Brutally Beautiful(55)

Kade slammed his fists down on the table and his presence seemed to expand and crowd into my small space on the booth. Before he could say anything, I brushed the back my hand over his arm, just as he had done to me a few moments before to let him know I could handle the situation. He visibly relaxed and leaned back into the cushions of the bench we occupied. It kind of made me feel beautiful.

Next to Fran, Bree covered her face with her hands and Dylan’s expression looked shocked. I stood up, flattened my shirt down and wiped my clammy hands on my pants. I gave Fran a measured stare, leaned over the table, and asked sweetly, “Do you think yourself as a man that’s well endowed, Francis?”

He squirmed in his seat, and gave me a slight nod.

“Let me ask you then,” I leaned in closer and licked my lips, trying to act as seductively as I could. “Can your penis reach your rectum?”

Slowly, a flirtatious smile emerged on his face; he nodded and leaned his head closer to mine.

“Then go f*ck yourself,” I said evenly. Climbing behind Kade in the booth, I jumped off the seat, made my way to the bar, ordered another beer and a shot of whiskey, and stared down at my trembling fingers.

An icy cold beer and whiskey shot slid in front of me almost instantly.

“I’m taking you out of here,” Kade’s voice rumbled in my ear, fanning warm breath against my neck.

Gulping back my shot, I turned my head and looked up into his eyes, our faces so close, our lips mere inches apart. Slowly, his eyes trailed down to my mouth and he shifted his body to face me, “Come on, I’m in the mood for coffee.” His dark features softened, his body slackened and relaxed against the edge of the bar as if he really felt comfortable next to me.

Drawing in a deep breath, I slid my gaze over to our table and heaviness settled over my chest when I locked eyes with Fran, then back to Kade. I had never dealt with any of this nonsense before. I’d never had two men at the same time vie for my attention (if that’s what it was), but I did know what it was like to be with someone who tried to control you, and that, I didn’t need. So, without any trepidation or fear, I followed Kade Grayson out of the bar with a wildly beating heart.

After I climbed into Kade’s truck, I texted Bree to tell her I left. Shivering from the cold air, my teeth started to chatter and Kade looked at me questioningly. “You didn’t go back to the table for your coat, and I didn’t think to bring it to you when I asked you for coffee,” he stated, the mist of his warm breath dissipating into the cold air of the front cab of his truck.

“Wasn’t in my escape plan, no.”

A slow sexy smile transformed on his lips as he unzipped his leather jacket and quickly yanked his arms from their sleeves and passed it to me.

Slipping the coat over my shoulders, I was hit with the intoxicating smell of Kade, a mixture of spices, man and thick, rich worn leather. Twisting the key in the ignition, his truck rumbled to life. The cold leather seats beneath me vibrated, as a Metallica song blasted deafeningly from his speakers with James Hetfield’s deep raspy voice singing Whiskey in the Jar. Pure, raw nostalgia surged through my veins, teenage angst, and memories flooded my mind.

“Sorry,” he muttered, fumbling to turn his audio system off.

“Don’t!” I yelped. “Don’t shut it off. I love this song. I was obsessed with Metallica when I was younger.”

“You? You listened to Metallica?” he laughed harshly, doubting my honesty.

I despised it when people didn’t take my word for truth, and I hated when people doubted me. So, I sang the words to him as the music played, “…stand and deliver or the devil he may take you…”