Beneath the Stars (Falling Stars 4)

Maggie released a ragged, stuttered breath.

My words were gravel. “You should be.”

Before I let myself slip any farther, I ripped myself away and forced myself to head for the Jack and Jill bathroom that adjoined our rooms.

I needed to put about a thousand miles between us. I’d say between here and Dalton would do, except for the fact I hadn’t been able to purge her from my mind in all the months she’d been in LA.

A fuckin’ continent between us, and still I was achin’ for something I couldn’t have.

Her voice speared me to the spot when she whispered at my back, “You’re right. I am scared, Rhys. I’m scared of the way you make me feel. Of the way you make me feel something I don’t understand.”

I swung a glance at her from over my shoulder, taking in the girl where she stood in front of the balcony.

Beautiful in a way that shouldn’t be real.

“Believe me, darlin’, I feel the same. But you and I can’t go there.”

For a second, we stared.

Just fuckin’…caught.

“Friends?” she finally forced.

“Yeah, Sweet Thing. Friends.”

Maggie gave me a tight nod, and then I pushed into the bathroom, shutting the door to her room before I crossed to mine and shut that one, too, because shit, we needed some barriers between us.

I heaved out a sigh of relief that we’d actually made it through that encounter halfway unscathed, and then I sucked in a startled breath when I noticed the dark figure lurking across my room.

In an instant, the storm gathered.

My insides clotted with fury, and a shock of rage curled my hands into fists.

Took me a flash of a second to come to realize who was standing there. That it hadn’t been the type of threat I’d been anticipating, though I shouldn’t have been surprised by this one, either.

Blowing out the strain that nearly had caused me an aneurysm and forcing myself to play it cool, I smacked an overexaggerated hand over my chest. “Scared the shit outta me, bro. You tryin’ to give a poor boy a heart attack? For a second there, I thought the Grim Reaper had come to pay a visit. I mean, shit, look at you.” I let all the razzing I could muster rise to the surface.

Royce grunted.

Not amused.

He was leaned against the massive carved black dresser that took up one wall of my room, wearing a dark-gray suit, tats leaking out from under his shirt onto his neck and hands, all black hair and blacker eyes.

Funny that his sister favored him so much when she was an angel and the dude looked like the devil.

“Want a word with you.”

Shocker.

I grinned, smug as fuck. “All ears.”

He pushed from the dresser. All kinds of intimidation. Royce Reed might be a badass motherfucker, but he had no clue that the demons I was dealing with were way bigger than him.

Besides, I was about twice as thick. Could take him.

Lickity split.

Not a problem.

But I wasn’t about throwing blows with my Em-Girl’s man. With Maggie’s brother.

Besides, dude was just doin’ his damned job.

Could feel it…the protectiveness that radiated from his pores. The old fears that haunted him.

Recognized it well.

“Want you to keep away from my sister.” His voice was low.

My laugh was boisterous. “Ah…come now…playing the overprotective card? I think your sister can make her own decisions about who she’s hanging around.”

So maybe there was a slight warning there. I respected him. Liked him. But he needed to get somethin’ straight. “You need to give her a little space. Let her figure out who she wants to be.”

Darkness clouded his expression, animosity dripping from the kind of wounds that just weren’t gonna heal. “That’s fine. Just not with you.”

I cracked a grin, fighting the part of me that wanted to be pissed at what he was insinuating.

He knew I would hurt his sister.

I knew it just as well.

I forced as much lightness into my response as I could, patting his cheek condescendingly. Basically being me. “No need to worry your emo-heart, rocker boy. Your sister and I are only friends. That’s all.”

He made a sound that promised he didn’t trust me.

Yeah, me neither, asshole.

“She shouldn’t have been with you at that bar.”

Obviously.

“Girl wanted to go see a live band. I took her. Not a big deal.”

“And she ended up drunk.”

My brows lifted. “She’s twenty. Not fourteen.”

Royce angled in closer, fear and anger breaking free. “You should have been watching over her. Taking care of her. And instead, your pathetic, selfish ass who only cares about having a good time got into a barfight and got yourself arrested. Left her vulnerable.”

Should have let it go.

Grinned and bore it.

Didn’t know how to do it when it came to Maggie Fitzgerald. I moved on him before I could stop myself, cocking my head down to glare at him, fighting the urge to fist my hands in his suit jacket. “You think I wasn’t lookin’ out for her?” I grated, my teeth grinding so hard that I thought they were gonna turn to dust. “You think I wouldn’t stand in front of a fucking speeding train for her?”