Brutally Beautiful(15)

I spent the rest of that night wondering about Kade, and the reasons Dylan gave me to stay away from him. However, I ended up wasting my time wondering if I’d ever see him again, because within twelve hours, he was sitting in his dark corner, alone, watching me, again. Dressed in a crisp white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his suit jacket flung neatly over the back of the booth, he looked like he was waiting for an important business meeting, yet his attention was all on me.

I was hoping not to see him again.

Not anytime soon anyway, and especially not that night. Dylan spent that entire morning grumbling about Kade and how screwed up in the head he was, repeatedly telling me to stay away from him. Why he didn’t mention anything to Bree, was beyond me. That in itself made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Why wouldn’t he be warning Bree about him? Bree was the one that he should care about, not me.

I chanced a small peek at him from behind the bar. His jaw was clenched and his eyes looked so dangerous, they made my heart hammer in my chest and echo in my ears. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he leaned back against the red leather cushion of his seat. Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he ferociously stared at me, like a caged animal, and I was his prey. The common sense in me knew women shouldn’t like being objectified, like the way his eyes roamed my body, but I did. I liked it. A lot. It stirred an emotion in me as if I had just found out I had some sort of super power; it was powerful, raw, and dirty. It was intensely sexy as hell and my stomach fluttered with the excitement of it. God, I needed to get a grip and a life. I definitely needed to get a life. Quickly, I backed into the kitchen door, pushed it open with a swing of my hip, and ran in.

I found Dylan with his phone to his ear, smiling like an idiot. He pointed his index finger to the phone and mouthed, Bree. Covering the mouthpiece, he whispered, “I’m picking her up in a few. Are you sure you’re okay for a few hours?”

Nodding a smile in return, I calmly said, “Your brother is sitting at the back table.”

His face went pale, and then an enormous smile brightened his features. “Twice in two days, that’s a record. Maybe he’s returned to the human race. Take his order, let’s see what he does.” Then he reached his hand out to touch my shoulder. “Just…if he says anything nasty to you, don’t take it personally. Just give it right back to him and I’ll handle him if you can’t. Then I’ll go get Bree.” His hands were completely covering his phone now, and I laughed, knowing full well that Bree was still talking to him on the other end.

“Dylan, trust me. I can handle people. Just go take Bree out. You guys have been flirting like two sheltered teenagers with me as the third wheel for the last two months, so go have fun. She deserves a nice date.” Before I reached the door, I tapped my hand on the frame to make sure I had his attention, “Oh, and be romantic. She likes romance and all those girly things. She loves when a man brings her flowers.”

I walked out and around the bar, across the floor and stood right next to Kade’s table. Heat flamed across my body and I forced myself to take a deep breath before speaking. “Hello, I’m Lainey. What may I get for you today?”

Kade looked up, but his glare didn’t reach my eyes. He just looked at my shoulder, or just above it. His dark brows furrowed together and his lips turned down like he was appalled at my question, his face as hard as granite. “Another waitress,” he growled darkly.

“Well, then,” I smiled brightly trying not to show my complete mortification. I was confused. Wasn’t he just looking at me as if I was the last woman on earth? The sexy man was supposed to flirt with me and ask me for my number. I was supposed to decline kindly and walk away, feeling a little more confident in myself, like I could still pull off being sexy. He was ruining my fantasy. “I hope you enjoy the next few hours without a drink then, because I’m the only waitress here tonight.”