Page 32 of Act of Brotherhood
“It?” he questioned, still grinning.
She cringed at her nerves and her hormones. Any second her ovaries were going to completely take over her thought processes and she’d either dive into a giant tub of chocolate or toss Garth to the ground and not let him up until she’d had her way with him.
Either option was a win.
Stupid sex drive.
She took another deep breath. “Do you want to come home with me and have sex or not?”
Garth tipped his head back, looked up at the night sky and smiled. “Odin, I really fucking love modern women.”
A giggle came from her, and she found herself stepping closer to him, liking being in contact with him. As she touched him fully, the back of her neck began to tingle. It was a warning.
Danger.
For the briefest of moments, she worried that her gut had changed its mind from her read of Garth—again. That suddenly he wasn’t safe. That her first reaction to him in the square was the accurate read. The idea of running back to the bakery came, in hopes Wheeler was still there, but it was fleeting.
The urge to look behind her was great. She gave in to the pull and glanced over her shoulder at the darkened area between two large homes. It felt as if a massive predator was there, wanting to strike.
Something was there for sure. What? She didn’t know.
“Nicolette?” asked Garth, before he sniffed the air and jerked slightly. He yanked on her, leaving her sandwiched against him in much the same fashion she’d been when they’d first collided.
Air swooshed from her lungs. “Ouch.”
He eased his grip, but kept her close all the same, his attention going to the very spot she’d felt danger emanating from. “Nicolette, how far is your home from here?”
“It’s one block down, why?” she questioned, trying to look at the darkened area again.
Garth took hold of her upper arms gently, yet firm enough to gather her full attention. “Go straight there. Do not stop. Do you understand me?”
He was the second man in the same night to show extreme concern for her getting home safe and sound. She was beginning to wonder if an alert had gone out to all the hot guys in the surrounding area, letting them know she was unsupervised with Clara out of town and in danger of forgetting where she lived.
She nearly joked about as much but stopped. A sinking feeling came over her. Deep down, she knew if she and Garth separated, something bad was going to happen to him. She didn’t know what or when, but she did know for certain it would end poorly for the man.
She barely knew the guy, but that didn’t matter. She didn’t want him hurt. Not if she could prevent it.
Her uncle’s words about always heeding her inner warnings played loudly in her head. Even Clara thought there was something to Nicolette’s gut feelings. She, too, always encouraged Nicolette to listen to them. The reminders repeated again and again, until she had no choice but to acknowledge and accept them, regardless of how odd it made her seem. Heck. Garth already thought she was missing a few screws. What was one more?
She felt connected to this man on a base level. A level she couldn’t comprehend entirely, but it was there all the same. Letting him go off and be harmed in any way wasn’t all right with her.
She shook her head. “No. I’m not going without you.”
He shot her a disbelieving stare. “Go.”
“What is it with big guys barking orders at me tonight?” First Wheeler had tried in the bakery and now Garth. Both of the men she’d happened upon in the span of one night seemed hell-bent on her getting home quickly.
Confusion shone on his face. “What?”
She grumbled. “Nothing. I’m not Ernie. I’m not going to obey.”
“I really do not know what you’re talking about, woman,” he said before glancing around wildly. “Head to your house, quickly. I’ll follow once I make sure—”
She stamped her foot, finding the response very fitting for him as she’d already done it more than once. “I said no. Don’t make me repeat myself again, blondie.”
“Blondie?” He looked stunned.
She nodded.
