Page 29 of Midnight Rain

Cormac came into the room. “Austin, what happened? Why are you crying?”

Austin nodded toward his phone. “He found me.”

Cormac crossed the room and retrieved the phone. “How?”

A delirious laugh escaped him. “My mom gave my nice coworker my number because he was sweet to her.”

“He called you?”

“No.” Austin pressed his palm against the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes again. “I haven’t read the text, but he made sure to use his number so I would know it was him.”

An animalistic growl rumbled in Cormac’s chest. “Please tell me I can talk to my brothers about this.”

Austin threw up a hand. “At this point, I don’t care if you tell the entire town. It’s not like I’ll live long enough to care.”

Cormac cupped Austin’s face, making him look up. He’d never seen anyone who looked so feral. “He’s not going to touch one fucking purple hair on your head, Austin. I told you that I would protect you, and I’m not going back on my word.”

“Why the hell do you care?” Austin yanked his head from Cormac’s hands and shot from the bed. “You don’t even know me! Hell, we don’t even like each other, Cormac. I’m just Orion’s cousin. I’m no one to you!”

Austin stormed past him, heading for the door. He hurried down the hallway and made it quickly down the stairs before Cormac’s deep voice rumbled like a sonic boom behind him. “Is that it? You’re going to use your fear to justify storming out?”

“Fuck you!”

Austin spun when it sounded like the walls were about to cave in. Cormac barreled down the steps, his face a mask of rage. “Keep talking shit to me, Austin.”

“Go to hell, Cormac!”

Hayden, Beckett, and Duncan stepped into the living room, looking between Cormac and Austin.

Cormac took a few steps toward Austin, his face still a mask of fury. His brothers raced forward, all three trying to shove him back, but Cormac broke past them, knocking Hayden on his ass as he stopped a foot away from Austin. “Why don’t you tell me what you really think of me!”

“Cormac!” Izel’s voice filled the room, loud and deep. “If you do not ease away from Austin, you will make me do something we will both regret. I will not have you acting like a madman to your mate while intimidating him!”

“There’s nothing you can do to save me,” Austin ground out. “There’s nothing anyone can do. You’d be better off using your efforts on someone who isn’t going to die!”

Cormac hauled Austin into his strong arms, holding him tightly. At first, Austin tried to shove him away, but when Cormac refused to let him go, the fight inside Austin died and he openly wept in Cormac’s arms.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart. Let it all out,” he crooned.

Austin had never cried so hard in his life. Not all his tears were because of Jaycee. Austin cried because his mother didn’t give a shit if she’d just handed a stalker the keys to her son’s demise. He wept because he hadn’t been enough for his father to stay in his life.

He wept because Cormac was starting to mean something to him, and he was afraid he would wreck things the way he always did.

Cormac gently rocked Austin as he kissed his head. “I told you I can handle the baggage. I’m not going anywhere, love.”

Austin began to slowly calm down, his breathing not so harsh.

“Don’t worry about anyone in the room. No one is going to judge you, but I am going to beat their asses for thinking I’d actually hurt you.”

A small chuckle escaped Austin as he clung to Cormac. “You were pretty damn terrifying coming down those steps after me.”

“I wanted you to scream your head off at me because I knew it was fear that was controlling you. There was no way I could get you to this point without you dumping a lot of that anger first.”

“I didn’t mean anything I said to you.” Austin breathed in Cormac’s familiar scent, letting it ground him. “I do like you.”

More than he should. He was shocked that Cormac stood his ground. Austin’s past boyfriends would have already washed their hands of him by this point. But Cormac knew exactly what Austin needed and hadn’t hesitated, even if that meant fighting his family to help him.

“Me, too. Are you okay now?”

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