Page 13 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
I slid out of the booth easily, grabbing my cowboy hat from the seat beside me. I plopped it on my head, tilting the front down slightly. From where I stood, towering over the pathetic excuse for a man, it gave me the perfect view of his balding head. “No.”
Marv’s mouth twitched as he notably grew wary of me. His hand tightened on McKenna’s shoulder, and I was five seconds away from ripping it off his fucking body. “Well, whatever it was, my waitress has to get back to her job now.” He looked at McKenna, who still wouldn’t so much as glance at him. “Don’t you?”
She nodded, the act barely visible, before sliding out from under his touch and striding away. That playful sway of her hips was now gone, like his verbal acknowledgement of her for the first time today ruined her fun.
“She’s a real looker, huh?” Marv asked, having turned to watch her go.
I stayed silent for fear that if I spoke, it’d end with my fist down his throat, ripping his esophagus clean out. Without my response, he finally got the message to walk the fuck away.
But I wasn’t done here.
I beelined for the blonde that made my dick ache and my mind wander, not giving a shit that she was taking someone’s order as I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the front doors of the diner. As soon as we were out in the cool pine-scented air, passing a man wearing a plumber’s uniform who was heading inside, she shoved me off of her, pinning her fiery gaze on me.
“I need this job, Austin.”
I stepped toward her, not giving her the space she likely wanted. “So you let that asshole eye fuck you all damn day just to keep it?”
Her nostrils flared before she flung a hand toward the door. “I have to go back in there.” Then she pinned a finger right in the center of my chest. “And you need to get your shit together. Don’t come near me again until you do.”
And then she was gone, disappearing back through the doors and leaving me standing on the sidewalk like some leashed dog.
It took all the restraint I had to walk the few yards to my truck and not go back in there and drag her ass outside. If I could lock her in my house, I would—but unfortunately, her best friend lived there, and Booker would have my head for upsetting his girl.
So for now, I stayed put in my truck, watching her through the windows of the diner. She’d already buttoned her uniform back up and tugged her skirt down an inch.
Marv was nowhere to be seen for the next two hours, likely in the back with that plumber or sitting his ass at his desk and doing no work whatsoever.
For the rest of McKenna’s shift, I watched her.
And for the entirety of that time, I got the feeling I wasn’t the only one.
Chapter 6
Austin
McKenna didn’t know I was already in the diner by the time she locked the front doors after the last patron had left. Marv had driven away hours ago, and the only other waitress who’d been here with McKenna had walked out with their last customer. Which left her all alone—exactly how I wanted her.
I adjusted the skeleton mask over my face as I watched her come through the kitchen doors with a handful of plates. She was so confident that no harm would come to her that she didn’t so much as glance at the shadows in the room.
After she placed the plates in the dishwasher, she grabbed the bucket of ice off the metal table and headed for the freezer. Their ice machine had supposedly stopped working months ago, so they had to buy bags of ice at the store and keep them in the freezer.
She left the door to the freezer open behind her, and I took the opportunity to silently follow her inside. She wason the other side of the small gray room when I shut the door, closing us in.
The small click had her whirling to face me, her hand plastered over her heart as the bucket crashed to the floor. She let out a curse, but then the surprised look on her face eased slightly when she realized it was me.
“Haha. Very funny, Austin.” Despite the calm tone she tried to use, I could hear the lingering fear in her voice. I fucking reveled in it.
McKenna bent to grab the bucket off the floor, goosebumps riddling her skin from the frigid temperature. There were shelves lined with frozen meat, vegetables, fruits, and butter. An oddly sour smell laced the cold air, but it didn’t hide her strawberry scent. And as I slowly prowled across the freezer toward her, that sweetness only became stronger.
Once I was at her side, I grabbed her arm and hauled her up, leaving the bucket and ice where they were. She let out a small gasp that turned into a shriek as I spun her, shoved her shoulders down, and bent her over. She slammed her hands onto the shelf, looking over her shoulder at me with pure hatred in her gaze. “What the fuck, Austin?”
But I was tired of playing. Tired of her avoiding the obvious. If she wanted out of this, she’d have to fight me.
I fisted the edge of her skirt and yanked it up, exposing her ass. She tried to stand, but my other hand shot to the back of her neck, holding her in place. “If I wanted you all for myself, this would be the perfect time.”
I smoothed a hand over her ass, entranced by the tiny bumps that peppered her skin from the cold. I wanted tosee more of her body reacting. Piss her off like she pissed me off.
I quickly bent, retrieving an ice cube from the ground, then returned to my position behind her.
