Page 63 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
Brynne walked closer, leaning against the table across from me so we could quiet our voices a bit. “I noticed she kept looking over at him, but I assumed she was more scared of him than attracted.”
“Scared?” I snorted.
Brynne pressed her lips together to hide a smile. “He watches your every move, McKenna. He looks about ready to chop off the heads of every person in this joint just so he can put his hands on you.” She leaned forward to emphasize what she said next. “Including me.”
“Please. Austin would never hurt you. And besides, he could touch me whenever he wanted. He just knows I’ll chop his fingers off if he distracts me at work.” That was our agreement. Stay out of my way, and he could sit in the booth.
Clearly he was doing a poor job of following my rules.
I hooked a thumb toward the door. “I’m gonna go tell him to leave.”
Brynne winced so subtly I barely noticed it, but she quickly masked it. “Is that such a good idea?”
I was already heading for the door as I said, “Doesn’t matter. He has no choice but to listen to me.” Otherwise, I’d make him pay.
I beelined for the booth he sat in, forcing myself not to trip over my sneakers with the sight of his veins bulging in his arms where he had them crossed. His piercing gaze was focused solely on me, but I knew he wassimultaneously watching the entire diner for any sign of a threat.
“You need to either order something, or leave.” So maybe my demand was a little less forceful than I’d originally planned. Seeing him sitting here looking like that was helping the time pass faster. Yeah, that was my excuse.
He tilted his chin back, smirking. “What would you suggest?”
I propped a hand on my hip. “Food. Or a drink. I don’t care. But people are getting freaked with you sitting here all day.”
His head cocked to the side, an innocent, hungry look on his face. “Why would I order any of that when I can get it all from you?”
A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth while my thighs pressed together. His mouth parted as I leaned closer and lowered my voice. “If you keep it up, I’m not going to be very happy.”
His hands dropped, opening his defenses for me. “Show me your claws, kitten.”
“How would you like to see them?” I ran a finger under his chin, and he arched it up further. His puffy bottom lip made me thirsty. “On your knees?” I dragged a nail along his jawline. “Or while you’re underneath me?”
“Dare I plead for both?” His words were breathless, making my pulse quicken.
I straightened, body hot and mind whirling. I briefly wondered if Monica was watching our exchange, and hoped she was far the fuck away. If anyone saw my man looking like this, I’d have no choice but to scoop their eyes out with a rusty spoon.
In my peripheral, Brynne returned from the kitchen, hand clutching her stomach. She didn’t look well, and I racked my brain to remember how quickly food poisoning set in. Austin followed my line of sight, immediately standing from the booth. I crossed to Brynne, who was now standing at the end of the bar. Austin came to a stop behind me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, eyeing her fingers digging into the fabric of her diner uniform.
Her brows were drawn together, face twisted in pain. “I think you were right.”
“Right about what?” Austin demanded, already on the defensive.
I gestured to her stomach. “I told her not to eat the leftovers from our dinner this week, but she insisted.”
Brynne forced a smile, but it quickly twisted into a grimace. “There’s no technical expiration on leftovers.”
“Well, there should be.” But I also thought she was wrong on that statement. Now wasn’t the time to argue about that, though.
I scanned the diner for Monica, and once I found her by a table in the far corner, I quickly said to Brynne, “I’m taking you home.”
“No,I’lltake you two home,” Austin insisted.
I shot him a glare that screameddon’t fight me on this right now. “You can follow us in your truck.” He opened his mouth to reply but I pressed a hand to his chest. “It’s not up for debate.”
With a huff, I left the two of them standing there to approach Monica. She turned my way when she noticed me. “Everything okay?”
God, I hated how cheerful her voice was, even when she seemed worried.
