25
Sage
I’dscrewedup.Bad.
And wasn’t I the hypocrite? Warning Brandon not to draw attention, only to instigate an all-out bar fight with five of the biggest guys in the place.
An uncomfortable silence lingered during the brief car ride to the hotel. If Brandon’s tight grip on the steering wheel hadn’t alerted me to the tension rolling off him, the sporadic tic in his jaw would have.
I wasn’t sorry I’d started the fight, but I was sorry I’d dragged Brandon into it. I’d been so furious at that asshat for being rude to us, I hadn’t thought clearly. I was so sick of power-hungry bullies being jerks and trying to boss me around. He deserved to be put in his place.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
Brandon gave a sharp shake of his head, his eyes never leaving the road.
“What about your stitches? Are they—”
“I’m fine. The stitches are fine. Everything’s fine.” His clipped tone told me everything was most definitelynotfine.
“You’re angry with me.”
“I’mnotangry with you.”
I choked out a bitter laugh. “You’re not even doing a good job of hiding it. You look like you’re barely hanging on by a thread.”
His corded forearms bunched as he gripped the wheel. “That’s because Iambarely hanging on by a thread.”
“I knew it.” I folded my arms and stared out the window. If he thought I’d apologize while he was being a dick, he could forget it.
“No, Sage. You don’t know a thing about what I’m feeling.”
We left Brandon’s truck with the valet and made our way through the lobby.
“Why are you walking so fast? Brandon!” I whisper shouted while jogging to keep up with him. “Slow down! People are staring at you like you just robbed a bank.”
He didn’t answer my question or slow down.
I understood his annoyance, but he had no right to be this pissed with me. If I hadn’t brought MMA numb nuts to his knees, he would’ve. There’d been murder in Brandon’s eyes before I’d cut in and defended my own honor. If he told me otherwise now, he was as much a hypocrite as me.
The elevator doors closed, kicking off the slowest ride to the top floor in history. Brandon’s huge, brooding form dominated the small space. His broad chest expanded with each deep breath he took. Long fingers twitched at his sides. He couldn’t even look at me.
I supposed now wasn’t the time to tell him how excited I’d been watching him take on those guys. The fluid movement of his body. The power behind each blow. Who’d trained him to fight like that?Damn.He was impressive.
Brandon held the door to our room open. I avoided eye contact as I brushed past him and tossed my denim jacket on the bed. “I’m not apologizing for what happened tonight.”
“I can’t do this anymore.” His voice came out ragged.
Ready to face his wrath but unwilling to foot all the blame, I turned toward him with arms folded. “Excuse me?”
“This. Us!” He gestured between us, and the pained expression on his face had me more than a little concerned.
“What are you talking ab—”
And then he came for me. Three long strides and we were toe-to-toe. “You”—his brow pinched while his ocean eyes roamed my face—“are the fiercest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. And I want—no, Ineed—you to know that I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you.”
Overwhelmed by his huge body so close to mine and stunned by his words, I struggled to breathe. “You’re…you’re not angry with me?”
One of his strong hands gripped my waist; the other landed at the nape of my neck. Without warning, he hauled me against him, a solid wall of muscle from pecs to thighs, and something else entirely sinful and hard pressed between us. “Doesthisfeel like I’m angry with you?”