Page 75 of Moonlit Thorns

“Excuse me for a second.” Cinder walks to the far corner of the bar and pulls her phone out of her purse.

Really? She’s leaving me now to text a friend?

Galen chuckles as I figured he would, still too dense to see an insult for what it is. “Come on, Anabelle. When are you going to stop fighting this thing between us and admit that we should be together?”

The idea of being with Galen makes my skin crawl. I could never make myself vulnerable to him the way I do with Asher.

I spin on my seat to face him, hating how close to him I am. “Let me make it clear once and for all for you. We are never getting back together. Ever. I’m not pretending to not want to be with you to be coy. I don’t want to be with you. I never will. You should move on and find someone who does want to be with you because it will never be me.”

His eyes narrow, and I think that maybe, for the first time, he’s really heard me. “Is there someone else? Is that it? That where you been every time I go to your place?”

I sigh and close my eyes, praying for patience. Maybe I should just tell him where I am. Maybe that will make him back off. “I’m working at Midnight Manor. That’s where I am. And as for whether there’s someone else, that’s not the point. I don’t want to be with you. That’s the point.”

His eyes widen and alarm flashes across his face. “You can’t be there. What the hell are you thinking even stepping foot on that property, let alone working there. Did they force you?” He grips my wrist as if he’s about to yank me off the stool and run out of here with me.

Cinder comes back over to us. “I think she’s made it clear that she’s not interested, Sheriff.”

Galen directs his glare at her but doesn’t let my wrist go. “If I want your lip, I’ll rattle my zipper.”

Cinder blinks a couple of times, seeming surprised.

“Yeah, that’s right. I remember you from T&Ts,” he sneers.

T&Ts stands for tits and tassels, and it’s the nickname for the strip club just over the county line.

Cinder’s cheeks turn red and shame coats her features.

“Why are you such an asshole?” I say to him, trying to rip my hand from his grip to no avail.

“You can’t go back to that place, Anabelle. This explains why you’ve been acting so weird with me. What are they feeding into your head up there?”

“If you want to keep that hand, you’ll remove it from Miss Boudreaux right now.”

My head whips to the side, and I see Asher looking as if it’s taking everything in him not to pounce on Galen and attack. He’s a feral beast looking for any excuse to maim.

“Asher.” His name comes out breathy, but he doesn’t glance my way at all. He keeps his eyes on Galen.

“You have two seconds. Be thankful I granted you those.”

It’s then I realize that the murmuring in the bar has died down, and everyone is watching this exchange.

Galen lets my wrist go, and I pull back my hand. He saunters toward Asher, chest puffed out, hands on his service belt. “Not sure it’s wise for you to be sticking your nose into things that don’t concern you, Voss.”

Asher doesn’t move his eyes from Galen when he says, “Get your things together, Anabelle. We’re going home.”

Home. I hate that my chest warms when he refers to the place that is only a temporary refuge for me as home.

Grabbing my book off the bar top, I look at Cinder. “Thank you. It was nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she says in a low voice as though if we speak too loudly, we may set off the powder keg between Galen and Asher.

I slip off the stool and walk over to Asher’s side.

“If I see you touch her again, you’re going to lose that hand. Got it?” Asher arches an eyebrow.

“Not smart to threaten the sheriff in front of a bar full of people.” Galen smirks.

“Try your worst, LeBlanc.” Then Asher gently squeezes the back of my neck. “Got all your stuff?”

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