Page 63 of Until Bax

“I want to talk to my sister,” Liam snaps while I try to move around Bax once again.

“Not when you’re pissed and not here,” Bax returns as Rebecca slides off her stool and moves in front of him so I can’t see her.

“I’m not going to hurt her,” Liam says, sounding offended.

“How about we go outside and take a walk?” I hear Rebecca suggest.

I can’t hear what Liam says or see his response, but a moment later, Bax’s body seems to deflate, and he reaches back for me and pulls me around to his side. I look over to where Liam was standing, seeing he’s no longer there, but I catch a glimpse of him as he heads toward the door of the bar.

“I’m going to go with your brother.”

I look over at Rebecca, who is grabbing her bag from the bar counter, and start to shake my head.

“He just needs to cool down. I’ll call you and see where you guys are in a bit,” she assures.

“Reb—”

“It’s fine.” She stops in front of me and gives me a quick hug. “I’ll call you.”

Before I can say anything else, she turns on her heels and walks away from Bax and me, disappearing into the crowd that is now standing near the door to the bar.

Great. I let out a breath.So much for keeping her and my brother apart.

I look up at Bax and find his jaw still hard, so I ask him, “You know Liam would never hurt me, right?”

“I know, but this isn’t the place for him to confront you. If he wants to talk, he can do it tomorrow after he’s had a chance to cool down. Right now, he’s still pissed at me, and I don’t want him taking that out on you.”

“I think he’s equally pissed at both of us,” I murmur as his eyes wander over my face.

“Maybe.” His expression gentles. “The good news is the worst part is over. Now, we just have to deal with the aftermath and wait for things to settle.”

“I hope that doesn’t take very long.” I sigh, leaning into him, and he accepts my weight with ease.

CHAPTER19

Olivia

Waking to Ira’s soft purr as her head rubs against my chin, I don’t even bother opening my eyes as I reach out from under the covers to scratch between her ears. I’m not ready to be awake. I don’t want to face the day because I won’t get to relish in the fact that I’m waking up in Bax’s bed with him for the first time—his big body curled around mine, his hand on my stomach, and his warm breath on the back of my neck. Instead, I’m going to have to deal with my brother when he eventually shows up to drop off Rebecca.

She called me last night not to ask where Bax and I were so she could meet back up with us. No, she called to tell me that she was going home with Liam and spending the night at his place. I tried to squash that plan, but she was insistent. And I couldn’t exactly tell her what to do, not when she is a grown adult with the ability to make her own decisions. Even if those decisions are horrible ones.

“I can hear you thinking.” Bax’s deep, sleepy voice brushes against the small hairs at the nape of my neck, and I can’t stop the tingle from spreading down my spine.

“Sorry.”

“Still worried about Rebecca?”

“Yes.” I roll over to face him and tip my head back to meet his gaze. “If I didn’t know my brother’s history with women, I might be able to put my feelings aside, but I know the kind of guy he is. I know that he?—”

“Is thinking the same thing about you being with me,” he says softly, and my eyes slide closed.Damn, way to knock me down off my high horse. “And he might be upset with you and me, but he wouldn’t go about getting back at you by fucking your friend.”

“I just don’t want to see Rebecca get hurt,” I mumble as his hand moves from my hip to the back of my thigh.

“I get that, but at the end of the day, you have no say over what she does, and worrying about it won’t change anything.”

“It’s annoying that you’re right,” I grumble, and a grin tugs at his lips.

“Now, do you want pancakes?” he asks, but I’m distracted by the feel of his hand on my thigh as it moves up over my bottom.

---