Page 28 of Risky Taste
“Jesus Christ, I know you’re usually the quiet one but Strong, you tend to have at least a few retorts. Holy shit, I’m sorry.” She slaps her mouth a few times. “I’m so fucking heartless. I’m so sorry about Ronny. How are you dealing with all of that?”
“As good as I can be, I guess. The funeral was nice.” I meet her gaze, seeing the comfort she’s offering. It’s too much, though, bringing back the emotions I’m desperately trying to avoid. “Just trying to get through another day.”
She clicks her tongue, perching on my desk, her ass nudging some of my papers aside. “And yet, I know for a fact that you’re supposed to be off, hanging with your brother. He’s been gone for three years!”
“He’s… a little busy.” The last place I want to be is in the same room as him.
Her face scrunches up in confusion as she leans toward me, searching my expression. “He’s at the pub right now, making a bit of a ruckus, enjoying himself with guys that are 100% not his squad. Used to have to pry him loose from those guys. Is something going on?”
I shake my head, pushing away from my desk and the temptation that the glass is trying to drag out of me. “Not thatI know of? I think everyone’s visiting family and such. We’re supposed to have dinner.”
She slides off the desk, tapping the edge. “Alright, if you need anything, let us know. Some of us were a bit worried with the way you came in today. I just…”
“I’m good, Paige.” A soft knock drags my attention to my door and I sag, relieved as Logan leans against the entrance. “Really good, Paige. I promise.” Her gaze darts to Logan and then back to me before she shrugs and slips back out.
I didn’t think Logan merely showing up would give me some sort of peace but I happily stand up and step into his waiting arms. He seems to relax as well, as if me disappearing like that frazzled him more than he let on through texts. Logan walks us into the room and closes my door, his arms still wrapped around me. “Alright, now tell me why the fuck you thought running like that was okay.”
“Sebastian and I walked downstairs. I grabbed a coffee and then Kurt showed up.” The rage resurfaces as I let out a heavy sigh. “Told me that I should stay away from you three if I don’t want you guys getting tangled up in his mess. And then he said what happened to me was fucking growing pains, merely a mishap before everything could go smoothly.”
Logan lets out a harsh laugh, stepping back from me. “Bunny, did you think just walking away from us would help?”
“Fuck no. But I needed a minute to clear my head. I needed something familiar and yes, I could have done that better but I wasn’t thinking and Kurt pissed me off.” I pause, watching Logan as his gaze falls onto my desk. This is the second time he’s caught me with a glass and while I haven’t been anywhere near alcohol, that doesn’t mean the temptation and the memories aren’t there.
“Noah…”
“I didn’t. I haven’t. I was searching through my drawers and found it, but there’s nothing else in the desk, I promise.” I’m not sure why I didn’t immediately chuck it, some part of me wanting to taste the amber liquid or maybe inhale the scent and let it burn down my throat.
Logan drags me back into his chest, roughly kissing me as he walks me back into the wall. “Noah, I know that you’re strong, stronger than you think you are but I also know that too much can break a man. When you need help, I need you to speak up, cry out,dosomething. Hell, I don’t even care if it’s a fucking text message with a random emoji. Wherever you are, I will be right there. Anytime, anywhere, Bunny,” he breathes out against my lips. His hands cup my cheeks, the deep blue of his eyes burning into mine. “But for the love of god, I need you to promise me something. The next time it gets to be too much, instead of walking away, come to me. Tous.”
I’m not sure why it clicks then, why it feels like I’ve been avoiding the very real feelings growing over the past week. It’s like something has shifted and I can finally see clearer than I have been. These aren’t just men willingly standing in my corner. They’re men that want me, desire me,craveme like I have been them.
My lips part as his thumb drags across the bottom one, Logan’s expression softening from worry to a mixture of adoration and love. “Noah Strong, I am falling in love with you. I’ve been obsessed with you for a really long fucking time. I will remind you every goddamn day that you have somewhere to run to, a shoulder to lean on, and a place to call home.”
“Isn’t this too soon?” I whisper.
“The heart is a fickle thing, Bunny. But I’m not about to deny myself what I want.” Then he kisses me again, pressing himself against me, a safe shield from the rest of the world.
I might have lost a brother today—might have lost a piece of my past to whatever greed he thinks is more important than blood. But I’ve gained so much more.
All I have to do is take it.
Chapter nineteen
SEBASTIAN
I stand by the front door, hands clasped tight in front of me, the morning sun glaring off the glass, my frustration simmering just beneath the surface. The job’s simple—guard the entrance, check IDs, bar anyone without the right papers from this puffed-up personality’s event, some fool racking up death threats like medals.
People shuffle in and out, flashing badges, licenses, their chatter a dull buzz I tune out, my mind a thousand miles away, tethered to Noah. I’m useless here, my focus splintering with every passing face, and it’s maddening—the boredom of this post in contrast from the bullshit we’re dealing with not even 20 minutes away.
It makes it worse that there are four of us, all dressed in tactical gear. The suits were just to show up in, I guess but hiring highly trained men on a door when anyone could do this blind? I’m a beast, broad and scarred, my presence alone a deterrent,and the guy beside me looms larger, a mountain of muscle growling at stragglers.
Across the entrance, Seth—a cheeky bastard—grins at patrons, cracking jokes, like this is just a run-of-the-mill kind of job. As the rush of the crowd slows, I wonder if there was some point for Sarge sticking me here versus anywhere else. A test in weathering my anger? For shits and giggles? Who knows.
Seth leans forward, that shit eating grin still plastered on his face. “New job, huh? Thought you were inseparable from your squad,” he muses and I snort, checking a woman’s ID, shaking my head as she whines, the monster beside me snarling her into retreat. Maybe this job doesn’t completely suck.
“I heard that his whole team isn’t working together anymore. Word has it that he’s dealing jobs to the highest-paying customers. We had a bet going on whether or not you were part of it,” he presses, leaning closer, and my blood runs cold, my grip tightening on the next ID I scan.
There’s no way news traveled that fast from yesterday or this morning when Sarge was going to present the information. Which means that people have known about us way before we returned last week. I’m trying to remember if there was something that stood out, something that should have set me off and made me realize that things weren’t right. But only hindsight brings everything into the light.
