Chapter 21
Cash
I can see her shaking, her body shivering with a chill that counteracts the fire that had been burning only seconds before.
She’s gone pale, her eyes wide as she vibrates with adrenaline that isn’t from Oak’s touch.
They’d been seconds away from the most epic sex scene we’ve ever filmed, and now here we are, confused.
But that line that had popped up on the chat was the cause. What does it mean? And more importantly, why did it affect her so badly?
“What did that mean to you?” Oak asks the question we all wanna know.
Sawyer is sitting quietly beside me, not quite understanding what happened because he didn’t see the comment.
Jules immediately shakes her head. “It’s nothing. It was just weird is all.”
“Bullshit,” Oak growls, reaching down for his jeans and tugging them on, tucking his dick away. He reaches for her robe and hands it to her next. “You reacted like you’d seen a ghost.”
She meets his eyes, and I see the fire there that had vanished temporarily. It comes roaring back to life at his tone. “It’s nothing, Oak,” she growls. “And with all due respect, this is just business, like you said. And my personal convictions or traumas aren’t your business.”
Oak takes a step back at the venom in her voice, but I stand up, my own anger filling me at the words. I fucking knew Oak would tell her some shit like that. We agreed, but fuck I don’t like it. And fuck that right now. She’s clearly distressed, and he’s gonna let her walk away shaking with fear.
I scowl and step forward. “You’re afraid,” I spit. “Fuck business and tell me who I have to go shoot to ease your mind.”
“It’s—”
I grab her chin and tilt it up. “Don’t you dare lie to me again, darlin’,” I breathe. “Let me shoot ’em.”
Her face twists and she jerks back. She slides off the bed and drags her robe around her. I get the barest glimpse of the red marks on her sweet ass before she covers everything with the robe and wraps it away.
“It’s none of your business,” she spits, and storms toward the door. “So, leave it be.”
And then she’s gone. So, my anger has no outlet other than on the man that made her close up so completely. I whirl on Oak and jab him in the big hairy chest with my finger. “You did this.”
“I didn’t make that comment—”
“No, but you made her close up!”
“Good!” Oak snarls. “This was getting too deep. This is work, not some backwards dating—”
“She was afraid!” I shout, cutting him off. “You saw the fear in her eyes and you still let her walk away like that, you asshole!” I jab him in the chest again. “I know you said it’s just fucking business, but I don’t like it and I’m not holding myself to that.”
“Don’t be so fucking stupid,” Oak snarls. “She’ll leave when her gig is up.”
“Then so be it,” I spit. “It’s my heart. If I wanna play with it, then that’s my business.”
“And then what?” Oak snarls. “You just gonna go on fucking other girls on camera? You think you can handle that if she breaks your heart? You’re jeopardizing everything!”
“Enough!” Sawyer growls, cutting off my argument. “We’re a family. Knock it off.”
I whirl on the third member of our family. “You okay with her walking away? You okay with someone threatening our girl like that? Because that was clearly a threat with the way she reacted. And this bastard just let her walk away!”
Sawyer tilts his head. “No, I’m not okay with it,” he admits. “Which is why you’re gonna go after her and make sure she’s okay.”
I blink. “Why me?”
“Because I can’t fucking see, and Oak is currently in denial,” he spits, before jerking his glasses off his face and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Just go after her. Take her to town or something. Comfort her. In the meantime, I’m gonna do some digging and see if I can figure out where that comment came from.
” He jerks his chin toward the bed and Oak. “You get to clean that up.”
Oak’s face twists. “It’s not my turn—”
“It is now,” Sawyer says. “Clean it up.” His cloudy eyes focus on Oak and despite being blind, it’s intimidating. It’s easy to forget what a force Saw is, even without sight. “Smell what you missed out on. It’s a fitting punishment.”
Oak grumbles, but turns toward the bed. And me? I sprint out of the media barn and search for the bright-colored beauty I desperately want to protect from the world.