Branded (Savage Men 4)

It’s almost midnight, and my dad expects me to be home soon, so I’d better hurry.

However, a soft squeak has me sitting up straight and gazing around. There’s only one small light bulb hanging from the roof illuminating the shed, but it’s enough to see there’s no one here.

Maybe it was a rat. I should work on building a trap next time. My dad’s been trying to catch them for some time now without any luck. Of course, the suckers avoid the poison flakes lying around the floor too. Pesky little shits.

Suddenly, something touches my shoulder, and I freak out.

I shriek, but a hand covers my mouth, blocking my voice.

Adrenaline fills my veins as panic bubbles to the surface. I try to spin on my chair but can’t because someone’s holding me down firmly. Strong arms with a scent that reminds me of … soot.

“It’s me. Don’t scream,” he whispers.

It’s Brandon.

He leans back, and I immediately stand and turn to face him. “Brandon! Jesus.”

“Sorry. Didn’t wanna scare you,” he says, a little too loud.

I close my eyes and let out a sigh. “God, could you have been any more creepy?”

“I could if I wanted to,” he says, raising one brow, mocking me.

I narrow my eyes, but my body remains rigid. Tense. It’s as if my brain has already decided for me that I can’t trust him. At least, not after what happened at the bonfire. “What are you doing here?” I whisper, still upset that he jumped on me like that. And even though he says I shouldn’t be scared, my skin still prickles where he touched me.

“I just wanted to see you, that’s all,” he says with a way too cocky voice.

“Shh …” I say. “Quiet. We’re close to the farmhouse.”

He shrugs. “So?”

“I don’t want my dad to hear us. He’s in there with my brothers.”

“Ahh …” He takes a step toward me. “You’re afraid he’ll find us here together?”

“Duh. You shouldn’t be here,” I say, leaning back as if I instinctively know not to let him get close. I don’t know why, but it feels different. Like I’m playing with fire, and I don’t wanna get burned.

When he tries to caress my cheek, I turn my face slightly. He pauses. “Are you afraid of me?”

Maybe. I don’t know the answer, but I feel like I should. What he did was wrong. Horrible.

But I know why he did it.

After all those years of Derek tormenting Brandon, he was bound to explode. But I never expected it to be this uncontrollable, this explosive. This … dangerous.

“Should I be?” I ask, licking my lips.

The half-smile that forms on his face has my heart skipping a beat. Fuck. I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t. Not when he’s so volatile and aggressive … and sexy.

“I can’t answer that for you,” he says after a while. He places his hands on the workbench, trapping me inside. “I don’t want you to be, though.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I whisper, looking down at my feet. Jesus. Why am I such a pussy when it comes to him? I should speak up, for fuck’s sake. Stop being a fucking whimpering virgin who can’t handle a little touchy-feely.

“Hey.” He tips up my chin with one finger. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”

I nod softly as if he just asked me whether I believe him. I’m not even sure I do. I just know I want to. For my sake and for his.

“But what happened at the bonfire …” I mutter.

I don’t know how to begin my sentence or how to end it. Just like I don’t know where we began and where we should end.

Maybe now.

Maybe never.

Shit.

Why do I feel this way around him?

Why is it that when a guy loses control, I want him even more?

Am I that obsessed with bad boys? Jesus, help me.

“It never should’ve happened,” he says, rubbing his lips together. “But I can’t erase it. And even if I could, I’m not even sure I would.”

I bite my lip while sucking in a breath. My lungs feel constricted. Did he just admit that he liked hurting Derek?

Hell, I don’t think I’ll ever hear anyone say that … except him.

It’s all starting to make sense now.

That darkness in his eyes that day wasn’t just a coincidence. That was the real him, the one who was always hiding in the shadows. That was the devil inside him, unleashed in full fury.

And Lord … I couldn’t stop watching the onslaught. The inhumaneness of it all.

Or maybe I was just stunned because I didn’t feel sorry for Derek. Not for one second.

Am I just like him?

But I don’t wanna be a monster.

“It was wrong,” I say after gathering all my courage.

“I know,” he says, gazing at me with those deep, dark eyes. “But I’m not here to apologize to him. I’m here for you,” he murmurs, pressing his body against mine. “Because I don’t want this to get between us.”