“Thanks.” She poured the coffee and carried it to the table.
“I got some beignets too.” His gaze locked with hers, and her breath caught.
Why did he have to bring this up now? “I’m sorry about that. I lost track of time, and I had to be somewhere.” She sank into a chair and lowered her gaze to her mug.
Dropping into a seat, he pulled a French doughnut from the bag. “No big deal. I found someone else to go with me.”
Something in his tone said that her leaving the wedding without saying goodbye had hurt him more than he wanted her to know. “Who’d you go with?”
He narrowed his eyes briefly before focusing on the beignet. “Best to eat them while they’re warm.” He shoved it into his mouth. “So good.”
A thin layer of powered sugar dusted his lips, and she could almost taste the sweetness on her tongue. Her mouth watered. Why did he have to be so damn hot?
She always found herself attracted to the same type of men: muscular, good-looking assholes with tragic pasts. She’d convince herself that their cocky, abrasive attitudes were simply masks covering their wounded, softer sides. The softer sides didn’t exist, though. Not in her experience.
Bryce seemed different. Sure, he was full of himself—most good-looking men were—but an undercurrent of kindness laced his actions. And she couldn’t help but notice the fire that coursed through her veins when his tongue slipped out to lick the sugar from his lips. Oh, the places she’d like to feel his tongue. She shook her head to chase away the thoughts. “Thanks for taking me to get my car.”
“My pleasure.” He sipped his coffee. “What are you going to do once you have it back?”
“What do you mean?” She took a bite of the beignet and savored the sugary flavors dancing on her tongue.
“Are you staying in Pearl River? Do you live there now?”
She stopped chewing, clamping the mushed-up dough between her teeth. The thought of what to do next, where to go, hadn’t crossed her mind. What would she do? She swallowed the beignet and took a sip of coffee. “I told you. I don’t really live anywhere. I’m a wanderer.” She forced a smile.
“You like living out of your car?” No judgment laced his words, simply curiosity.
She shrugged. “It suits me.” Hell no, she didn’t like it. But she’d spent her entire life on the run, first moving from foster home to foster home, then living on the streets. She didn’t know how to stay in one place. Didn’t know if she could. Every time she got comfortable somewhere, anxiety would get the best of her, and she’d run away. A rogue could never have an easy life, and that was all she’d ever be.
He shook his head. “It’s too cold to sleep in your car. You can stay with me as long as you like.”
Her stomach tightened around the butterflies attempting to take flight. Why was his offer so damn appealing? After she’d left Eric more than a year ago, she’d sworn off men all together. Then she’d met Bryce, and her wolf had been protesting her decision ever since.
Going back to Eric when he’d called her to do the sound-proofing job should have solidified her decision that men were bad news. Then again, if she hadn’t done the job and gotten into trouble with him, she wouldn’t have been sitting across from the sweetest, sexiest man she’d ever met. Fate had led her to this moment, but…
She shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m not going to steal your bed another night.”
“If it means you’re safe and have a warm place to sleep, I will gladly take the couch. Plus, you fixed my coffee maker. Saved me from buying a new one, so I owe you.” He winked. “Think about it.”
There he went with that kindness again. “I’m sure your red-headed nurse would be jealous if I stayed.”
He stopped mid-swallow, choking on his coffee. Setting the cup down, he gave his head an adamant shake. “Lauren? She’s just a friend.”
The words “back off” had nearly slipped from Alexis’s lips when the nurse had come on to Bryce in the hospital, but that would have been her wolf talking. As a woman, Alexis knew better than to get involved with him. Yeah, right. “Seemed like more than that to me. I may be injured, but I’m not blind. I saw the way she looked at you.”
He straightened his spine, a cocky grin lifting the corners of his mouth. “I am easy on the eyes.”
See, she wanted to tell her wolf. He’s no different from all the others. She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. “And you’re proud of it.”
“So? I’ve worked hard to look this way. Don’t tell me you don’t know you’re beautiful. You’ve probably got men tripping all over themselves to be with you.”
“It’s different for a woman.”
“How so?”
Being with the man wasn’t the issue. What happened afterward always proved to be the problem. Men didn’t want to love her; they wanted to conquer her. It was either wham, bam, thank you ma’am, now get the hell out of my house, or they wanted to dominate every part of her life and treat her like an object rather than a person. She shrugged. “It just is.”
His gaze locked with hers. “Lauren was a one-and-done deal. Don’t worry about her.”
“I’m not worried, but maybe you should have informed her of that. Women don’t like to be used.”
His posture deflated as worry knit his brow. “I did. We both agreed before it happened. I don’t know why she keeps it up.”
Because he was smoking hot. No woman would be satisfied having him once. Alexis sure wouldn’t. “It’s not her fault if she’s fallen for a womanizer.”
“Womanizer?” His gaze hardened, and he straightened his spine. “Let’s get one thing straight. I never use people. Never.” He snatched the empty doughnut bag from the table and chunked it in the trash. Then he yanked a wet wipe from a plastic dispenser and cleaned the table. Every muscle in his body tensed as he furiously wiped the wooden top.
Maybe the name-calling was a little harsh. “Hey, I’m sorry.” She stood and placed a hand on his arm to still him. “I was out of line. Your love life is none of my business.”
He inhaled deeply and straightened to face her, his body mere inches from her own. Heat radiated from his skin, and his woodsy citrus scent made her head spin. She looked into his unreadable hazel eyes and fought the urge to press her lips to his. They looked soft, the scruff on his skin around them rough, masculine. Her comment had sparked a passion in him she’d never seen before. Would it be wrong to kiss him now?
He leaned in, his face drifting toward hers. No sugar remained on his lips, but she could imagine the taste on her tongue. Sweet, with a hint of coffee. She parted her lips, and her pulse thrummed in her throat.
He bypassed her mouth and hovered near her ear. “Damn right it’s none of your business. Let’s go get your car.” He stepped past her, grabbed a jacket from the coat rack, and tossed it to her.
She caught it and stood there watching as he turned and bounded down the stairs. Slipping her arms into the sleeves, she pulled the jacket tightly around her. She’d barely scratched the surface with Bryce, and a hint of that mythical softer side had already been revealed. How could she convince herself he was like all the other men she’d dated, when his actions repeatedly proved otherwise?
Bryce gripped the steering wheel and focused on the road. Neither of them had spoken since they’d left his house, but it was just as well. His mind couldn’t have formed a coherent sentence if his life depended on it. The woman had him so riled up he didn’t know if he wanted to kiss her or take his key back and never speak to her again.
Alexis stared out the window and toyed with the buttons on his jacket. His chest tightened. Something about seeing her wearing his clothes turned his insides to mush and his outsides rock hard.
But she thought he was a womanizer. A dumbass. He could see why she would think those things. In his quest to rid himself of the nerd he used to be, he tended to come off as aloof at times. Stoic. He’d rather people saw him as detached than a geek.
But not a
womanizer.
“I really don’t use women.” He glanced at her and focused on the road. “I told Lauren I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. She said she felt the same, so I didn’t think any harm would come of it.”
She looked at him, her expression hard, distant. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. It’s none of my business.”
“I don’t want you to think poorly of me.” More than that, damn it, he wanted her to like him. To feel the same heat he felt every time he touched her.
“It doesn’t matter what I think.” She lifted a shoulder and returned her gaze to the window.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “It matters to me.”
Letting out a sigh, she shifted in her seat to face him. “I don’t think poorly of you. But I do have a terrible habit of being attracted to the wrong kind of men, so you’ll have to excuse me if I keep my distance.”
His pulse quickened. “You’re attracted to me?”
She grinned and mussed his hair. “Who wouldn’t be? Take a left here. My car’s in the lot on the right.”
He turned left and rolled into the parking lot. Her gaze darted around like she was looking for something. Possibly for the reason she climbed that damn electrical tower in the first place. Seemingly satisfied, she looked at him and smiled.
He let go of the steering wheel and fisted his hands in his lap. “What makes you think I’m the wrong kind of man?”
“You all are.” She offered him the house key.
“Keep it. My offer stands. If you get too cold, or…if you need a shot of whiskey, my door is open.”
She slipped the key into her pocket. “Thanks, Bryce. For your help and for not asking too many questions.” She leaned across the console and pressed her lips to his cheek.
Electricity shot through his core as her mouth hovered near his face. He turned toward her, their noses brushing, her breath warming his skin. Her gaze landed on his lips, and she swallowed. His pulse thrummed. He hesitated, giving her plenty of time to move away, but she didn’t.
Leaning in, he tentatively brushed his lips against hers, fully expecting her back away or slap him. Instead, she returned the kiss, parting her lips as her breath hitched in her throat. She tasted like sugar and coffee, and as he slipped out his tongue, a slight moan resonated from her chest.
He moved closer, reaching across the console to slid his fingers into her hair, deepening the kiss. Her lips were soft, her skin warm, and as her fingers grazed his neck, he closed his eyes and lost himself to the moment.
With a shuddering breath, she pulled away and cupped his cheek in her hand. Though her eyes held passion, her brow knit with worry. “Thanks again.” She slipped out the door before he could respond.
His oversized jacket nearly swallowed her, the slight horizontal motion of the fabric the only indication of her hips swaying as she walked to her car. His mouth tugged into an involuntary grin as he imagined what her curves looked like beneath the coat. He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and ran his tongue over the surface, savoring the last hint of Alexis on his skin.
As she reached her car and stuck the key in the door, a burly, dark-haired man carrying a doughnut box called her name. Alexis spun around, and fear flashed in her eyes. The man’s brows lifted briefly in surprise before he hardened his gaze and marched toward her, stepping so close that her back pressed into the car as he set the box on the top.
Bryce flung open his door and stomped toward them.
“I thought you were dead, baby.” The man reached a hand toward her face.
She slapped it away. “You thought wrong.”
“Is this guy bothering you?” Bryce stepped next to her, trying to create some space between Alexis and the man, but the guy wouldn’t back off.
Alexis glanced between them and focused on the dark-haired man. “Everything’s fine. Isn’t it, Eric? Sergeant Samuels was nice enough to bring me to my car once I got out of the hospital.”
He didn’t miss the emphasis she placed on his title, like she was warning Eric not to make a move. This guy must have been the reason Alexis fell from that tower. Was he her boyfriend? The “wrong kind of man” she’d said she was attracted to? He had to wonder if some of the bruises mottling her skin yesterday were there before she fell.
“Oh, yes, Sergeant.” Eric’s voice oozed with false charm. “I’m so happy to see my girlfriend alive after that tumble she took.” He reached for her hand, but she yanked it away.
“I’m not your girlfriend.”
“Hey, man.” Bryce put a heavy hand on Eric’s shoulder. “Back off.”
Eric took a swing. Bryce jerked away, the man’s fist narrowly missing his jaw. Bryce moved forward to return the favor, but he stopped short as Alexis stepped between them.
“Boys.” She held up her hands. “There’s no need for this.”
“You’re right,” Bryce said. “There’s not. Get in the car, Alexis. Let’s go home.”
“She’s not going anywhere with you.” Eric shoved Alexis out of the way and lunged at Bryce. His fist connected with the side of his head, sending him careening to the ground, and an explosion of pain ricocheted through his skull.
He blinked away the kaleidoscope dancing in his vision and got to his feet. Alexis clung to Eric’s arm, but he jerked it away and charged Bryce again. He took another swing, but Bryce ducked and rammed a shoulder into his stomach, knocking him off his feet. He tried to pin him to the ground, but the guy had super-human strength. He flipped Bryce onto his back and landed another punch square in his jaw. Eric grabbed him by the shirt, and Bryce could’ve sworn the guy started to shimmer and vibrate. He squeezed his eyes shut to chase away the wavering vision, and the pain in his head made his stomach turn. How hard had he been hit?
“Stop it, Eric,” Alexis said. “There’s people. Cameras.”
Bryce turned his pounding head toward the strip center, where a crowd of patrons had gathered to witness the fight. Several people held their cell phones out, recording the incident. Shit. Just what he needed.
Eric glanced at the crowd and growled before rising to his feet and dragging Bryce up with him. “Sorry about that, officer.” He smoothed the front of Bryce’s shirt.
Bryce grabbed his arm, wrenching it behind his back before snatching his cuffs from his belt and slapping them on his wrist. “You’re under arrest for assaulting a police officer.” He cuffed the other hand and shoved Eric to his knees.
Eric laughed. “Looks more like battery to me, dude. I beat your ass.”
Ignoring the jibe, he phoned the local police to make the official arrest. Within five minutes, an officer arrived and put Eric in the back seat of the squad car. Bryce gave his statement, and the officer turned to Alexis. She told him everything that happened in the parking lot, but she didn’t elaborate further.
“Tell him what he did to you, Alexis,” Bryce said. “If you want this guy to stay locked up, you need to tell him how he hurt you.”
Her eyes widened as she shook her head. “He didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.”
He would never understand why so many women defended the bastards who beat them. Stepping closer to her, he lowered his voice. “It’s for the best. Please tell him.”
She chewed her bottom lip and stared hard into his eyes, as if she were pleading with him to understand. “That’s it, officer.” She looked at the uniform. “That’s all I have to say. Am I free to go?”
The officer cut his gaze from Alexis to Bryce and nodded. “We’ll be in touch.”
As soon as the patrol car left the parking lot and the crowd dispersed, Alexis turned to him with panic in her eyes. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”
“I put an abuser in jail where he belongs.”
“Eric’s more than an abuser. He’s…Oh, forget it. I have to go.” She reached for the door handle, but he grasped her hand. Her fingers felt like ice, and the color had drained from her cheeks.
“He’s what, Alexis? What aren’t you telling m
e?” He winced as a new flush of pain throbbed through his head. His eye pounded, his vision narrowing into a slit. No one had beaten him this badly since high school.
“Nothing.” She took a deep breath and searched his eyes…or eye. He could only see out of one. “Oh, Bryce.” She swept her fingers across his cheek and placed a soft kiss on his brow.
The throbbing in his head subsided, replaced by a dull ache. How could a simple touch from this woman ease his pain? “Let me help you. Unless someone posts bail, he’ll be locked up for a few days. After that…” He shoved his hands in his pockets. After that, the usual would happen. If she wouldn’t press charges, Eric would find her. Abusers always did. “I can protect you.”
She smiled and brushed her thumb across his lower lip. “I don’t need protection. But thank you.”
He let her open the door this time and watched as she climbed inside. “You have my key. I hope you’ll use it.”
Chapter Six
After making a few stops on his way home from work, Bryce pulled into his driveway and stared at the file folder on the passenger seat. He’d run the scumbag’s information, and Eric had a Mississippi driver’s license, with a home address in Biloxi.
A quick search of the database had revealed another address in Pearl River and a criminal record. Mostly assaults, bar fights, evading arrest. The guy obviously had a temper. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any outstanding warrants. Nothing to guarantee a lengthy stay behind bars, so he could get out on bail.
He might get six months for assaulting a police officer, but if Bryce could get Alexis to admit Eric hurt her—if she would testify—then he could lock the son of a bitch away for a nice long time. But she was protecting him, and something in his gut told him the reason ran deeper than thinking she deserved whatever he gave her.
A glance in the rearview mirror revealed a small, yellow bruise beneath his eye. No swelling. No blood. He looked again. Maybe Eric hadn’t hit him that hard after all.
Bound by Blood (Crescent City Wolf Pack Book 3) Page 7