope,” he says cheerfully, tipping his bottle toward me. “Just enjoyin’ the show.”
I don’t respond. My eyes are already on her again. She’s at the edge of the dance floor, spinning under the colored lights, hair catching every flash like it’s made of fire. She’s still got her drink in one hand, but she’s not drinking much. Just watching. Always watching. Girl notices more than she lets on.
I watch her smile at Ansley, toss her head back, laugh again. But then her eyes flick my way. And land right on me. She doesn’t look away. Neither do I.
It’s like everything else falls away, the music, the people, even Rev’s mouth running next to me. All I see is her. All Ifeelis this pull. This aching, magnetic thing between us that’s been getting worse every time I tell myself to back off.
I can’t protect her and want her at the same time. That’s the truth.
Wanting her? It means pulling her into my world. The darkness, the violence, the blood on my hands I can’t wash off no matter how long I stand under the water.
But the second some idiot laid his hands on her tonight, I knew something in me shifted.
No matter how many times I’ve told myself she’s off-limits, too young, too sweet, too good, none of it fucking matters when I’m watching her light up a room, and every man in it starts looking at her like she’s up for grabs. She’s not. And I think I just made that clear without even saying the words.
She holds my gaze for a second longer, then turns back to Ansley like she’s not affected at all.
But I saw the look in her eyes. She knows. She’s not just playing anymore. She’s waiting for me tostop holding back. And God help me… I’m not sure how much longer I can.
