Page 34 of Crave Me

“You’re seriously going to kick his ass?” At his nod, her eyes widen and she points frantically to his abandoned plate. “But-but he made you bacon.”

Finn glances at the plate and back at his brothers, appearing torn. “Yeah, but that’s before I knew he disrespected Wren.” He shrugs. “I kind of have to, now.”

“I didn’t disrespect her,” I say. My words fall on deaf ears and I very well expect to die until a pregnant blonde woman hurries forward with a child perched on her hip.

“Take the baby,” she says, shoving the tiny version of herself into my arms.

“Tess, what are you doing?” the man with the gun and the buzzed blond hair asks, stepping forward.

Tess adjusts her small black glasses. I’m not acquainted with her at all, but considering how the man stiffens at her response, she means business. “Curran,” she begins. “As an officer of the law—”

“Here we go,” Angus says, rolling his eyes and cutting her off.

“Did you say something, Angus?” Tess fires back. She’s not yelling, yet her tone is as absolute as a headmistress wielding a ruler.

“Ah, no,” he replies, finding someplace else to look.

“I didn’t think so,” Tess replies. She edges slightly away, allowing a very thin woman with long black curls to take point beside me and opposite Sol. “As I was saying, Curran, as an officer of the law and a member of the public sector, do you want to be privy to an angry mob, made up of yourbrothers, attacking an unarmed man who had consensual sex with your sister?”

“Oh.” “Whoa!” “Yo!” the group of men collectively yell.

“That’s our sister you’re talking about,” Curran reminds her.

“Your adult sister,” Tess reminds him.

Curran clamps down on his jaw. But then his muscles relax as he appears to give in. “She’s right,” he says. My shoulders drop. “I can’t watch this.” I release a breath. “Give me the baby. I’ll be outside.”

“Wait, what?” Tess asks.

He shrugs. “Can’t be privy, if I’m not here to see it, babe.”

Everyone lunges forward at once, except the women who hold their ground, and the baby in my arms cooing and appearing entertained by it all.

“What the fuck?” Wren yells, rushing in.

Her long hair is dripping wet and she’s only wearing a towel, stopping everyone in place.

Everyone.

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