Page 3 of Journey

“I outrank you.” I shrug. “So… dibs.”

“Seriously?” Jackyl scowls. “You’re gonna pull that card on me?”

I grin. “Yep.”

Dropping his arm, I push past him and move toward the women. Before I can reach them, a man in jeans and a hoodie blocks my path and strikes up a conversation with the ladies. I watch as the women laugh at something he says, but then the brunette’s expression shifts, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Not interested,” she says, loud enough to be heard over the music.

“C’mon, baby,” he cajoles. “You know you want me.”

“She said no,” the blonde snaps.

“Wasn’t talking to you, bitch.”

“Excuse me?” Blondie demands, hands on her hips.

“You’re fuckable,” he says matter-of-factly. “But it’s her pants I wanna get in.”

Rage burns my veins, and I grab the guy by the shoulder and yank him back. “The lady said she wasn’t interested,” I snarl.

Blondie smirks, but it’s not her reaction I’m interested in. I level my gaze on the sexy brunette, and she blushes.

The guy looks from them to me and back again. “Sorry,” he mutters before yanking out of my hold and stomping away.

“We had it handled,” Blondie says, her smirk disappearing.

I lift my hands in surrender. “Okay.”

“Yo, J!” I glance over my shoulder at Jackyl and see him walking toward us. “Ya gonna introduce me or what?”

Rolling my eyes, I return my gaze to the women. “Ladies, this is Jackyl, and I’m Journey,” I say. “And Jackyl, this is…” I pointedly stare at them, hoping they’ll fill in the blanks for me.

“I’m Leah,” Blondie says. “And she’s Wren,” she continues with a nod at her friend.

“Wren,” I repeat, savoring the way her name rolls off my tongue.

“Why don’t you ladies let us buy you a drink?” Jackyl suggests.

Leah and Wren exchange a look before Wren shrugs and returns her focus to me. “Sounds good.”

Grinning, I turn toward the bar. “Follow me.”

CHAPTER 2

WREN

Can you fuck away my demons?

Follow me.

Two very simple words, but the physical reaction my body is experiencing to them is anything but. My stomach flutters like it’s holding a million butterflies, and my heart pounds so hard I fear it’ll explode right out of my chest.

I’d fucking follow this man anywhere… Especially if that ass is on display.

Leah leans close to me. “Close your mouth before the drool starts dripping to the floor,” she whispers.

I whip my head to the left and stare at her with wide eyes. “What?”