Page 43 of Cross To Bear

“Where the fuck were you?” I asked Roxy as she strolled over.

“Watching your girl be a fucking boss babe. Some shit needs to be sorted out so you can move forward.” She shrugged. “Plus it was entertaining as fuck.”

Evidently everyone else thought the same, the catcalls from the crowd trying to egg the two women on to further violence. Instead Krystel spat on the floor, then swept out with Jesse in tow. My brother didn’t spare us a second look, though he did Maddie. I knew that look well, because it was that of a man who hadn’t realised what he’d lost until she’d slipped through his fingers. That should’ve inspired pity, but right now I couldn’t muster that. There was only her.

“Maddie—”

She threw herself into my arms, and I grabbed her tight, not wanting to let go.

“Can you get me out of here now?” she whispered in my ear. “Somewhere with ice because my knuckles are killing me.”

Chapter 26

Which is how I ended up in the guys’ office at the back of the bar.

“You can put me down now,” I told Bjorn, patting his broad shoulder, but he just held me tighter.

“No, I really can’t.”

“In here,” Razor said, unlocking the door and ushering us in. “Roxy? Ice!”

“On it…” came her disembodied voice.

“How are your hands?” Crash asked, rushing forward to inspect them the moment Bjorn set me down on the edge of the desk. He stepped between my legs and turned my hands over in his grip.

“You didn’t tuck your thumb into your fist, did you?” Hawk asked. “You do that and you’ll break your thumb.”

“No, I—”

“Know how to throw a punch.” Razor looked far too pleased as he joined the group of them, until it was just little ol’ me perched on the edge of the desk, surrounded by the four bear shifters.

Oh no.

“Where’d you learn how to do that, Little Miss Numbers?”

“School,” I replied, flexing my fingers. It’d been a while since I had to punch someone, so my knuckles ached. “Suzy Waterson to be specific. She was the queen bitch of the school and she made it her mission to have everyone running scared from her. Couldn’t seem to keep her hands to herself, so my mum told me to kill her with kindness, but I just wanted to kill her. I talked to my dad about it, and he made sure I could throw a punch after making me promise not to tell Mum what he’d shown me. Haven’t had to use those skills in a long while.”

“Here you go.”

Roxy walked in with a tea towel wadded up with ice and a bottle of tequila with some shot glasses. She set the bottle and glasses down before handing me the ice. I went to grab it, but Bjorn plucked it from her grip, holding my hand then lowering it down slowly, gently, listening to me preemptively wince, then let out a hiss when the ice hit tender flesh.

“A celebratory drink,” Roxy announced, handing out glasses to everyone, “then I’m out of here, because intimacy gives me hives.”

“Your mates are out there,” Crash told her. “You’ll fall for them one day and I for one will laugh my guts out—”

“Not in this lifetime, Crashie boy.” She ruffled his hair roughly, forcing him to jerk away, before winking at me and downing her shot. “And nice punch, girl.” She held up a hand for me to fist bump, but I just brandished the ice pack. “Oh yeah, shit.” Roxy snickered. “No hand jobs for you fellas then. Good luck with that! Just an FYI, Maddie, the walls here are stupid thin, so if you let these boys pound on their chests, then pound you, like I think they want to, just be aware the whole bar will hear your little kitten noises.”

“Kitten noises?” I asked, and she gave me a porn star worthy performance, making breathy little moans, right as she made for the door. “I’m not going to make kitten noises—”

“Nope.” Bjorn darted closer. “I’m going to make sure you’re really fucking quiet about it.”

His mouth hovered over mine when the door closed with a click, and that seemed to be all he needed. A hand went into my hair, grabbing it before hauling me upwards and into his kiss. He wasn’t fast with it, though there was a power, an intensity that seared my lips, branded them as his right as he began to move, sinuously, sensually, getting acquainted with my mouth. He let out a little hiss of breath.

“Why was that so fucking hot…?” He groaned.

“So fucking hot.”

Bjorn pressed his forehead to mine as we both looked over at Crash.

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