Chapter 3
brEWER
Red-hot anger ripples through me as I watch the couple scurry out of the diner.
The man’s words are still ringing in my ears, and part of me wants to follow him out of here and teach him a lesson for speaking to Josie that way.
But I don’t think she’d appreciate me brutalizing a customer right outside her workplace, so I force myself to stay put.
I turn to look at Josie, letting myself meet her gaze. She’s blinking up at me, her head tilted right back, plump pink lips parted as we stare at each other. Her eyes are a gorgeous shade of green, like dewy grass or a fir tree sparkling with frost.
“You okay?” I ask, my heart thumping so hard it feels like it’s about to rip out of my chest and land on the checkered black-and-white floor.
Josie nods uncertainly, her eyes wide.
“I’m…yeah, I’m okay.” Her features soften. “Thank you for standing up for me like that.”
I’m so lost in her gaze that for a moment, I can’t reply. I disguise the pause by clearing my throat.
“Don’t mention it. They should never have spoken to you like that.”
She gives me a weak smile. “You kind of get used to it in hospitality.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have to,” I grunt. “No one gets to talk to you like that. Not ever.”
My voice comes out firmer than I intended, a deep rumble that tears from my throat, and I’m not surprised at the shock on Josie’s face.
I’m struggling to keep my obsession under control—struggling to appear normal.
This is the first real interaction I’ve had with her after a month of stolen glances and sleepless nights, and I can already feel myself coming undone at the seams.
This is why talking to her is dangerous.
But fuck, I couldn’t help myself getting involved when I heard what those assholes were saying to her.
“Let me get you another coffee,” Josie says after a pregnant pause. “On the house.”
She walks toward the counter, head down, and I watch her intently as I squeeze back into my booth.
All I want to do is scoop her into my arms and carry her out of this diner, back to my cabin where we can be alone.
I’m sick of the chatter all around me, sick of the other customers taking up Josie’s time and attention.
She makes me feel greedy as hell—wanting her all to myself.
She comes back with a steaming mug in her hands and sets it down in front of me with a shy smile.
“Extra strong, no milk, no sugar. Just how you like it.”
My chest warms. Of course she knows my coffee order—it’s the same every day—but I still feel a thrill knowing she remembers something about me.
“Didn’t have to do that,” I tell her, taking a sip. “Thanks.”
“I wanted to.” She pinkens. “You deserve it, Brewer.”
My name sounds like heaven on those soft lips, and I nearly choke on my coffee.
“I’m Josie, by the way.” She taps her name tag, smiling awkwardly.
“I know.”
Does this angel really think I don’t know her name?
The idea is laughable. Hell, her name is the first word on my mind every morning and the last before I go to sleep.
It’s the name I say in my dreams when I see that pretty face swimming behind my eyes.
It’s been the only name on my mind ever since I first saw it stamped on the little silver badge pinned to her chest.
“Josie!” a voice calls from the counter.
I turn to see a server standing behind it, looking apologetic as she says, “Cook needs you to bring that French toast to table two.”
Josie nods. “Coming.”
When she turns back to me, she looks hesitant. “Sorry, I have to get back to work.”
I make a noise in the back of my throat, struggling to hide my scowl of disappointment,
“Thanks again,” Josie says quietly. “I really appreciate it.”
Then she turns on her heel and heads for the counter, her red ponytail streaming down her back like strands of firelight. I can’t help my gaze drifting downward, taking in her wide hips and thick ass, jeans taut around her deliciously plump thighs.
Fuck.
My cock stirs under the table, hardening against my leg as I take another sip of coffee and try to distract myself with the remains of my breakfast. But my appetite has crumbled to nothing as I pick at the last of my pancakes, barely tasting them.
It’s hard to eat when my insides feel all shaken up.
I stay at the diner longer than usual. Most days, I force myself to shoot off right after finishing my breakfast, or I know damn well I’ll never get anything done. But today, my protective instincts force me to stay, just in case those asshole customers come back.
It’s nearly lunchtime when I finally force myself out of the booth, leaving a fat tip behind before heading for the door. I snatch a glance at Josie as I pass the counter, and our eyes meet for a brief flash, my heart jumping into my throat.
“Bye, Brewer,” she says, smiling sweetly.
“Bye, Josie.” The words come out rough and hoarse as I tear my gaze away and step outside, the door closing behind me.
I suck in a gulp of chilly mountain air as I get into my truck, shooting one last look at the diner. Then I begin the drive back up Cherry Mountain with a hollow feeling in my gut. It gnaws at me long after I reach my cabin and grab my axe, picking up where I left off with the unchopped wood.
Moving to the forest and working as a lumberjack was meant to bring me peace after I left the military three years ago. I was looking for calm—a dull, structured life full of chopping wood, walking in the forest, and sharing a quiet whiskey with my brother now and again.
But there’s nothing peaceful about the way I feel right now.
Nothing peaceful about the thud of my heart or the fire in my veins.
Josie has totally wrecked me.
I’ve tried to convince myself that she’s a stranger—that I barely know her and shouldn’t be getting so obsessed. But she doesn’t feel like a stranger. I felt the connection the minute I laid eyes on her, when she woke my body from a deep sleep like a shot of adrenaline to the heart.
Josie is the woman I’ve been waiting for my whole life.
I know it.
But I also know she’ll never want a beast like me…and I don’t know how the fuck I’m meant to accept that.