Page 254 of Branded
I wanted to make sure no one ever dimmed it.
I wanted to be able to call her mine, to shelter that light, help it grow, make it so damned bright that it wasn’t ever at risk of fading. Turn the incandescent to LED, harness the energy of the wind and sun and rivers, making it so that her bright wouldn’t ever go out.
But she didn’t want me.
So, I tried not to stare.
And I failed every fucking time.
“Well,” Jules said then, and I didn’t have to look her way, because—fuck—I’d been staring at her again, committing every single freckle to memory, the way her lashes curled up, framing those bright brown eyes. I wondered if her skin was soft as it looked, if the faint hint of flowers I’d sometimes picked up around her was from her shampoo or her perfume or her lotion or just her.
She glanced away, snatching up her empty soda glass and sliding out of her seat. “I should get back to work before Matt gets pissed at me for slacking off.”
My anger was razor sharp, the question sneaking out before I could stuff it down. “What does Matt do when he gets pissed?”
Jules stilled, and her gaze finally came to mine, finally connected…and held.
The air tightened.
My nostrils flared as I sucked in a breath, desperate for a hint of her, of those flowers I’d scented behind CeCe’s, in the hall, occasionally when she brought my food or drinks.
But then Jules laughed, and it made my lungs spasm as I tried to suck in more air, even though there wasn’t room for it in my chest. Fuck, but it was a pretty sound, that inner light shining through, filling the space between us.
Almost as beautiful as her smile.
Her laughter began when she was looking at me, and my heart stuttered at the sight of her mouth curving, her eyes crinkling at the corners, the gorgeous tinkling sound. “He scowls at me.” Another laugh. “Matt is a good guy.” But I didn’t get to soak her smile in, not for long anyway, because then she glanced away, nodding decisively. “Okay, then.” A tap to the table. “I’ll just make my rounds and then come back to close you guys out.”
“Thanks, honey,” Beth said, yanking me back into reality, into this moment, reminding me it wasn’t just me and Julie, that there were other occupants at the table with me. Beth squeezed Jules’s forearm. “No rush, yeah?”
Jules smiled again, nodding at Beth, at the table, but then she glanced back to me, just briefly, and fuck if my pulse didn’t skitter in my veins. But I only got it for a heartbeat. Then I lost her smile, her light as it arrowed back to Beth and Raph.
I watched her expression warm, that smile soften. “Yeah, I’ll bet you don’t mind cozying up to your hot hockey player while you wait.”
Beth laughed, leaned back against Raph. “Nope. Don’t mind that at all.”
With one last grin, Jules slipped away.
I clenched my jaw, flexed my toes in my boots, digging them into the soles of my shoes, keeping me in place.
When all I wanted to do was go after her.
To take her in my arms.
To whisper in her ear, inhale the soft floral scent, to feel her body against mine and?—
Smitty laughed, the sound booming through the air, and I looked away from where Jules had disappeared into the kitchen and back toward my idiot teammate.
Who was smirking in a way that made me want to punch him in the face.
But Hazel was sitting there with Oliver, and she could make the worst miscreants behave. I wasn’t a miscreant, of course, though I wanted to do bad, bad things to Jules, but I definitely had miscreant vibes, mostly because I wouldn’t mind taking a pot shot at my boisterous teammate.
I loved the guy.
But swear to fuck, Smitty could get on my nerves.
Movement by the bar drew my focus, and I watched Jules slip back out through the swinging door, a heavy tray laden with plates perched on my shoulder.
Yup. I knew I was in deep as I watched her deliver the food. She was strong and confident, smart, and worked her ass off. Yeah, she was quiet compared to some of the girls—though with Beth and Pru and Smitty around, it was hard to imagine anyone getting a word in. Thus, it wasn’t uncommon for the rest of our group to come from different places on the scale of Kailey (our shyest member) Quiet to Smitty Loud.
