Page 94 of Caught in the Axe
Taking the move as an invitation, I stepped between her legs, all the blood immediately flowing south. This woman made me hungry and reckless.
“Owen.”
The sound of my name in a low tone barely registered.
“What the fuck?”
Lila tensed in my arms, and her eyes went wide. Her back was to the door, but she recognized the voice, I was sure.
I shot Gus a glare. “You don’t believe in knocking?”
He stood in the doorway with his hands fisted at his sides and a murderous expression on his face. “I did. About twenty times. What the hell is going on?”
Lila pushed me aside and hopped off the desk. She subtly wiped at her mouth, then scurried to the door. “Hi, Gus,” she squeaked, keeping her head down.
Without a word, he moved aside, and she rushed out. That hurt. We were supposed to be in this together, and she ran away the moment my brother walked in?
I sank into my desk chair and stared up at the ceiling, studying the beams and clenching my jaw, waiting for the lecture.
The door slammed so hard against its frame the whole room shook.
“What the fuck, Owen?” my brother hissed, stomping toward my desk. “I told you to stay away from her.”
I laced my hands over my abdomen and glowered in response. “Didn’t you realize you were her older brother too.”
“I’m everyone’s older fucking brother these days. God.” He ran his hands through his shaggy hair. “This is the last thing we need. She’s a good kid.”
“She’s a grown woman, and this is none of your business.”
Gus’s overprotective instincts ran deep. Since we were kids, he’d felt as though he was responsible for not only all of us boys, but for his friends too.
“This is why I can’t talk to you. You jump to baseless conclusions, you blow up over nothing, and you don’t trust me.”
With a shake of his head, he sighed. “I trust you with a lot of things, but everything is shit right now, and Lila does not deserve to be dragged into it.”
Roughing a hand over my face, I leaned back in my chair. He wasn’t exactly wrong.
“Wait a second.” He braced his hands on the desk and leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “Is this why the deal is taking so long? Because you’re fucking her?”
I shot up out of my chair, and my vision went red. “Donottalk about her like that. You have no clue what you just saw and instead of clarifying, you go right into fight mode.”
Gus stared at me for a moment, his hands still splayed on the top of my desk. Then he stood and nodded. He pulled up a chair and sat, his forearms braced on his thighs. “I’m exhausted. I don’t want to fight. I’m so done. So if you want to explain, here’s your chance. That girl’s had a rough time here.” He laced his fingers and dropped his head. “People say awful things about her and her mother, and she’s spent her whole life fighting for the respect she deserves. The last thing she needs is to be dragged down by another Hebert.”
He was right. Of course he was. And the thought that I could drag her down just about killed me. “We’ve been together for a few weeks now,” I said slowly. “She’s incredible. I—” I cleared my throat. “I’m falling for her.”
He groaned and slumped back. “Jesus.”
“I know. Trust me, this was not the plan. But we click. We have fun no matter what we’re doing. She’s smart and hilarious and we like the same weird stuff. And strangely enough, she’s into me. So I realize that this is inconvenient for you, but fuck off.”
“So you’re not using her?” The question was ridiculous, but his concern was clearly genuine.
My blood pressure spiked, but I breathed through it and kept my cool. “I should punch you for suggesting that. Don’t lump me in with Cole.”
“If you’ve been together for weeks, why did I just find out?”
I shrugged. “If I had my way, I’d walk into the diner every morning and kiss her in front of Father Renee and theknitting club. But this is what she wants, and I’d give her anything.”
“What happens when she goes to school?”
