One More Song
Page 16
“Don’t be a brat.” He starts to slide out of the booth. “I’m just trying to protect you.”
“Advice heeded.” I salute him, watching as he makes his way over to Ace and the other guy, no doubt about to give them both a lecture to keep their hands off me. That thought doesn’t bother me, because I don’t want any of Abbott’s friends.
I want Zee.
Who has officially disappeared again.
I finish the rest of my drink, feeling a small buzz when I stand and weave my way through the crowd towards the restroom.
On my way out, I’m almost run down by Kade’s girlfriend, Ana, as she storms out of the office, blonde hair a mess, mascara running down her cheeks, eyes bloodshot, and pupils so large and fixed that I have no doubt she’s on something.
“Watch it,” she mutters, pushing past me before disappearing into the ladies room.
“Nice,” I mumble sarcastically.
I’m about to give my brother the same lecture Abbott just gave me — to stay away from that one — when I see it’s Zee and not Kade sitting at the cluttered desk, face in his hands.
Butterflies dance in my stomach and my heart beats wildly.
Walk away Quinn, my brain warns, knowing how volatile the man is right now.
I don’t want to be in his path when he finally blows, which by the looks of him, is only a matter of time.
“Hey,” I say softly walking in, then doing the one thing I know I shouldn’t — close the door.
He looks up, and I’m not sure he even recognizes me. His eyes are clouded by pain and alcohol — and maybe something else.
When his gaze finally fixes on me, my breath catches in my throat, because there’s something almost feral staring back, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was lust that eases the pain for that split second. Or maybe it only intensified it, because the next second he’s looking away and burying his head in his hands again, fingers tugging at his hair.
“Zee, I—”
“You shouldn’t be in here,” he says, low and desperate, like he’s ready to break at any moment. His suffering is so heavy, it saturates the air in the small room.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
He laughs. It’s a terrible sound, one that’s filled with bitterness. “No, Quinn,” he says, my name sounding harsh. “I’m not fucking okay.”
“I’m sorry.” Feeling like a complete ass, I start to reach for the door handle. I inhale deeply and let it out. “I shouldn’t have...”
He stands abruptly, the chair scraping across the floor as he does. Then takes three long strides, removing the distance between us. He doesn’t touch me, but his palm flattens on the door, stopping me from opening it.
“What the hell do you have to be sorry about?” Green eyes bore into me, searching me with an intensity I’m not used to. There’s a slur to his words, and I smell whiskey on his breath.
“I—I’m sorry…” Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, my breath comes out shaky. I can’t think, so I say the only thing that comes to mind, “For your loss.”
“Loss.” He gives another harsh, broken laugh. “Right.” Eyes closed, agony is etched into his features. “Fucked up.” He slams his palm on the door and a noise that sounds almost like a growl rumbles from his chest. “Everything’s fucked up. Going to lose...can’t...fuck.”
I’ve seen my brothers drunk several times, but this is different. It’s like he’s pulled into himself, trapped in his own internal hell.
I should probably be afraid of the giant of a man that looms over me, but I know in the pit of my soul he’d never hurt me.
Hurt himself, yes. Me, never.
I place a palm on his cheek, and my hand tingles with the contact, little sparks of heat that go straight to my core. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
His jaw twitches under my hand, and his throat bobs as he swallows. For a brief moment, he leans into my touch. I know if he’d give me the chance I could ease his suffering. I’d do everything in my power to remove his pain.
“You shouldn’t...” His lashes flutter open and heat flares between us. As energy fills the space between us, the world outside these walls stops.
I know he feels it too. I see it in his eyes.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that, Quinn.” His voice is pained, but his body slowly inches closer until his forehead rests against mine. He reaches out and grabs a strand of my dark hair, twisting it between his thumb and index finger. His next words come out in an uneven breath. “I’m not the man you think I am...”
There’s a crack in his armor. Vulnerability and regret pour from his words, choking him.
“You are.” I know it in my soul. He’s everything and more.
His eyes close again and he shakes his head. “Wish I could be.”
My heart beats wildly. Maybe it’s the alcohol that burns through my veins, but I feel emboldened, so I lift on tiptoes and place my lips against his.
“Quinn,” he moans against my mouth, and I feel every cell in my body awakening.
His mouth is soft, breath warm, but he doesn’t move.
Kiss me back, I want to beg.
“I want...” I whisper against his mouth, my fingers fisting in his shirt. “You.”
His fingers dive into my hair, and my back is against the door, his large, hard thigh wedging between my own as his tongue sweeps across my bottom lip.
I let out a soft whimper, and it’s matched by a deep guttural sound from Zee’s throat. His kiss turns hungry and possessive.
I pull at his shirt, wanting to touch his skin. Wanting all of it. Everything he can give me.
“Please, Zee.”
A sound vibrates in the back of his throat. He rests his forehead against mine as he mutters, “Shit. Shit. Shit.”
“Don’t stop...” I lean back into him, gripping his shirt, the ache in my core so intense it’s almost painful. “I want this.”
He jerks back, and I’m not prepared for the anger that flashes in his eyes. “Fuck, Quinn.” His breathing is rough, ragged. Green eyes search mine for God knows what, and I can’t tell if he wants to kiss me again or shake me senseless. Maybe both. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I...thought...”
“You thought what?” The words are harsh. He moves to the far corner of the room and starts pacing.
When he glances over at me, disgust curls his lips. It’s like a punch to the gut, one that leaves me sucking in air.
“Zee, please.” Big, fat tears burn my eyes, threatening to spill.
“Please, what?” He glares at me. “What did you think would happen? You think I’m going to fuck you? Is that what you want Q?” He roughs his fingers over his dark hair and winces. “You’re a goddamn baby. And I’m...”
He starts to pace the room again.
“An asshole,” I say sharply, humiliation mixing with hurt. Rejection swells inside me and I swear my heart is going to burst from my chest. I struggle with the door, unable to get the damn thing open. I shake the brass handle, then slam my palm against the frame. “What’s wrong with this stupid door?”
He moves towards me, presses a button and turns the knob, opening it slightly, but not wide enough for me to escape.
“Let me go.”
He leans down, capturing my chin in his big hand and forcing me to look at him. “You’re right. I am an asshole.”
I clench my teeth and try to jerk away, but he doesn’t let me. Not that I really want him to release me, because even now, I’m desperate for his touch. And I hate him for it.
“Promise me something, Quinn.”
“No,” I spit out. It’s a juvenile response, but that’s how he’s made me feel. Like a kid. Not worthy of someone like him.
He lets out a low sigh, then traces my bottom lip with his thumb. The gesture is intimate and confusing, and I want to cry. But I blink back the damn tears and glare up at him.
“Promise me you'll stay away from guys like
me.” It’s his final rejection. A clear acknowledgment that he’ll never be mine.
All my dreams shatter around me, but I find the strength to say with as much conviction as I can muster, “I promise I’ll stay away from you.”
With a small nod, the muscles in his jaw clenching, he releases me and opens the door.
I pour out of the office, once again running straight into Ana, who grabs me by the shoulders, fingernails biting into my flesh, when I stumble into her. Her lips twist in a sneer when she looks between Zee and me, but whatever conclusions she comes to, I don’t care. All I want is to get as far away from him as possible.
I’m not sure I would have run so fast if I’d known he would disappear from my life, from Port Clover, hell, from the face of the earth. But that’s exactly what he did.
Zee St. James left that night, taking my broken, pathetic heart with him.
Continue to read Torment and fall in love with the Savage and St. James men!
C.M. Seabrook
Amazon bestselling author C.M. Seabrook writes hot, steamy romances with possessive bad boys, and the passionate, fiery women who love them.
Swoonworthy romances from the heart!
For more information:
www.cmseabrook.com
chantelseabrook@gmail.com
Also by C.M. Seabrook
Men with Wood Series
Second Draft
Second Shot
Fighting Blind Series
Theo
Moody
Wild Irish Series
Wild Irish
Tempting Irish
Taming Irish
Savages & Saints Series
Torment
Gravity
Salvage
Beast
Standalones
Melting Steel
Also by C.M. Seabrook & Frankie Love
Six Men of Alaska
The Wife Lottery
The Wife Protectors
The Wife Gamble
The Wife Code
The Wife Pact
The Wife Legacy
Mountain Men of Bear Valley
Untamed Virgins
Untamed Lovers
Untamed Daddy
Untamed Fiance
The Princeton Charming Series
Kissing Princeton Charming
Dating Princeton Charming
Losing Princeton Charming
Forever Princeton Charming
Hammers and Veils
Stripped Bare
Nailed Down
Scr*wed Tight
Drilled Deep
Love Without Limits
Naughty Scot
Dirty Brit
Unruly Norse
Filthy Irish
Booty Call Series
Bootyogomy
Bootyversary
Humpany
Booty Camp
Get Some Series
A.D..I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Sex)
G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time)
T.Y.P.O. (Take Your Pants Off)
Standalones
Heart of the Mountain
Game Day Baby