Now, she was here, and every brother, every prospect was looking at her like they wanted what I already knew I could never give up.
I stayed silent, but the anger burned steady in my gut, coiling tighter with every laugh and every careless glance they threw her way. If I told Lucy to stay the hell away from Link, would she think it was about safety? About him being reckless?
The truth was, it was about me, because if I ever caught him talking about her the way those prospects just had, there wouldn’t be enough of him left to bury.
I caught the tail end of Link leaning in, whispering something in Lucy’s ear. She laughed, cheeks flushed, and he gestured towards the sofa in the dim corner.
My stomach turned to stone.
No. Fucking. Way.
He wasn’t going to fuck her there or anywhere. Not while I was breathing.
It was late. She needed to go home, not curl up in the dark with one of my brothers.
The burn in my chest snapped my restraint. I shoved Gabby off my lap, ignoring her squawk of protest, and pushed to my feet. My boots carried me across the floor before I even knew I’d moved.
Straight to Lucy.
Chapter 15
Lucy
I’d barely leaned in when Link whispered something I couldn’t quite catch, gesturing towards the corner sofa. My pulse tripped, nerves tingling with curiosity. Part of me wanted to hear him out, and part of me wanted to forget the mess in my head for one damn night and get lost in him.
But then the air shifted, and loud boot steps thundered our way.
I looked up, and there he was.Jay.Striding through the room like a storm, his jaw tight, eyes locked on me like I’d done something wrong.
Gabby was left behind on her barstool, lips parted in shock, her little victory parade crumbling as he strode away from her.
“What the hell are you?—”
“Not here,” he snapped, low enough that only I caught it but sharp enough that Link straightened, frowning.
I blinked at him, anger flaring to cover the confusion. “Excuse me? Since when do you get to?—”
His hand closed around my wrist, firm, not cruel but unyielding. The heat of his skin seared through me, and my breath hitched in spite of myself.
Link’s gaze darted between us, brows rising like he was putting two and two together.
Jay didn’t even look at him. Didn’t look at anyone but me. “We need to talk.”
Before I could tell him to go to hell, he tugged me across the room, straight towards the couch in the far corner, close to the front door. My boots scraped against the floor, every step daring me to pull away, but I didn’t.
He sat me down on the edge of the beat-up sofa, the one with stains I was trying not to think about, then crouched in front of me, forearms braced on his knees.
“You shouldn’t be here. Go home,” he said quietly.
“You said to stay.” My voice was tinged with exhaustion.
A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “I also said you wouldn’t last a week.”
I looked up at him. “You trying to make sure of that?” There was no way I was going to let him get rid of me.
Before he could answer, a waft of perfume drifted between us.
Gabby.
