Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4)(68)

He brought my lips close to his, softly kissing me a few times and murmured, “Nice to finally meet you, Daisy.”

His bright blue eyes weren't telling me what he wanted to say like they normally do. I waited on pins and needles.

“Daisy, I’m in—”

“Daisy,” I heard a voice call out, pulling my attention from Austin.

I grimaced, recognizing the voice immediately. My heart f*cking dropped. Austin frowned, taking in my sudden change. My face paled like I had just seen a ghost. And in a way I had, the reaction from hearing a voice, a voice that I thought no longer existed. Austin followed the voice from behind me.

My two worlds were about to collide.

“Daisy, is that you?” he added, coming closer.

I shut my eyes, needing a minute to gather my emotions that were running wild. Taking over, wreaking havoc on my soul. I opened my eyes to gaze into my future, Austin, with a concerned expression on his handsome face.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to peer into my past and said,

“Esteban.”





Chapter 20





<>Briggs<>



I nervously coaxed, unsure of what to say or what to do.

He looked older. No longer the man I remembered from five years ago. His once blue, familiar, warm eyes were cold and dark. Sad even.

“Wow… you look. Different,” he laughed.

I looked down at myself. “Yeah, you could say that. I’m glad to see you… alive,” I blurted.

I never knew what happened to him after my uncle’s men dragged his bloody body from my room. The last time I saw him was my fifteenth birthday. I never gathered enough courage to ask my uncle what happened to him after that tragic night. To be honest, I didn’t think he would ever tell me the truth anyway.

Austin stepped beside me. His questions and confusion were radiating off of him and searing into my skin.

I reached over and held his hand, trying to ease his answers.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend here?” Esteban asked, nodding toward Austin.

“Right. Esteban this is my umm…” I frowned not sure how to introduce him. I could feel Austin’s stare burning a hole in the side of my face. Waiting to hear how I would respond.

“Umm… Austin. This is Austin,” I stated, tightening my hold on his hand to reassure him.

“I’m Esteban.” He reached out his hand and Austin shook it. “I used to be Daisy’s bodyguard.”

Austin nodded, unsure of how to proceed with the man that knew my real name.

“Look at you all grown up now,” he said, turning back to me. Gesturing up and down my body, his eyes wandering to my chest and staying there a little too long for my liking.

Austin twitched beside me. I could see his expression changing. The hold he had on my hand increased a little too hard. I turned slightly toward him to cover up my cleavage.

“How long has it been now?” Esteban asked, cocking his head to the side, looking only at me now.

“Umm…” I looked up at Austin. “Five years, right?”

“Too long. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

We stood there in awkward silence. Austin wouldn’t look at me, but he had no problem staring at Esteban.

“Well, I will let you two get back to your evening. It was nice to see you again, Daisy,” Esteban acknowledged, leaning in and kissing my cheek.

I nervously smiled.

“Take care, Austin,” he added with a nod.

Esteban looked at me one more time with an expression I couldn’t quite place before he turned and left.

I glanced at Austin who was still intently looking at Esteban.

“Austin—”

“Not here.”

“I know, but—”

“Not. Here,” he gritted out.

We walked back toward Rafael and Austin thanked him for the opportunity to show off his art in his gallery. Rafael told him it was a pleasure and that he had my number and would call as soon as any of his pieces sold.

We took a cab back to my apartment. Austin still hadn’t said a word to me, but I knew he was bothered by the handful of cigarettes he smoked on the ride back.

The door closed behind me as we walked into my apartment.

“Austin, I—”

He immediately turned around, stepping in front of me, causing my back to hit the door from the impact of his built frame that suddenly loomed over mine. I winced from the sting. He glared at me with a predatory regard, caging me with his arms. Our faces a few inches apart and our bodies maybe a foot.

Both our chests heaved profusely.

Our emotions running wild.

His eyes were dark and daunting with an intense, crazed stare as he looked me up and down. It was the first time I had ever felt him in that way. The first time I had ever seen him lose his cool. The man in front of me wasn’t the Austin that I knew, the one that I’d spent over a year with.

The one I had fallen head over heels in love with but hadn’t voiced my feelings yet.

The man in front of me thrilled me and excited me in ways I never thought possible.

I had nowhere to go.

I could barely move.

But my body felt on fire.

“What are—”

He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow, causing me to stop what I was going to ask. He moved his face a little closer, barely a centimeter setting us apart now. I was engulfed in nothing but the dominance that he displayed over me in that minute, and I swear he could smell my arousal from it.