Chapter 4 #2
“Yeah, you did. But that little show outside? That earned our interest. You said we can get a drink or get the fuck out, so I’ll take that old fashioned now.
Kage, how about that cutesy margarita?” He laughs at his brother and I can feel a kaleidoscope of butterflies take flight towards the beautiful sound.
I let out a humorless laugh with him. “I’m so glad that my shitty night is so entertaining for you two assholes. I don’t know what you guys want. If I just say thank you, will you finally fuck off?”
Lennox chuckles, shaking his head like he actually enjoys my tempter. “Are you always this feisty, or is this just for us?”
I grit my teeth and narrow my eyes. “Are you always this insufferable, or am I just that lucky?”
His smirk deepens, his gaze perusing down my body in a slow, deliberate drag. “Oh sweetheart…you have no idea just how lucky you are.”
Jesus fucking christ. That vibrator just keeps sounding better and better.
I’m trying so hard to ignore the way my pulse betrays me, hammering against my ribs like it has no goddamn loyalty. No one, not even Rich, has ever stirred something this visceral in me before, and the thought of that alone scares me to my core.
Kage shifts closer, and even though I refuse to look at him, I can feel him. The heat rolls off his body with every slow intake of breath. Then, in a low whisper, he says, “You’re shaking.”
My whole body goes tight, because he’s right.
I hadn’t even noticed, but my fists are clenched, nails digging into my palms, and they have the tiniest tremor.
Maybe it’s from the adrenaline and anger, or maybe it could be the anxiety I feel from this whole fucking nightmare of an evening.
I think we all know it’s not either of those things.
Regardless, I've had enough of it. I'm ready to go home and forget about this whole night.
Maybe I can take a bubble bath, open a bottle of wine, get really fucking drunk, and get some damn good sleep.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m actually trying really hard not to punch you in your pretty little face. You know, kinda like how you punched Richard. Except this time, it’s actually warranted.”
“That’s not why. Dick is definitely not as good looking as me, and he absolutely deserved to be hit for putting his hands on someone who doesn’t belong to him.
But I’m glad you think I’m pretty.” he smiles, dragging his fingers across his perfectly shaved head, and sucks his plump bottom lip between his teeth.
Fuck. Me.
Thank god he’s distracting me with his mouth because I’m one “Dick” away from losing my composure. There have been so many times I’ve wanted to call him that. I mean, it suits him well enough.
“Okay, little brother, I think she’s had enough. At least for tonight.” Lennox looks towards Kage, clasping him on his shoulder, “Maybe if she asks very, very nicely we’ll leave her be.” His green eyes shift back to me, mischief sparking in their depths.
They really think they have the ability to break me. Oh honey, they’re about to find out they’re not even built to survive me.
My elbows hit the bartop as I lean over the counter.
I deliberately press my tits together, thanking my past self for wearing a slutty little tank top today.
Slowly, so very slowly, I extend my hands out for both of them, my index fingers grazing the smooth line under both of their stubbled chins, a coy smile playing on my lips.
My fingers linger for a moment, just long enough to feel the warmth of their skin.
I trace the faint lines of their jaws, my touch soft but deliberate—teasing.
They both shift slightly in their seats, their eyes never leaving mine. I have them right where I want them.
I’m the one in control here.
I lean in, drawing closer to Lennox, grabbing his chin with my thumb and forefinger, “Would you pretty,” I pop the ‘P’, getting the desired effect.
His eyes shoot straight to my mouth while his hangs slightly open.
We are just a heartbeat away now, I can feel his shaky exhale of breath, damn near feel his tongue dragging across his soft lips.
God, I want to kiss him. With the way he’s looking at me, I don't think he would mind one bit. But I wouldn’t want to leave brother number two feeling neglected. .
Dragging my eyes away from Lennox, I look into Kage’s light blue gaze. I grab his chin just as I had Lennox’s, caressing the short hair that lays there. It’s not lost on me that I have two very large, very beautiful men absolutely entranced right now and fuck is it turning me on.
Kage leans in, far closer to me now than his brother is. “Pretty, please,” I drag out the words, and I can feel the whisper of Kage’s lips on mine. If I just leaned in a little more… Fuck do I want to, but not right now. What fun would that be? I need to leave them wanting more.
“Get. The. Fuck. Out.” I look between the brothers with every word, and with one last squeeze of their chins, I lightly push them away.
I don’t give them a second to respond before I turn away to move down the bar, done with this little charade.
The look in their eyes was a hard one to miss, though.
Shock, yes, but also something more…longing.
It was hunger.
The night drags on, but I still feel them after they’re gone.
It’s fucking annoying. Lennox and Kage left an hour ago, but their presence feels like nicotine in my lungs.
It’s thick and sticky and won’t let me fucking breathe right.
Every time the door swings open, my pulse kicks up, my body betraying me before my brain can remind it that they’re not coming back, and I shouldn’t want them to.
I can’t deny that those men don’t have an absolute chokehold on me. It’s fucking ridiculous. I don’t even know them. So why do I want them to come back so bad?
Starting to clean up the bar, I wipe down the bartop and get everything in order for closing, but my hands are still unsteady. I don’t know if it’s from the leftover adrenaline or the fact that I haven’t fully shaken the weight of them. I hate that I don’t know.
No, I hate that I do know, but my stupid head is in denial.
Retta eyes me from across the bar, wiping down tables with that all knowing look in her eyes. How does she always do that?
“Are you gonna tell me what that was, traviesa, or am I gonna have to force it out of you?” She asks, casual as ever, but the bite in her tone is obvious.
This woman has the ability to pull literally anything right out of me and I can’t even hate her for it.
The truth is, I love that she cares so much.
I love that I don’t even have to tell her anything for her to just know that I need her.
With a grunt, I toss my rag onto the counter and turn towards her, ready to bare my feelings to my work mom. “That was two overgrown jackasses with a savior complex and a death wish.” I slump against the counter, completely defeated.
She arches a brow. “Uh huh.”
I glare. “Don’t.”
She holds up her hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to! You totally thought it,” I mutter, scrubbing a little too aggressively at the bartop.
Retta walks over to me and leans in, dropping her voice. “Mija, I know that look.”
I freeze for half a second too long. “What look?”
She smirks. “The look of someone pretending really hard like she doesn’t want something.”
I roll my eyes so hard, I might give myself a concussion. “Jesus Christ, Retta.”
She laughs so hard, I can’t help the flush that grows on my cheeks. “Mira, I’m not saying they’re good news. Hell, they look like the complete opposite of good news. But I am saying that I’ve seen you handle pendejos before, and I’ve never seen you look like that afterward.”
I stare at her, my pulse hammering in my ears. “Like what?”
Retta tilts her head, giving me a look so full of smug amusement that I nearly chuck my dirty rag at her. “Like you felt something.”
My chest tightens and I think I might feel sick. That’s the part I didn’t want to acknowledge.
I turn away, grabbing the next set of glasses to clean. “Go away, Retta.”
She just giggles, shaking her head as she heads towards the back. “I was young too, mijita, I know what it’s like to have fun!”
Giving me a seductive side eye, she does a little shimmy, shaking her chest as she rounds the corner.
“LORETTA!”
I can hear her little witch cackle from the backroom and I cover my face with my hands from pure embarrassment. She’s not wrong, though, and that’s the worst part. Because for all my irritation and frustration, I did feel something, and I have a sinking suspicion that Lennox and Kage knew that too.
Which means, this? This isn’t fucking over. Not by a long shot.
By the time my shift is over, I feel like I’ve been hit by a damn bus. My body is sore, my head hurts from the nagging headache I’ve had since meeting Lennox and Kage, and despite my best efforts, I can’t stop replaying everything that’s happened tonight.
The way Rich grabbed me, Lennox and Kage stepping in, the way they watched me as if they knew I was unraveling even as I spit fire at them. I hate that they got under my skin. That I can still feel them there, lingering.
I make my way to the back room where my locker is and gather all my stuff. The bar is mostly cleared out, only a few stragglers left nursing their drinks, but I know Retta can handle it. After the night I had, I’m ready to go home. That bubble bath is calling my name.
Before I can push the door open, Joe steps into my path.
“You want someone to walk you out?” he asks. His voice is low and his eyes are scanning me like he already knows my answer.
“I can handle myself, Joe.” I laugh, but he doesn’t budge. The man is built like a brick wall. As a retired marine, he doesn’t miss anything.
“That's not what I asked, Wren.”