Chapter Seventeen
Someone was following me.
I had gone out for ice cream after dinner and was on my way home when I heard the footsteps. I glanced back to see a man in his early twenties with a slim build. I didn't think much of it. Then he started to get closer. I sped up. He sped up. I looked back and found him staring at me. It was not a pleasant stare. I dropped my ice cream and ran.
It turned out that my instincts were on point. The guy chased me. Panic took over. I couldn't think straight, didn't know where to go. I just kept heading home, even knowing that the guy would catch up to me when I dealt with the door. I should have gone into a restaurant or a shop. But I just kept running.
Until I slammed into a solid chest.
Strong hands steadied me, and I looked up into a pair of moss-green eyes. They were magnetic, those eyes, but I was able to expand my focus to include the rest of his face. And what a face. Great Gods, the man was beautiful. I had assumed that at close range his handsome features would lose something. That was normal. But no. They were even more magnificent from this perspective. Classically handsome, that's what an expert might call him at first glance. His nose certainly fit the title—the long slope of it creating a strong line down the center of his face, accentuating a noble brow instead of the thick forehead usually found on a man his size. But his lips were too full, too sensual to be called classic and the long lashes around his eyes were too feminine. These two points of softness were exactly what was needed to offset his hard jaw and the carved angles of his cheekbones. It was the kind of face that made movies into masterpieces. A face that could send people to their knees—in multiple ways. Mine were certainly trembling.
“Braxen,” I whispered.
Rune's packmate was staring over my shoulder. No, not staring. He was glaring. His body hunched forward, partially protecting me and partially intimidating my stalker. I turned to see the guy skid to a halt. But instead of turning tail, he stood his ground. I was shocked. Did he really think he stood a chance against Braxen? A fucking Harpy wouldn't stand a chance against Braxen. And I'd heard those were some seriously badass bitches.
“So, she is yours,” the man said. “Does she spread her legs for all of you?”
Braxen gently set me aside, then stepped in front of me. I thought he was going to threaten the man, warn him off. Nope. He punched the guy. No harsh words and no hesitation. Just balled up his fist and slammed it into the man's face. The guy crumpled. Had any other man delivered the blow, I would have said the stalker had a glass jaw, so easily did he fall. But it wasn't a defect with him. It was Braxen. Not only did he have the strength of a Hound of Hades, but he also had that magnificent musculature. I suspected that he pulled the punch—tempered it so that he didn't kill the man. Braxen picked up the comatose stalker, slung him over one thick shoulder, and turned to face me.
“Stay here,” he said.
I think I said, “Okay.”
I must have said something because Braxen went across the street to where a car was idling. Merrick got out of the driver's seat, stared at me for a second, then opened the back door. Braxen shoved the unconscious man inside, slammed the door, then said something to Merrick. Merrick nodded, got in, and took off. Without Braxen.
Braxen returned to me and took my hand, as casual as can be. “I'll walk you home.”
“Hold on.” I tried to jerk my hand away but couldn't free it from his grip. “Who was that guy? Did you know him? Why did you take him? Where did you take him to?”
Braxen frowned. “Come.” He pulled me along after him.
“Hello? I asked you some questions.”
“Later,” he said.
A man of few words.
But I couldn't appreciate that at the moment. I needed words. A lot of words. It had been many years since someone had come after me like that, and this guy sounded as if he'd done it not because of who I was or how I looked but because of who I loved.
“Braxen!” I yanked again. “Let go! I'm going to scream.”
He glanced at me, then let go.
I got in his face. “Tell me what's going on!”
Braxen's stare shifted over my face. His breath hitched. That earthy-green stare settled on my lips. My heart sped up. Oh, fuck. What's this? What's happening? I watched his throat tighten. Swallow. His tongue flicked out to wet his lips. Utterly unthinking, I swayed forward. He was like a planet, pulling me into his gravitational field.
My hands landed on Earth—I mean his chest. Braxen's head lowered as his arms came around me, grounding me. Bringing me home. I couldn't stop myself. I lifted my head and met his lowering lips with mine.
Fireworks. An orchestra. A fucking parade. All the feels. Braxen's kiss made me tingle down to my toes. His tongue was heavy in my mouth. It bullied mine. He tasted like chocolate and . . . bananas? Sweet. I wanted more. Groaning, I pushed myself against him and felt the bulge in his pants. Braxen's hands tightened, one of them on my ass, and he ground his erection into me. It was the kind of kiss you shared with a lover, not a man you had met mere seconds before.
When Braxen finally eased back, it was only to kiss and suck at my neck, but he finally nibbled away from me and lifted his head.
One blink and my sanity returned. “Oh, fuck,” I whispered. “What the actual fuck?” I backed away. “Oh, Gods. What is wrong with me? What's wrong with you ?! How could you do that? How could I do that? We shouldn't have done that!”
“Lomasi,” Braxen said, his voice low and colored with arousal.
Déjà vu. I'd heard him say my name before. My real name. I started to slide into a hazy fantasy, but sanity won out again. This was the first time I'd heard Braxen speak. My mind was just playing tricks on me. It was the shock of kissing him combined with hearing him use my real name. For a second, I wondered how he knew it, but then I realized that Rune must have told him. Which meant that Rune had spoken to Braxen about me. A lot. Rune. The man I loved. The man whose brother I had just kissed. Oh, fuck. There went any chance of us ever being together again.
Tears gathered in my eyes, but I blinked them away. I couldn't let Braxen see me cry. Instead, I said, “Thank you for your help, but you can go now. I'll be all right.”
“Not happening,” Braxen said and reclaimed my hand.
“Let go of me, Braxen.”
“No.” He started walking again.
What did it matter? I had just royally screwed up what was already fucked. So, I let Braxen walk me back to the gallery. It wasn't much further anyway. I'm talking ten steps at most. Which made me wonder if Braxen and Merrick had been waiting for me at the gallery when they saw me running. But I didn't think Mr. Talkative was going to answer me if I asked.
At the gallery, Braxen finally released my hand. I unlocked both outer and inner doors, then turned to thank him again for his help. He was an inch away. I backed up in surprise. He followed me into the gallery and closed the doors.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“Go upstairs and pack a few things. You're coming with me.”
“What? No, I'm not.”
Braxen closed the distance between us and grabbed my chin. “You're in danger, Lora. Go and pack.”
My breath caught. Braxen's hand slid down my throat and idly stroked me there. I jerked back. His stare never wavered. Something in it scared me, and I suddenly believed him. I needed to go with him. Right away. So, I turned around and went upstairs to pack.