Page 74 of His Captive Pet

“Don’t get pissy with me about the Marines. I can’t stay behind your skirts all my life.”

Blake grabbed his brother by the scruff of his neck and shook him. “I never meant to hide you away. If that’s what it felt like. I just—Mom and Dad—”

“That wasn’t your fault, either. That was a bad guy doing bad things. That’s what you told me, and that’s the truth. Even if you had been here, you wouldn’t have been at the store. You wouldn’t have been able to stop it from happening. You can protect and lead, but at the end of it, what happens is mostly out of your hands.”

Greg kept his hands down at his sides. He didn’t try to block Blake, or push him away. But he didn’t back down, either. He held his glare steady on Blake.

Blake shook him again and released him. “Yeah. I’m getting that impression. I have to get a few things ready. Can you man the bar for me tonight? I’ll put an ad out tomorrow for your job.”

“I already did. Beneath my enlistment papers are a dozen applications.”

Blake studied his brother. The young boy who stood a man in front of him. “Schedule the interviews, then. Find your replacement and don’t hire any frat boys. I fucking hate frat boys.”

“You got it. You going back to the condo?” Greg smiled a knowing grin that made Blake want to knock it off his face.

“Aubree went to meet with a contractor to rebuild the house. When she gets home, she’s going to see the soft side is gone. She has some consequences coming her way.” He patted his brother’s back and left.

She also had some loving coming. A whole big heap of it.

Chapter Thirty-Two

The elevator was cramped and hot. Aubree shifted over to the far corner to make room for the last person to get on the carriage before it would start to move again. She hoisted the bag of dog food from one arm to the next, blowing an annoying strand of hair from her eyes as she felt the elevator start to move again.

She’d spent the entire afternoon working with the contractor her insurance company recommended. His timeline worked well for her, and the plans to rebuild exactly the same floor plan would help speed up the planning portion. Now that she knew how long it would take for the house to be rebuilt, she would be able to find an apartment. Maybe sublet for a few months while the work was being done.

Of course, the elevator stopped at every damn floor before finally arriving on the top floor to Blake’s condo. By the time the doors slid open, her head was cloudy and her stomach twisted.

Blake’s door came into view as soon as she stepped off the elevator. She heaved a heavy sigh. He wasn’t home—she knew that. He had the night shift at the bar. It was Friday night and they would need both Greg and Blake. If things were different, she would be there, too. Helping out in whatever way she could or just hanging out with both of them. But instead, she’d fucked everything royally and would spend another night hiding in the guest room, trying not to cry herself to sleep.

She dug out her key from her jeans and maneuvered it into the door without dropping the bag of food. Samuel needed to eat less, she decided, shifting the twenty-pound bag onto her hip while opening the door.

Locking the door, she waited for Samuel to come prancing through the living room to greet her. But he didn’t come. The lights were on, but she’d swear she turned everything off when she left for the store.

“Samuel?” she called, on her way to the kitchen. “Samuel!” She shoved the bag into the pantry and went in search of her dog.

“He’s upstairs.” She jumped at the sound of Blake’s voice. “I put him in the guest room for the night.” Aubree saw him then, standing in the living room next to the couch.

He only had on his jeans. No shirt, no socks, just his jeans. Her stomach knotted again, but not like in the elevator. This was something deeper, something growing with need.

“Was he getting into things?” she asked, not taking her eyes off him. She couldn’t look away; she wanted to, she wanted to look anywhere else than at him with the heated stare he had her locked in.

“No. But I don’t want him getting in our way, either.” He leaned his hip against the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

“D-do you have someone coming over?” Could he really be cruel to her? He’d never shown that side of him. Could he really invite another woman after they just barely ended things?

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Why would I invite someone over? I think I’ve been pretty clear that I don’t share.”

She licked her lips, but since her mouth was too dry it didn’t help much.

“Blake—”

“Where’s the collar?” he asked, pointing at her neck.

“They took it off at the hospital. It’s probably in the bag they gave me.” It was in the bag. It was the only thing in the bag. And it sat on the dresser in the guest room where she could see it and remember what she lost, what she threw away.

“Did Jorge touch it?” His voice lowered.

“Yes.” She nodded. “He wanted to know what it was.”

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