Page 16 of Beautifully Broken Control

Taylor shrugged. “Just keep your gaze focused on the other two.”

Jensen’s lip quirked. “Not a bad plan.” She looked at me. “He’s hot, right?”

I felt heat hit my cheeks. “They’re all handsome.”

Taylor scoffed. “Understatement of the century.”

Jensen rose from her stool. “Cain, get over here.”

My heart picked up its pace. It was fine. He was just a man. Handsome, sure, but nothing to be intimidated by. I forced my gaze up just as Cain wrapped Jensen in a hug.

“Little J,” he whispered into her hair. “It’s so good to see you.”

Jensen pulled back. “I’ve missed you.”

“Hey, hands off my girl.” Tuck strode forward, pulling Jensen into his arms. “You’ve got your pick of women. They follow you around like lost puppies. Go find another one and stay away from mine.”

Of course, Cain had a trail of women. My gaze traveled over him quickly, more assessing than appreciative now. The perfectly tailored outfit. The expertly cut and styled hair. I knew men like this. And I wanted nothing to do with any of them.

Jensen elbowed Tuck in the gut. “Like you were much better.”

He bent down, sweeping his lips across hers. “But you tamed me.”

Jensen snorted but gave him another quick kiss. “And now your ass is mine,” she whispered.

“Ew, gross. Enough with the gushy stuff.” Noah’s face screwed up as he spoke. He looked to Cain. “They’re always doing that.”

Cain chuckled, the sound so deep and rich, I swore I felt its vibrations against my skin. “It is pretty gross, little man. Don’t worry, you can come hang out with me if it ever gets to be too much.”

Noah threw his hands in the air. “Thank goodness.”

Jensen reached out a hand and ruffled his hair. “Just remember who feeds you pancakes, bud.”

“I’ll come back for pancakes.”

Walker stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Taylor. “Cain, this is my fiancée, Taylor.”

Cain reached out a hand, his expression just a touch more formal now. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Taylor took his hand in hers. “You, too. I’ve only heard mysterious tidbits about you, so you’re basically Batman in my mind.”

That chuckle was back, and it made me shiver this time. “No bat cave, I’m afraid. Though maybe I should look into that.”

“You should,” Noah piped in. “I could help.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Jensen gestured in my direction, and my stomach twisted. “Cain, this is my friend, Kennedy. She works at the Kettle with me.”

Cain’s dark blue depths moved in my direction, scanning my face as though committing it to memory and assessing me for weaknesses all at the same time. He reached out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Kennedy.”

I hesitated a brief second before moving to accept the shake, but my delay registered for Cain, and his eyes flared just a bit. I hurried to place my hand in his. It was warm, his palm a mix of smooth and rough. My mind wandered, trying to think of what could cause the roughness when the man probably spent all day behind a mahogany desk. The warmth from his hand spread up my arm, burning a path on its way. I released my grasp immediately. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

I stepped back, letting the conversation swirl around me, a dull cacophony of noise with only direct questions cutting through. But every so often, I felt Cain’s eyes on me. Curious. Probing. What he didn’t know was that there was nothing for him to find. I was nothing. No one. And for now, that’s just what I needed to be.

6

Cain

---