Page 10 of Ensnared By Silence
Mathias was telling us about his last boyfriend and Aubrey laughed at all the right spots, but her joy rang hollow to me. She looked like she wanted to bolt out of her skin, but her eyes kept wandering to Mathias, who would wink and nod slightly. She would relax against me before I felt the tension growing again.
I kept my arm around her shoulder and placed small kisses against the side of her head as the stories flowed. She yawned behind her hand and I looked at her, whispering into her ear, “Do you want me to take you home?”
Her vibrant green eyes stared up at me and she replied, “I rode with Mathias.”
“You better take him up on the offer. I’ve had too many to drive and my new friend, Skid, is going to give me a ride,” Mathias interjected into the conversation, and I looked at Skid.
He folded his tattooed arms over his chest and explained with a shrug, “I’ve got the truck tonight. It’s no problem.”
Aubrey cast a stare at a smiling Mathias, and I fought the laughter building in my chest. She sighed heavily and looked at me. “I guess you’re taking me home then.”
When she reached into her purse to grab money, I stopped her and explained, “Tonight’s celebration is on me.”
Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she whispered, “You don’t have to do that.”
“Hell yes, he does,” Skid responded and immediately broke the tension with laughter.
We all slid from the booth and I placed my hand on the small of her back as I nodded to the night manager. With a return gesture, we left the noise of the bar behind and walked into the cool night air. I parked my car in a reserved spot at the end of the sidewalk, and I guided Aubrey to the passenger’s side.
Mathias walked up behind her and pulled her into a deep hug as he whispered into her ear. She looked at him with a small smile and nodded before he turned to me. I helped Aubrey into the car, buckled her seat belt, and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before closing the door and walking to the trunk to speak with him.
“She’s going to push. Don’t let her. She really likes you, but she’s got hang-ups.”
“Hang-ups?” I asked inquisitively.
“Not my story to tell, but she’s the kindest person I know. She’s been dealt a rough hand in life, but she deserves to be happy. Don’t fuck this up or I will pay that sexy ass biker to kick your ass.”
I chuckled and replied, “I’m not even sure what this is.”
The clean-cut man who stood almost as tall as me stepped into my personal space and lowered his normally pleasant voice. “Skid told me everything, and I know her better than anyone, I think. She needs someone to want her more than anything and anyone. To protect her, to listen to her, and to slay the very real demons that nip at her heels. If that’s not you, take her home and walk away. She can survive tonight, but if her heart becomes involved and you crush her, she’ll never open up to another person again.”
With those cryptic words, he sauntered across the parking lot and climbed into Skid’s jacked-up red Dodge Ram 2500. The loud engine roared to life and I could hear Mathias cackle as I opened the driver’s door of my black Audi and climbed behind the wheel.
Aubrey was looking out the window with her hands clasped together, her body full of tension. I reached over and gently turned her face to me, waiting for her eyes to meet mine before placing a chaste kiss on her lips. In an instant, the tension seeped from her and she relaxed into the seat.
“Where to, my lady?” I asked in my best British accent, and she giggled.
After telling me where she lived, I fought the urge to drive her to my house and lock her inside to protect her from the world. She lived in the most run-down apartment complex in Pierce Bluff, and while we have an incredibly low crime rate, she’s not safe there alone. I gripped the steering wheel tightly and contemplated how to handle this delicately. I didn’t want to offend her or push her away, but there was no way I was taking her there.
“Can I interest you in a nightcap?” I asked when we pulled to the railroad crossing on the edge of downtown.
She turned her gaze to me, and I waited for her to deicide the next step. After a moment, she relaxed and replied, “A nightcap sounds nice.”
Turning left instead of right, I took the road that wrapped around the west side of Pierce Lake and entered my neighborhood. Some members of my family were as wealthy as the Pierce family, and I was fortunate my father willed this property to me. The house I lived in was a vacation home to my grandparents, then my parents, before my dad passed away when I was fifteen.
My mom remarried when I was nineteen and away at college, without even bothering to call me and let me know. Coming home for Christmas, I found a new family in my parents’ home and a stupid bastard who thought he could dictate decisions in my life. I hated the jackass and all the bullshit he brought with him. Just after my twenty-second birthday, I moved here and bought Falcon’s Tavern. I kept regular contact with my mother, but I haven’t been home in almost three years.
The house was the only part of my inheritance that I’ve used. For years, I worked my ass off to make Falcon’s Tavern a place where everyone was welcomed, regardless of their status in society or how many zeros were in their bank account. It might look like I lived a wealthy life from outward appearances, but the opposite was true. My savings was large because I didn’t spend frivolously, which was yet another reason my mother looked down her surgically altered nose at me and the life I chose to work for.
Pulling into the tree-lined driveway, I heard her gasp as the motion lights turned on, illuminating the front of the house. The log cabin stood two stories tall with large windows that let tons of natural sunlight shine in during the day and a wraparound porch complete with a swinging bench and rocking chairs. The shores of Pierce Lake lapped behind the property, and there was a small pool off to the side of the house.
Pressing a button on the dash, a garage door opened and I pulled the car into the attached building and turned it off. Silence filled the car, and I quickly exited to help her out, offering her my hand and pressing against her as she climbed out. I tilted my head to the side, and she followed me, our hands still linked as I disarmed the security system and we entered the kitchen.
“Fuck me, this kitchen is amazing,” she uttered as she ran her hand across the marble island in the center of the room.
A pot rack held my cookware above the island, and the brushed metal appliances gleamed against the natural pine cabinets. A sliding glass door to the left side of the kitchen led to the back deck and the living and dining room were attached in a large open floorplan. The floors and ceilings were a darker natural pine, giving the room a warm and cozy feeling. A two-story fireplace took up one wall with large stones climbing to the ceiling.
With the windows open, the sound of the lake echoed into the room, reminding me of a waterfall. The overstuffed furniture created a sitting area in front of the fire, and a large rug at the base of the stone hearth completed the cozy atmosphere.
