He held my gaze then took another drink, unashamed of what he said.
“So, for now, I’m your favorite.”
He moved closer to me, his head bent down so he could bring his face closer to mine. “For now.” His hand moved across the deep curve in my spine, his fingertips spanning across my entire back. His palm was warm, heating the fabric right against my skin. He didn’t show public affection very often, not with his hands, at least. But now he was, hinting at the things he wanted to do with me when we were back at home.
Carmen turned back to us after she was finished surveying the room. “Griffin, you got any guys to set me up with? Since I’m your favorite?” She smiled at him, her long brown hair framing her shoulders perfectly. “I’m looking for the strong and silent type, someone like you. You know, bad but not too bad…”
Bones finally took his gaze off me to look at my cousin. “No.”
“You don’t have a single guy?” she asked incredulously.
He drank then set the glass down. “No.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “No friends or what?”
“I have a few,” he answered, his voice deep. “But none that are good enough for you.”
“Aww.” She stirred her drink. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
“What about Max?” I asked.
Bones shot down the suggestion immediately. “No.”
“What about the other one?” I asked.
“No,” he repeated, stirring his drink.
“Looks like you’re on your own,” I said to Carmen.
“Oh well.” She looked into her drink just as a man walked up to the table. With a drink in his hand, he came to Carmen’s side.
“I like your dress.” He looked her up and down, a handsome man in a fitted t-shirt. He was confident. A little too confident.
“Thanks.” Carmel smiled. “I’m Carmen—”
“Boy.” Bones stared down the man who joined us, giving him a terrifying glare that would make anyone piss their pants. He spoke in a rich baritone, his powerful voice deeper than the bass that played overhead.
I stilled at his unexpected aggression, and Carmen nearly jumped out of her skin.
The guy turned to him, his glass starting to slip due to the sweat that had formed on his palm.
“Men only,” Bones barked. “No boys. Leave.”
The guy didn’t stand up to Bones and walked back into the crowd, not saying another word before he disappeared into the groups of people that were shoulder-to-shoulder in the packed room.
Carmen turned back to Bones, her eyebrow raised. “What was wrong with him?”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“He was drinking Jack and Coke.”
Carmen and I stared at each other, having no idea what that was supposed to mean.
“One, how did you know it was Jack and Coke?” I asked. “And two, what does that matter?”
“I can tell by looking at it.” He turned his gaze on me again, just as possessive as before. “And it fucking matters. If a guy has to dilute his drink with cola, he’s not a man. He’s a boy. And that opening line was pathetic. He’d last two minutes in bed before collapsing on top of you. Barsetti women belong with real men, not pathetic little boys pretending to be men.” He downed the rest of his scotch until the glass was empty before he marched back to the bar to get a refill.
Carmen watched him go, and when he was out of earshot, she smiled. “He’s intense, huh?”
“Always.”
“Kinda territorial.”
“It’s because he likes you.”
“He’s territorial because he likes me?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Yeah. You’re his favorite, so he wants the best for you.”
“Well, that’s sweet…even though I didn’t need another overprotective brother.” She stirred the contents of her glass before she took a drink.
“I didn’t think I needed another protective man in my life either.” I’d never needed a man to take care of me, to keep me safe at night or keep me warm when the heater died. I’d never needed a man to walk me home, to lift heavy things to make my life easier. “But now I can’t imagine my life without that overprotective, psychopathic, territorial caveman.”
After we walked Carmen home, we headed back to our little apartment above the gallery. It was strange to walk down the cobblestone streets with him beside me, after I’d walked these streets alone for so long. It was a warm summer night, and the breeze licked the sweat off the back of my neck. My heels were starting to kill my feet because I’d been wearing them for nearly five hours. I didn’t think we needed to walk Carmen home, but Bones insisted, so that was an extra mile I had to spend in the shoes.
Bones walked beside me, wearing a gray V-neck that stretched across his powerful chest and thick arms. Over a foot taller than me and possessing the menace of a gargoyle, he kept the path ahead of us clear with just his presence. His powerful arms swung slightly by his sides, and he stared straight ahead, his eyes scanning for danger that didn’t exist.