Chapter 30
Kasen
Birdie has been sitting quietly in my office since my meeting with Deadwater Bay council that she sat in on.
Even though I know she’s angry with me, she looks hot as hell today, in a little black dress with a print on the front and a pair of ankle boots.
Not what I would have selected for her, but better than the denim cutoffs and bikini she’s normally in.
She didn’t say a lot after my meeting, or after our fight this morning.
I got the impression she was surprised at how involved I am with local initiatives.
She wants to paint me as a selfish jerk who’s only out to make money for my company, but I give back to my town.
This community is important to me, just like it was to her mum.
And as much as she wants to hate me, paint me as the bad guy, she still came with me today and acted like my girl.
Held my hand when it was necessary and even smiled on cue.
I have no idea how to get through to her, what to say to make her listen to me.
I thought the truth would help, but I’m sure it only made things worse.
I wish I could tell her it all, come clean on every fucked-up thing our parents were up to, but when she’s not ready to even accept she’s my girl, there is no point.
The reality of what they did will only cause her to distance herself more.
From my desk I watch her lounging on the leather sofa in my office.
She has her phone out and is scrolling, but she looks bored out of her brains.
Since all of her socials have been deleted, I’m sure there isn’t much to do on it, and I know that’s my fault.
She has so many reasons to despise me, but everything I’m doing is for her.
Most of the time she can’t even see the danger she’s in.
The boys and I debated if we should show her the latest threat, but she needed to see it for herself.
Needed to know her reality. I will do everything in my power to stop this guy from getting close to her, including scaring her to the point of vomiting up her breakfast if it means she starts to listen to us.
“You want to head down to the Beach Bar? I’m done for the day, and River and Bodhi are already there,” I offer.
She sits up quickly. “Yeah, I will need to duck home and grab my shirt.” Her voice is more excited than it has been all day.
I move to stand in front of her and hold out a hand for her to take. “Not to work, birdie, for a drink with me.” My heart kicks up a beat as I say it. Her rejection is becoming jarring.
Her forehead creases as she thinks on it, not taking the hand I offered her. “Yeah, okay.” She sighs like she’s not really sure at all. “You’re not about to set me up with some other reporter or some shit like that, are you?”
My eyes run down the length of her. She’s a temptress, my fingers itching to gather up the hem of that dress and throw her back down on my sofa and fuck her. “Not this time,” I mutter.
“It was a shitty thing to do,” she murmurs, standing and brushing past me, that bitchy expression on her face she likes to save just for me.
I catch her hand so she can’t distance herself from me.
When we’re this close, I know she feels the same pull to me that I do to her.
She glances up at me, her pretty lashes fluttering.
“We have been over this, Dove, it was to keep you safe. I won’t apologize for doing what I have to, in the name of protecting what is mine. ”
“Not yours, Kasen,” she snips as we make our way out of my office.
Just to prove her wrong, I lace our fingers together. She is mine, it’s just taking her longer than I had anticipated for her to see it. Her angry glare flicks up to me, and she slips her fingers free.
She’ll fuck my two best mates in my living room loud enough I can hear her, but she can’t walk out of my office holding my hand.
On the way down in the elevator, I watch her.
She stands on the opposite side to me, keeping her distance.
She’s so guarded. So different to the girl we all knew, who followed us around with wide eyes and the brightest smile you ever saw.
She was so damn pretty, still is, but now she comes with a scowl and attitude.
“Do you remember when Keller built Throne Tower? You had never been in an elevator before. You were so excited to take it all the way to the top.”
She blinks back at me a few times. “Yeah,” she huffs. “Guess I was as sheltered as you all said.”
She really was, and look what she became because of me. She now walks around with a massive chip on her shoulder and hate in her heart, her innocence stolen. No wonder she hates me.
“Why do you have a photo of me in your bedside table?” she asks.
I tilt my head. That’s where my blade went, little sneak. “Anyone ever told you it’s rude to snoop through others’ belongings?”
She raises a bitchy brow. “Didn’t stop you from going through my apartment and stealing whatever you felt like. Did it?”
“Not the same thing,” I mutter, taking her elbow as we walk through the car park to my car, on edge as soon as we are in public.
This guy who’s after her could be anyone, watching the two of us now for all I know.
I don’t relax until she’s in the passenger side and I have started the engine.
I can feel her eyes burning into me as I drive through town. “What is it, birdie?”
“Did you get off watching them?” she asks, her tone bitchy as all hell.
I flick my gaze from the road to her, not sure what she is on about. “Elaborate.”
Her lips purse. “The videos on my second phone. I know you watched them, you all did, like fucking creepers.”
I can’t stop thinking about them, watching them every chance I get, beating off to the sight of her like that. Her fucking phone is in my pocket right now. It’s my filthy new obsession, and she’s right, it’s creepy as fuck, but I’m not telling her that. “Saw what I needed to, that was it.”
“Bullshit, Kasen, you’ve got a pretty sizable tent in your pants right now. Just thinking about them has you ready to blow.”
Shit, that dirty mouth is going to get her in trouble. “Why are you looking at my dick, birdie?” I ask suggestively. If she wants to go down this road, I’m more than happy to oblige.
“Because unlike you, it doesn’t lie to me.” She huffs then crosses her arms over her chest and turns to look out the side window. Bodhi is right, she’s a brat, getting me all worked up like that just to prove a fucking point.
We drive in silence for the next ten minutes, the tension thick but not uncomfortable.
I don’t care if she’s fighting with me as long as I’m close to her.
I can make it work for me, and she will see it too.
The more time we spend together, she will turn back into the lovesick girl I know she was for me.
I pull into the car park of River’s Beach Bar and park in one of the reserved spots near the door.
I turn toward her before we get out of the car.
I need her to know what I expect. She has this smug-as-shit look on her face that tells me she’s up to no good.
“If you’re angling for another fight, it’s not going to happen.
You wanted to come down here, so here we are. Don’t mess it up for yourself.”
Her face scrunches up. “Always with the threats,” she mutters under her breath with a roll of her eyes.
I take her chin in my fingers, forcing her to look directly at me. She’s not scared of me like everyone else is. She doesn’t even bother dropping the ice-queen act to look surprised. “Why do you have to make everything so difficult?”
She huffs out a laugh. “I could ask you the same question.”
I drop her chin, a fresh wave of irritation bubbling just below the surface. She’s infuriating. I hop out of the car and go around to let her out, taking her wrist as she tries to slip past me. “You’re not to leave my side all night. Understand?”
She pulls her wrist free with a determined scowl. “Understood, King Kasen.” Her lashes flutter as she tilts her head defiantly.
I should take her home. She’s going to be the death of me, I’m sure of it. Instead, I hold her hand and drag her to the front door with me. She might not want to, but she’s going to play the part of my girl tonight. “Don’t make me regret this,” I mutter under my breath.
When we get inside, Bodhi and his band are setting up on the stage, and River is behind the bar chatting to a couple of surfers still in their wet shorts. I move through the crowd with her pinned close to my side and head straight for him. She likes him, maybe he can snap her out of this mood.
River’s face lights up when he spots us—correction, Dove. The kid is infatuated with her; I haven’t seen him this happy in the longest time. “What can I get you guys?” he asks with a playful grin.
“Something strong.” She half smiles back at him, a hint of shyness where it wasn’t before.
Last night changed something between them.
I watched every second of it on my surveillance.
The connection they share is fire. I didn’t think my little birdie would have it in her to take two cocks and Bodhi’s punishment, but the naughty little thing begged for it, and I’m not surprised she’s now trying not to look at River for too long.
“Black Tide Lager. You got time to join us?” I demand, not sure if it’s a mistake or not.
“Always got time for you two.” He goes about fixing our drinks, sliding them over the bar then motions for us to follow him toward a table in the back that is a little quieter but has the perfect view of the stage.
Dove looks slightly confused as she assesses the stage set-up. “Didn’t know Slater still played in a band.”
River laughs. “Drums normally, but the lead singer just called in sick. Looks like we’re all in for a treat tonight with our boy on lead.”
“He can sing?” She laughs, sliding into the booth. “Kinda can’t wait to see it.”