Page 56 of Never Going to Care

I don’t answer and instead turn to head to my apartment only to stop in my tracks when I see a man standing right in front of my door. Hale presses himself to my back, silently telling me he’s right here with me. I square my shoulders and start to move down the hallway.

Just because he’s near my door doesn’t mean he’s here for me. I don’t have the best feeling about it though. The man’s back is to me and I’m not sure who it is at first.

It sure as hell isn’t Ezra considering this man is a lot leaner and not anywhere near as muscular as my brother.

Hale leans forward and whispers in my ear as I take small steps, “Are you expecting anyone?”

I shake my head and my heart starts to hammer in my chest. When I’m a few doors down, the man turns, and I narrow my eyes. What the actual fuck?

“Joe,” my voice is damn near absolute zero levels, “what are you doing here?”

The look in Joe’s eyes is a little manic and he’s locked onto me. He snarls at me, “What the fuck do you mean what am I doing here? I’m here for you.”

Hale tenses at my back, but it seems like Joe hasn’t even noticed him. I feel Hale move behind me, but all my focus is on Joe in front of me. The feral quality in his eyes is scary and not at all hot like it is when Hale looks at me in a similar way. There’s something sinister there.

It sets me on edge.

“Why are you here for me? There’s no reason for you to be here, Joe,” I keep my voice calm and even.

Joe barks out a laugh which verges on evil mastermind. “You’re such a fucking cunt, Celeste. You got me fired after you strutted around the office like a fucking cock tease, and you think I’m going to just take that from you? Hell no,” he growls the words. “I’m here to take what you’ve been offering.”

Joe starts to close the distance between us, but that’s when Hale has had enough. He grips my arm in a tight grip, but not enough to hurt me or do any damage and moves me behind him before taking a step forward. He widens his stance as his arms hang loosely at his sides.

Everything about Hale’s body is coiled, but under the guise of being relaxed and at ease. I know differently. There is not a single thing at ease about my man right now.

It’s kind of hot.

Now is not the time to want to jump his bones. Wait until after.

Right. Right. Of course. After.

“You need to take a step back from my woman,” the warning is clear in Hale’s voice.

Joe blinks a few times as if he’s seeing Hale for the first time. My man has a few inches on the man who should not be at my doorstep and a whole lot more muscle. Let’s not even talk about the training.

Hale could squash Joe like a bug. I should not consider popping popcorn for the event. That would be wrong.

Tempting, but wrong.

“Your woman?” Joe sounds pissed as he roars, “What the fuck are you talking about? Celeste is fucking mine. She’s been parading her pussy all around the office and then tried to act hard to get. She got me fired.”

“You misogynistic asshole,” I shout from behind Hale. I lean around the hulking form of my man. “You gotyourselffired. You had plenty of chances not to be a creepy prick, but you just couldn’t handle the pressure.”

Hale looks over his shoulder at me with a slightly exasperated look on his face before he pinches the bridge of his nose. Before he can look back at Joe, the weasel of a man is launching himself toward us. Hale huffs out a breath and grabs ahold of him before slamming Joe into the wall.

Okay, also hot.

Hale gets right in Joe’s face. “You need to let this shit go. You are not supposed to be here and now that you tried to assault me, I will be pressing charges. The cops are on the way and so are my brothers.” Hale gives Joe a sinister smile which floods my panties. Damn it. “You will be learning a big lesson today and then you’re going to be leavingmywoman alone.”

The next thing I know the door to the stairwell bursts open and a stony-faced Landon, followed by Blaze and Barrett, are stomping down the hallway toward us. They all look me over and whatever they see has them nodding in unison. It is kind of freaky, but my adrenaline is rocking through my body right now and I can’t dwell on it.

Blaze grabs Joe from Hale and gives him a little shake like Joe is nothing more than a rag doll. I have to bite my lip not to laugh. I think I might be freaking out right now a little bit. On the inside.

My knees buckle, but instead of crumpling to the floor, Hale catches me and sweeps me up into his arms. He murmurs against my hair, “I got you, Starlight.”

I relax into his arms as Blaze and Barrett drag Joe to the end of the hallway and down the stairs. Hale gives Landon a rundown of what happened. I cling to him even tighter as he recounts it. It sounds so much worse when he says it out loud.

Landon’s voice is full of concern, “Are you okay, Celeste?”

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