could do to keep
them from barging in here. I wanted to make sure you were alright. Jason said
all the color bled from your face the moment you saw these guys.”
Jason had moved from
behind Callie, but his arms were still crossed. “One guy claims he’s your
brother and the other says he’s your boyfriend?”
“Ex-boyfriend and yes, Grant is my brother.” I sighed and
sat back against the cushion, the weight of my past crushing down on me.
“That’s a hell of a reaction to seeing your brother,”
Jason said, drilling me with his bright eyes.
“I was very surprised to see him and Dominic. I had no
idea they were coming and well…it’s complicated.”
“It’s them you’ve been hiding from isn’t it?” Jason stood
taller and his hands balled into fists. “Will they hurt you?”
“No! They won’t hurt me and yes, I basically ran away
from my old life, but you already know that.”
“Jason, I need you to go back to your bar. Nat’s fine and
you can hash this out later,” Callie said before turning back to me. “Nat, I
hate to do this since you seem to be in the middle of a personal crisis, but I
need to get home and you’re the only server on tonight.”
As if the night
couldn’t get any worse, poor Callie was late getting home to her kids and it
was my fault. “I’ll be okay, Callie. Can I have a few minutes alone in here to
talk to my brother? I won’t be long, promise.”
She gave me a once over
and shrugged her shoulders. “Fine, five minutes, that’s it.” She turned to
leave, grabbing Jason by his elbow and taking him with her. Like the changing
of the guard, as soon as they left, Grant and Dom filed into the office.
The first thing I
noticed was that they both looked like shit. Dom’s hair stuck up all over, I
imagined from his nervous habit of running his fingers through it, and he had
dark shadows under his eyes. Grant’s eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were
wrinkled, definitely not his usual put together self. They both had at least
two days’ worth of stubble growth, with Dom's bordering on a beard. The second
thing I noticed was how my heart accelerated when I saw Dominic and not out of
panic, but excitement to be in the same room with him again. My mouth was dry
and I cleared my throat to say something, but didn’t know how to begin. “Hi,
how are you?” wasn’t going to cut it.
Grant beat me to it. “Nat,
what the hell were you thinking?” I refused to be chastised and opened my mouth
to defend myself, but he held up his hand to silence me. “If we were able to
find you, chances are other people will too, if they haven’t already. Is that
what you want – to be unprotected and most likely killed?”
“I can’t get into this with you now because I need to get
back to work. You can hang out at the bar or go back to Chelsea’s apartment and
wait for me there. I assume you already know where that is?” Both Grant and Dom
nodded. “On second thought, you’re better off waiting for me here. Chelsea will
shit her pants if you show up at her door.”
Dominic squatted down
in front of me and I was forced to look at his face. My heart betrayed me and I
felt myself go soft when his eyes met mine. “We will wait for you and we will
talk about everything – tonight.” He leaned over and lightly kissed the cuts on
my knees before standing. He held out his hand and I instinctively grabbed on
to it. He pulled me up to my feet. A wave of dizziness threatened to send me
back on my ass, but he sensed it and put an arm around my waist, steadying me.
I sucked in a breath as a bolt of longing ripped through my body.
“Are you alright?” he asked and I nodded, stepping away
to create some distance between us because I was acutely aware of how my body
reacted to being so close to
them from barging in here. I wanted to make sure you were alright. Jason said
all the color bled from your face the moment you saw these guys.”
Jason had moved from
behind Callie, but his arms were still crossed. “One guy claims he’s your
brother and the other says he’s your boyfriend?”
“Ex-boyfriend and yes, Grant is my brother.” I sighed and
sat back against the cushion, the weight of my past crushing down on me.
“That’s a hell of a reaction to seeing your brother,”
Jason said, drilling me with his bright eyes.
“I was very surprised to see him and Dominic. I had no
idea they were coming and well…it’s complicated.”
“It’s them you’ve been hiding from isn’t it?” Jason stood
taller and his hands balled into fists. “Will they hurt you?”
“No! They won’t hurt me and yes, I basically ran away
from my old life, but you already know that.”
“Jason, I need you to go back to your bar. Nat’s fine and
you can hash this out later,” Callie said before turning back to me. “Nat, I
hate to do this since you seem to be in the middle of a personal crisis, but I
need to get home and you’re the only server on tonight.”
As if the night
couldn’t get any worse, poor Callie was late getting home to her kids and it
was my fault. “I’ll be okay, Callie. Can I have a few minutes alone in here to
talk to my brother? I won’t be long, promise.”
She gave me a once over
and shrugged her shoulders. “Fine, five minutes, that’s it.” She turned to
leave, grabbing Jason by his elbow and taking him with her. Like the changing
of the guard, as soon as they left, Grant and Dom filed into the office.
The first thing I
noticed was that they both looked like shit. Dom’s hair stuck up all over, I
imagined from his nervous habit of running his fingers through it, and he had
dark shadows under his eyes. Grant’s eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were
wrinkled, definitely not his usual put together self. They both had at least
two days’ worth of stubble growth, with Dom's bordering on a beard. The second
thing I noticed was how my heart accelerated when I saw Dominic and not out of
panic, but excitement to be in the same room with him again. My mouth was dry
and I cleared my throat to say something, but didn’t know how to begin. “Hi,
how are you?” wasn’t going to cut it.
Grant beat me to it. “Nat,
what the hell were you thinking?” I refused to be chastised and opened my mouth
to defend myself, but he held up his hand to silence me. “If we were able to
find you, chances are other people will too, if they haven’t already. Is that
what you want – to be unprotected and most likely killed?”
“I can’t get into this with you now because I need to get
back to work. You can hang out at the bar or go back to Chelsea’s apartment and
wait for me there. I assume you already know where that is?” Both Grant and Dom
nodded. “On second thought, you’re better off waiting for me here. Chelsea will
shit her pants if you show up at her door.”
Dominic squatted down
in front of me and I was forced to look at his face. My heart betrayed me and I
felt myself go soft when his eyes met mine. “We will wait for you and we will
talk about everything – tonight.” He leaned over and lightly kissed the cuts on
my knees before standing. He held out his hand and I instinctively grabbed on
to it. He pulled me up to my feet. A wave of dizziness threatened to send me
back on my ass, but he sensed it and put an arm around my waist, steadying me.
I sucked in a breath as a bolt of longing ripped through my body.
“Are you alright?” he asked and I nodded, stepping away
to create some distance between us because I was acutely aware of how my body
reacted to being so close to
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