CHAPTER FIFTEEN FOREARM PORN IS DISTRACTING LUNA
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
FOREARM PORN IS DISTRACTING
LUNA
Iwas hyped.
I wasn’t sure if it was the sugar high from the copious amounts of baked goods I’d consumed, the caffeine from two mugs of delicious coffee, or just the happy vibes of pretending I was in tight with the women around me.
Probably some combination of the three.
The pictures had taken a little more time than I’d anticipated since they’d included switching to different locales in the bakery while being careful not to get too much of the others in each shot.
By the time we went out to relieve Xavier from register duty, I’d worked up a sweat and needed to remove my hoodie.
The minor wardrobe change and new setting meant more pictures that I didn’t really need.
But since Harlow had manned my camera while Joss and Piper filled me in on the time they’d taken pictures of themselves bent over one of the tables—and tried to convince me I should do the same for funsies—I’d happily smiled until my cheeks hurt.
All my earlier anxiety seemed so silly in the face of Piper’s warmth and friendliness. Not a single shadow of darkness from past memories had crossed her expression.
And I’d been watching for one, careful not to overstay my welcome.
As I pulled my hoodie back on and turned, I wondered if my luck was about to change.
Jake strode across the storefront to behind the counter, his expression as stoic as I remembered.
It was the same expression his dad usually had.
I kept my own neutral as I shifted to the side to clear a path between him and Piper, assuming he was as zeroed in as Harlow’s husband had been for his wife.
I was wrong.
His beeline was straight for me, and I braced on instinct and training.
It was for nothing.
Because despite his resting-asshole-face, he wasn’t upset to see me.
He wasn’t reliving memories of fear and betrayal and invasion.
He wasn’t thinking about how close he’d come to losing the love of his life while imagining me delivering devastating news rather than the happy ending the couple had made for themselves.
A smile split his face seconds before he hugged me.
It wasn’t a bear hug.
If anything, it resembled a dude one, complete with shoulder clap.
It wasn’t the smoothest one, either. His movements were stilted as he kept distance between our bodies.
But as the giver and receiver of many awkward sibling hugs, I knew the effort was there.
He put a hefty amount of space between us after about half a second. “How you doin’, Lo?”
“Good. You?”
“Livin’ the dream.” Unlike how most people said it, there was no snark in his tone.
“How’s your dad?”
Piper’s eyes widened briefly. “I forgot you already knew Gregory.”
Jake’s dad was a lawyer who occasionally did stints as a guest professor.
I’d been lucky enough to take his course, and like my own father, he’d pushed me.
That continued on even after I joined the academy and then the force.
He’d been there to help. And I’d been there to help in return when his family had needed it.
I mentally kicked myself for asking about him since that could bring up those reminders I’d tried so hard to avoid, but the couple didn’t seem upset.
Still, I rushed to end things on a happier note. “I heard too much about Jake to ever forget the connection. The man loved to brag about his son. And now he brags about his son and his daughter-in-law. He’s so proud of you both.”
It’d been a while since I’d talked to Gregory, but I knew it was true.
Piper grinned at that, which was unsurprising.
What was unexpected was Jake’s matching grin. “He’s good. He keeps talking retirement, but it won’t happen till my mom drags him away.”
“Even then, he’ll probably find a way to sneak work.”
“Without a doubt.” His expression sobered when he quietly added, “Reach out if you need anything else, yeah?”
“Got it,” I whispered back. I wouldn’t. Not unless I needed more coffee or sweets. But, again, the sentiment was appreciated.
“Ready?” Rhys asked, suddenly close behind me.
I lifted my chin at him before thanking Piper, Joss, and Harlow for their time.
Well, kind of Harlow. She was in the process of being lured into the kitchen by Kase. Despite her insistence that she needed to get back to the station, she wasn’t exactly putting up a fight about it.
It made me wonder how much work even got done on either side. Clearly, it was enough to keep them in business, but I wasn’t sure how.
Armed with a box of everything—based on the weight of it—and a to-go coffee, I followed Rhys out the door. My guard stayed up until we were in his car and on the road with no sign of anyone trailing us.
I’d thought the quiet of the ride would be a welcome reprieve from the chaos of the bakery, but like the ride there, it felt tense. Uncomfortable. It wasn’t my own apprehension throwing off the vibes.
It was Rhys’s continued tension.
I didn’t get it. I’d watched for flares of jealousy. Anger. Resentment.
Something that showed his feelings for Piper went deeper than friendship.
There’d been no furtive glances between my current protectee and my past one. No longing ones just from him. Not even a quick glare of envy aimed toward Jake.
Rhys might’ve sung Piper’s praises—accurately so—but that seemed to be as far as things went.
My initial read on the couple themselves during their ordeal had been correct.
But it was also kinda wrong.
Because Jake was definitely obsessed with Piper, but it went both ways. Her face lit up every time she mentioned him. I was surprised glittery hearts didn’t flutter over her head.
It was obvious the attack on Rye was not orchestrated by Jake in revenge for an affair his friend was having with his wife. Or an affair his friend wanted to have with his wife. I mentally crossed those motives off my list.
The longer we drove, though, the more I wondered if I was wrong. Rhys’s pissy mood had me second-guessing my instincts—something I wasn’t familiar with.
Maybe he does have feelings for her.
Maybe he has a better poker face than me.
Maybe I should just ask him.
Blurting it out of nowhere might startle him enough for something to slip. It could also tip my own poker hand, something I was reluctant to do.
It went against the usual blunt way I handled things, but I turned the metaphorical steering wheel in my head and went the roundabout route.
I watched him without making it obvious I was staring. “Can I ask you something?”
“Since you just did, I’m gonna go with yeah.”
I rolled my eyes, and they settled just in time to watch as his fingers on the steering wheel stretched before regripping it. With the sleeves of his flannel rolled, I got the perfect view of how his muscles, tendons, and veins shifted with the movement.
Hot.
Why is that hot?
“Your question,” he prodded when I continued ogling the veins in his forearm.
Oh.
Right.
“Before we went to the bakery, why did you tell me to call her Piper?” I waved a hand, and like my body was teaming up against me, my fingers accidentally grazed the same forearm I’d been drooling over.
At least, I was pretty sure it was an accident.
Like, sixty percent sure.
I snatched my hand back and kept talking, ignoring that it had ever happened. “Um, you know, other than it being her name.”
“Did you want the pictures with her?” he asked.
My brows lowered as I drawled, “Yes.”
“That’s why.” At my continued confusion, he elaborated.
“If you insisted on calling Piper by her formal married name around Jake, your visit would’ve been cut short.
The possessive bastard likes the reminder that his wife has his name, and he isn’t shy about throwing her over his shoulder to show that fact. ”
“Oh.” My mouth tipped into a smile the longer I thought that over. It was deranged, but I still loved that for her.
Movement caught my attention, and I looked over in time to watch Rhys’s hand repeat the spread and flex.
With that mystery solved, the rest of my suspicions fell away. That left me back at square one, but that was better than the looming worry that an entire friend group of nice people was about to be shattered thanks to torrid drama.
We made the rest of the drive to Rye in total silence, but that was cool with me. I had a lot to think about. Plan. Watch for.
When Rhys pulled into a spot designated as his, I gripped the box and opened the door.
A hand came down on my thigh, halting my movements.
My thoughts.
My breath that I was very much aware I was holding.
I wasn’t sure how much my expression gave away when my gaze darted from the large hand still on my thigh to the man it belonged to. I hoped not much.
Like I’d done when I’d accidentally grazed his forearm, Rhys removed his touch without acknowledging it in any way. “If you want any of those to make it through the day, I wouldn’t bring them in.”
“I’m good with sharing.”
“You’re the only one,” he muttered as he opened his own door and climbed out.
I was betting Piper’s desserts were hoarded like illegal contraband, but she’d sent me with a lot.
Too much for one person. I could put in a valiant effort.
I might’ve even been able to put a dent in about half of it—or a single bite mark out of each pastry.
By the time I was able to finish it all, though, they would be stale.
Probably still delicious, of course. But her baked goods deserved to be eaten fresh.
And if sharing happened to butter up the biker brothers into divulging anything of use to me, that was also a perk. An unlikely one, but a perk all the same.
I got out and followed Rhys through the employee entrance and into the hall.
Whoa.
The bottom half a wall was missing, the wooden slats leaned carefully against the opposite one. Glitch was partially inside the opened space.
At least, I was pretty sure it was Glitch based on the tattoos.
“What’s he doing?” I asked.
“Channeling my inner cartoon mouse and setting up a cozy home in the walls,” Glitch answered for himself, his words muffled and echoed in the space.
“Don’t even joke,” Rhys said. “The health department has been here enough for bullshit. Those bastards have ears everywhere.”
He glanced at me for that last part, and I mimed zipping my lips.
I would obviously give him a chance to fix things if I saw something bad.
Or, yeah, call the health department if it was something truly egregious that he wasn’t doing anything about.
But that likely wouldn’t be a bridge I needed to cross.
Even during my search for the falsified woman in distress, I’d been shocked at how clean and organized the place was.
“Find anything?” Rhys asked Glitch.
“Not yet,” the hidden man said before shifting out to sit on the floor. Like I’d guessed, it was Glitch. He held up the cables he was working with. “I’ve got one more section after this, and I’m hoping that fixes shit, but I might not get to it till tomorrow.”
Rhys’s brows raised for half a second, the reaction gone just as fast. “Got it.”
He left Glitch to his work and walked through to check on the rest of the progress—and me and my box of goodies tagged along, though he didn’t invite me.
Or say anything to me. His focus seemed to be on everything that’d been done, and he paused to check out the new cameras in the hall, kitchen, and break room.
There were a couple of guys I hadn’t met yet, but he didn’t give me time to introduce myself or do more than offer an awkward wave as I rushed to keep up with him in case there was something interesting.
There wasn’t.
We stopped outside of his office where Texas was on a stepladder with wires and tools.
“Glitch said to ask if you want a camera in your office or just outside,” the man said to Rhys.
At least, I was pretty sure he was talking to Rhys. It was hard to tell since his eyes were locked on the shimmery box in my hold.
Rhys lifted his chin. “Both. And behind the bar.”
Not exactly the move of a man with something to hide.
He turned to look at me and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “Got some orders to handle. Plus, I need to check in on my employees to confirm they’re still employees. Help yourself to whatever.”
And then he turned and walked to his desk.
Yesssss.
I knew exactly how I would spend the time. Or at least split it, since I would also be keeping an eye and an ear out for anything important. Before I could get to that, though, I really needed to offset my sugar and caffeine consumption with some water.
I walked through the main room, fully aware someone was following me. I’d assumed it was Texas, hoping he could finagle some dessert from me. But when I set the box on the bar and turned, it was Jury tailing me.
A very dusty, very shirtless Jury.