Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
What’s happening right here, right now is between us. As fucked up as it is, it’s between Aria and me. Not my fucking nosy ass team leader. Or anybody else for that fucking matter.
Hand tingling from her skin, cock throbbing, brain in the spin cycle, I glare at Beast.
He looks me over good. Seeing something that concerns him if the tightening of his brows is what I think it is.
Fuck his attempt to check me.
I don’t need to be checked.
My shit is in order. I hate chaos. Every moment of every day, I do my damndest to control it.
Unblinking, I let him see just how fucking serious I am ‘bout him getting lost.
Even though I know in the pit of my twisted gut this is dangerous madness. Dancing with the devil that has my blackened soul.
Beast blinks first. Holds up his palm stop-sign-style. “Easy, brother. She needs to take this call.”
I grate out a reply as I put my gaze back on Aria, where it should have been all along. “In a damned minute.”
He says, “We’re short on time.”
Something I know well, but can’t seem to get a handle on this god blessed situation. The proverbial tires have been coming off the bus since the dive team’s plane landed last night. When Aria crashed into my life in the most literal sense of the word.
Fucking hell.
I grit my teeth and count to one because counting to ten wouldn’t do a damn bit of good. “We’re on it. But until you walk away, that’s not happening.”
In my peripheral vision, I watch Beast shake his head as he presses the phone to his thigh. “Aria, my cell’s going to be on the kitchen counter. Griffon needs to talk to you about your equipment.”
From beneath my barricading arms, she makes a sound that’s close to a word, but not exactly.
Beast finally gets a clue and gets his damned feet moving.
Son of a bitch. This disaster scene between Aria and me is partly his fault for forcing me to drive back with her. I can’t be alone with the woman.
She’s off-limits, she’s too young.
She’s…
Impossible.
When I step back, I adjust my cock because if I don’t the head is going to stick out of the waistband of my tactical pants .
Balls. I’m hard as a baseball bat.
As I rearrange, I don’t even bother to hide what she’s already felt.
I keep my angry gaze locked on her face as I lay the attitude on heavy. “Yep, this is me, babe. One hundred percent the man you do not want to fuck around with.”
Her throat works as she swallows. But she’s so silent that I can practically hear her pulse surging.
Every little thing about her makes my blood sing.
Those doe eyes are wide enough for me to fall into and never be able to climb out.
Beautiful. Heart stopping beautiful.
And scared out of her mind.
Her fingers rise up to her throat to touch the place where my hand was wrapped around her neck. The color on her cheeks goes pale and her chest movement gets erratic.
That's when I remember… Aria doesn’t like to be touched.
Goddammit. I groan and curse myself silently. She doesn’t like to be touched and I wrapped my hand around her throat like she’s a fucking sub and I’m about to dominate her.
God. What have I done?
I scrub my hand roughly over my eyes and hope that when I open them I find out I’ve been on an acid trip.
But it’s not a drug induced vision and she’s still hemmed in by me, looking like she’s on the verge of an emotional cataclysm.
I’m such an asshole. Selfish bastard. Crazed motherfucker.
“I’m sorry I touched you. It won’t happen again. I’m going outside. You go find that damned doctor, and if he clears you, we’re mobilizing the team. And eat something other than junk food, for god’s sake.”
As I’m walking through the house, her voice cuts through the noise in my head as she takes the call.
“Hey, Griff. Yeah. I’m fine. My phone is lost somewhere in my gear. Everything’s happening fast. Listen, Scout’s going to replace Brundage and?—”
Aria’s voice abruptly dies. I halt mid-stride and turn to look at her. She’s pinching the bridge of her nose, looking at the floor with the phone pressed to her ear.
Goddammit. The sight of her, rumpled clothes, tired eyes, tangled hair, dealing with her brother’s bullshit attitude sets me off.
When I stride up to her, she gives me a weak version of a back-off glance. I hold out my hand as Griff yells so loud on the other end of the line that there’s no need for putting him on speaker phone.
Such is Griffon Kane.
One volume. One speed. Full fucking blast.
“Griff, hey…” Aria raises her voice as she closes her eyes, locking me out.
More yelling from Griffon.
She raises her voice higher. “Griff, if you’ll just?—”
I grab the phone from her hand. Her eyes flare in alarm and she tries to reach for it, but I‘m too tall.
He’s still going on. And on. And fucking on.
Out of patience, I yell into the microphone. “Kane. Shut your damned mouth!”
For about four seconds he has to regroup and I can picture his head rupturing. Then he spits fire. “You! What the?! Why are you close enough to my sister to interrupt her phone call?”
“Protecting her. ”
Two hard words full of a thousand meanings.
He’s silent for a flat second. Voice going low and dangerous, he enunciates his next words carefully. “What does that mean?”
It means I’m about to throw down the gauntlet.
I’m about to own this.
About to cross a line that can’t be uncrossed.
“Exactly what I said. I’m protecting Aria,” I reply, matching his tone as I lock eyes with the woman that’s started a war. “You’re done talking to her like that and Brundage has been fired as far as I’m concerned. That ego-driven idiot will never get in the water with her again. And if I have my way he won’t ever be in the same room she’s in.”
Who knows what’s going to happen after the call, but one thing is certain: Griffon Kane will want my head on a stake.