Page 34 of Our Cracked Pieces
Before she could grab her purse or tell me to go to hell, the guy with her stood up. And though I was taller by an inch, that didn’t take away from the underlining tension he was emitting. “I’m not sure what is going on between you and Rowan, but talk to her like that again, and we’re going to have problems.”
What this fucker didn’t know was that, as soon as I had spotted him sitting with Rowan, we already had problems. I had even cut my meeting short to come over here and find out what the fuck was going on. It wasn’t like I would have been able to concentrate anyway.
Oh, I had no issues with having problems with this motherfucker.
“Want to step outside and discuss this further?” I suggested, spoiling for a good fight.
“Why bother stepping outside?” he fired back, making my fierce temper happy as fuck.
“Oh, my God,” Rowan hissed. “Will you two stop it.” She made her way between us. “What in the hell is your guys’ damage?” She glanced around. “Not only are you guys about to cause a scene, but you’re also killing my very expensive buzz.”
“I’ve already told you about your boytoys, Rowan,” I snapped.
The asshole had the nerve to laugh. “Boytoys?”
So, he thought he was special then. “If you mattered, asshole, you wouldn’t have to be getting her this drunk.”
“You sonofabi-”
“He’s my brother!” Rowan cried out. “Jesus Christ, Lorcan. Grayson is mybrother.”
And that was why he looked familiar.
When I had first met Rowan last year, I wasn’t ashamed to admit I had internet-stalked the woman, and there’d been a few pictures of her and her family on her social media feeds. And while I hadn’t had access to her accounts, she had tagged Mystic in a few of those pictures, and that’s how I’d been able to see them.
Her fucking brother.
I took my eyes off her fuming sibling and glanced down at her. “Well, how in the fuck was I supposed to know that?”
“It shouldn’t matter,” she snapped.
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’d let some guy, who I think you’re on a date with, get you drunk and take you home,” I told her. “I don’t give a fuck what rights you think I don’t have. It’s dangerous, and stupid, and over my fucking dead body, Rowan.”
“He’s my brother,” she repeated. “As in, we have the same parents.”
“Row-”
She whirled around to face her brother. “Don’t you dare be on his side, Grayson.”
His eyes narrowed at his sister. “Say that again, Rowan.”
I watched her entire body deflate. “Sorry, Grayson…I-”
Stormy blue eyes that I now recognized as belonging to Rowan also, flashed my way. “My sister and I would like to get back to our evening.” It wasn’t a request, and normally, I’d lose my shit, but he was her brother, and I was the intruder here. I could respect a man protecting his sister. Hell, protectinganywoman.
My integrity demanded I do the right thing, no matter what my temper-ridden caveman wanted to do. I stuck my hand out. “My apologies.”
Grayson Lewis took my hand and showed me what a class-act he was. “Not needed when you were just trying to look out for my sister.”
The Rowan I knew and loved was back when she piped up, “Are you guys sure you don’t want me to leave and give you some alone time? I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of such a budding bromance.”
“You are a such a pain in the ass,” I replied, because, well, she was.
“Duly noted,” she retorted before sitting back down in her chair.
Properly dismissed, I turned and went back to the bar, leaving her and her brother to their evening.
Stewing the entire way.
