Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Bryce
I only mean to give her a peck on the lips but, as Claire presses against me, her mouth opening against mine, I feel that spark between us again. And I’m drowning, lost in her scent, the soft feel of her against me. Our tongues tangle, and I can feel the flutter of her heartbeat.
Finally, I lift my head, because if I don’t, I’m going to take her somewhere we can get a little more naked. And that just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do in the current circumstances, no matter how my body is crying out for it.
She looks up at me, her soft lips still parted, an expression that looks like wonder on her face. I stare down at her, and it just feels so natural to hold her.
“Fuck you.” The words are snarled, somewhere to my left. And I remember what’s going on.
“That enough proof for you?” I drawl, turning to Simon. But he’s already gone, the snivelling weed, shoving his way past patrons as he heads for the car park.
I look down at Claire again. “You all right?”
She nods, but she looks as shaken as I feel. “Thanks,” she says. “I’m really sorry you had—”
“Didn’t mind at all,” I say, with a grin. “It’s the least I can do to make it up to you, after today.”
“Today?” She frowns. “I called you an asshole! I should be making it up to you.”
Someone close by clears their throat. And I realise Claire and I are still wrapped around each other as though we really are dating.
She seems to realise at the same time, pulling back from me. I let her go, even though I don’t really want to.
“Um, hey, Claire. You okay?” A tall blond girl is standing next to us, along with a shorter, curvy girl with brown hair. I recognise them as Claire’s friends. They’re looking from her to me with questions in their eyes.
“Uh, Joss, Sal, this is Bryce.” Claire is blushing now, pink in her cheeks to match her adorable mouth.
“Ladies.” I nod to them both with a smile.
“So, how do you know each other?” This is the tall blond girl, who I think is Sal. Her voice is laced with innuendo, her eyes sparkling. She knows we don’t know each other.
“We just met, today,” I say, before Claire can reply. “She called me an asshole – she was probably correct. And when I saw that jerk manhandling her just now, I decided to step in.”
“It’s true,” she says, slightly breathless. “Except for the asshole part. I think maybe I was wrong about that.” She’s still standing close to me, and I just want to put my arm around her and pull her to me again.
But instead, I ask her and her friends to join us for a drink.
Claire
I have no idea what is happening.
One minute Simon has me, and the next I’m in Bryce Mayland’s arms, of all people, and he’s kissing me?
Part of me is grateful he somehow figured out what was going on and came to my rescue, but another part of me is still reeling from that kiss.
I felt it from my lips down to the tips of my toes, the hardness of his body against mine, the feel of his arms wrapped around me, arousing me like no one ever has.
I’m damp at the top of my thighs, a pulse throbbing there as though calling his name.
And now he’s asking us to have a drink with his friends. Joss and Sal are already on their way back inside, but Bryce holds back for a moment.
“You sure you’re okay?” His voice is soft, and he leans in close.
I nod, trying to calm my racing heart. “I’m okay. Thanks to you.”
“Come on. Let me get you another drink.” He takes my hand, tucking it in the curve of his elbow. Pleasure tingles in my groin. He glances at me, mischief in his green eyes. “After all, I am your boyfriend, right?” He leans in closer again, his voice low. “Just in case.”
In case Simon hasn’t left, I guess. He doesn’t ask me anything else about it though, and I’m glad. My arm is still sore where Simon grabbed me, and I don’t want to get into the whole situation with my ex.
I met Simon not long after I moved to the coast. I was lonely and hurting, and he felt like a safe space.
He charmed me, courted me, told me he loved me after our third date, promised to keep me safe.
And raw, vulnerable and feeling very alone, I ate it all up.
But safe turned out to mean not having anyone in my life except him, and the charm soon changed to a rough kind of possessiveness which caused him to kick off the minute anyone even glanced at me.
I tried to break things off with him a couple of times, but he wouldn’t let me go.
Kept coming to my house, sending me gifts, messaging me no matter how many times I blocked him, telling me he loved me and we were meant to be together.
He was obsessed with the fact I was still a virgin, promising to “love me like no other” when I was ready.
Said he was even planning some sort of ceremony, despite the fact it totally creeped me out.
I thank all my lucky stars I never let him do it, even though we got close.
It was the only time he ever respected my wishes, but it was more out of some weird thing about it being “sacred” rather than any genuine care for me or what I wanted.
It took me over a year to get away from him.
In the end, it was my friends who got me out, the ones Simon hadn’t managed to drive away.
Sal and Joss helped me pack up all his stuff from my house, and Anna from the shop offered me a place to hide out for a couple of weeks while I ended things.
It was one of the most difficult times of my life, and I actually considered selling the house and moving away, even with all that living there meant for me.
Instead, I installed electric gates at the end of the long driveway and stayed close to home while I waited for things to die down.
And now, as I follow Joss and Sal through the crowded pub, Bryce’s warm body pressing against mine, I realise once again how grateful I am to my friends for being there for me when no one else was.
I’m grateful to Bryce, too. I glance up at his rugged profile.
He looks down at me at the same moment, a smile curving his lips.
He makes me feel safe, I realise. Normally I’d be a shaking mess after running into Simon, but Bryce’s presence somehow calms me, and all I feel is warm and secure.
He pulls me forward, presenting me to a blond bubbly woman leaning against the bar. I recognise her.
“Kylie, this is Claire. Claire, this is Kylie.”
“I know you,” I say. “You have the café on the main drag in Lorne. You make the best chai lattes.”
Kylie grins. “That’s right. And you work at Anna’s, don’t you?”
Like I say, it’s a small community. And as Kylie and I start chatting as though we’ve known each other for ever, it feels good to be part of it.
I glance over at Bryce again. He’s chatting with Joss, Sal and Kylie’s husband, Matt – a tall guy with dark hair and a smiling, freckled face. Someone comes over to the group, shaking his hand, asking for a selfie. Bryce obliges, then, as though he can feel my gaze, he looks over at me.
I sip my drink, heat in my cheeks. Maybe secure isn’t the only way he’s making me feel. I make an effort to focus on what Kylie is saying, trying to find my equilibrium once more.
But all I can think about is that kiss.