The waiter and our food arrived with perfect timing. Even knowing what Brax was doing—which was some serious flirting—it didn’t really seem to matter now. It was like there was a separate part of my brain that wanted to do exactly what it wanted to do. Without my consent. And I think whatever it was, it made me lose all coherent sensibility. Despite the past year, Brax seemed to have the ability to make me drop my guard. No wonder so many women fell at his feet. The boy had serious talent. But I had a safe word. And it had worked. And I wasn’t going to be one of his throwbacks. Not me.
“Do you know every time you get embarrassed, your skin turns pink?” Brax said. His lips curled around the fried oyster he’d popped into his mouth.
I tamped down my embarrassment, took a few bites, and downed some tea. “Do you realize you have no filter whatsoever?”
His brow lifted. “Pure skill.” He dug into his chowder.
I nodded. “Really?” Inclining my head toward his hands, I asked the question that had been burning in my mind. “What do those mean?”
Something in Brax’s eyes shifted, hazed, and I immediately regretted asking the question. With one thumb, he grazed the tattooed knuckles of the opposite hand. He shrugged, and lifted his profound stare to mine. “I don’t know. I was just a kid, Gracie. A stupid kid thinking I had something to prove.”
It was then and there I glimpsed a vulnerability I hadn’t really noticed before in Brax’s confident mannerisms. I couldn’t begin to put a finger on it, but it was there, evident, still the same. Strangely enough, it almost reminded me of … mine. I wanted to ask more, but something kept it inside of me. Those light blue eyes, rimmed by dark lashes, regarded me closely, almost as if anticipating I’d ask something. Anything. He waited, and held my gaze so long, I almost couldn’t look away.
Before I could say anything, though, two guys slid into the booth with us. The one who sat beside me draped his arm on the bench rest behind my head. He regarded me with a hooded gaze.
“Bro, what’s up?” the one beside Brax said.
I looked at Brax, and he bumped knuckles with the guy. The flirtatious look in Brax’s eyes faded, replaced with something else. Arrogance? “Kenny, Jake,” he said. He inclined his head toward me. “Olivia Beaumont.”
I gave each one a quick glance. “Hi,” I said to both. My internal human measuring device turned on, and immediately I could tell both guys made me feel cagey.
The one guy beside me, Kenny, lifted my braid. “We’re Brax’s frat brothers. He’s just too rude to tell you that part. So, Olivia Beaumont. Where’re you from?”
I shot a fast look at Brax, and I was surprised to see his eyes fastened on Kenny’s hand—on my braid.
“Are all the girls from your hometown cute little things with freckles and braids?” Jake asked.
Kenny actually lifted my braid to his nose and sniffed it. “Or just you?”
Trapped by the small space of the booth, panic rose in my throat. Broken memories from the year before slammed into me, and pure fear and reaction shrugged over my shoulders like a sopping wet blanket. I reared my elbow back to ram him in the gut, but Brax’s words stopped me.
“Get your fuckin’ hand outta her hair, Kenny, before I break your fuckin’ face against this table here,” Brax said. His feral eyes flashed fury. He didn’t blink, breathe, or flinch. He just stared fire at Kenny. It was the most intense, intimidating look I’d ever seen. On anyone. And every one of my brothers had a fierce look when they wanted. Brax’s voice was stone-cold dead serious. Lethal and chilling.
It shocked me. My earlier reservations returned full force. Yes. Brax had demons. He hid them well, but not well enough. I was looking at them right now, and they were staring back. Hard.
Kenny dropped my braid fast, scooted away from me, and held up his hands in defense. “Whoa, bro, take it easy,” he said. “What the hell’s gotten into you?” Kenny coughed. “Yeah, me and Jake was just riding by and saw your bike, thought we’d see what you were doing.” He looked at me. “Sorry, Olivia. Just playin’ around is all.”
“No problem,” I answered quietly, although I didn’t believe him, not for a second. My heart pounded, and I struggled to keep them from noticing my breath coming faster. When I looked back at Brax, his eyes were still locked onto Kenny, angry and furious. Why, I wondered?
Kenny’s lip curled in a not-so-attractive grin at Brax. “All right, we’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. Jenks, I’ll let Collins know we, uh,” he glanced at me, “bumped into you two. Jake, let’s bounce.”