When Ream came out he grabbed me by the ass and picked me up off the stool. I had to wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck in order to stay balanced. Then he kissed me and I didn’t care that Crisis was hooting and hollering and Kite was laughing. All I cared about was kissing Ream.
Afterwards we went to Avalanche and it wasn’t busy being so early on a Friday night. Usually the crowd started rolling in around eleven, plus Matt didn’t have a live band tonight. We ate and drank and I loved how Ream’s hand rarely left my leg. I noticed it tighten a few times and he’d stiffen, but as soon as I looked at him, he’d kiss me and I’d forget all about what was unsettling him.
“I’ll be back, beautiful.” Ream got up and left the table. I saw him head to the bar and say something to Brett, and then they both disappeared in the back. It was odd; Brett and Ream weren’t close or anything.
Emily drew my attention away from Ream and Brett when she mentioned Raven, a girl who’d been trapped in the sex trafficking in Mexico with Emily. “Her real name is London Westbrook.”
Yeah that made sense. I didn’t know much about sex trafficking, but I bet real names didn’t exist once you were brought into that hell. “Did he tell you how she’s doing?”
“She’s disappeared.”
“What?” The last I’d heard, Deck had taken her home to her parents in New York. “When?”
“Been gone a few weeks. It looks like she ran away. Deck called Logan a couple of days ago and wants us to keep an eye out for her. He says she may try and come back here.” I didn’t think so. The girl held a gun on Emily. “Deck’s working on something big and has all his men with him except one.”
“And that one is on Georgie,” I said. Because Deck would never leave Georgie without one of his men watching her. I didn’t know what he thought would ever happen to her, but it was so usual now that it was no longer unusual.
Ream slipped in beside me again and then dragged me onto his lap. Well, it wasn’t really dragging because I went willingly. I think he partially did it because there were a few girls who recognized the band and started to hang around. Ream nuzzled my neck and I leaned back into him, loving how his one palm splayed underneath my shirt against my skin.
“What did you talk to Brett about?”
I shivered as his fingers caressed my abdomen with a feathered touch. “Nothing, baby.”
I reached around behind him and curled my hand into his hair. “That answer isn’t cutting it, hot stuff. Spill it.”
It was Crisis who saved him from my inquisition as he started singing and tapping his hands on the table to the beat of the song playing. Everyone laughed and Kite joined in, picking up a spoon and a knife and drumming on the table.
It was a good night and it was even better that Ream was with me, holding me, and I knew we’d be going home soon … and having drunk sex.
I swallowed the rest of my beer and noticed Molly was busy so I slipped from Ream’s arms, who was chatting with Logan about the album, and headed for the bar. Okay, so I was still curious about what went down between Ream and Brett.
“Brett.” I smiled at him and he nodded while he served a girl, who then slipped him a card to which he took and placed in his jean pocket.
He walked over and slammed a palm down in front of me. “Vodka?”
Whoa, where was his usual banter? His scintillating blue eyes settled on me and there was no wink, no smile. “You not get laid last night or something?”
He ignored the comment and poured me a shot. “Just one?”
I nodded. “Brett. What’s up?”
He looked up and then I knew. I didn’t have to turn around to see; it was the familiar shift in my body like a negative finding its positive. Ream’s hands settled on my hips and he pressed into my back then leaned in, his mouth kissing my collarbone.
Shivers, heat, dampness, yeah, it all peppered my body. “Beautiful,” he whispered and I sagged against him.
Brett put another shot down on the bar then looked at Ream. “Threaten me again and you won’t like what happens.” With that he walked away.
Whoa. What? I stiffened swiveling around on my stool. “What did you do?”
Ream didn’t even look chagrinned; he merely shrugged and said, “He’s been watching you for years. I just made it clear that it stops.”
“What? Are you for real? Ream, Brett and I are friends. He’s not interested, never has been.”
“You a guy?”
“What?”
“You a guy, Kat?”
“Well, no, of course not.”
“Then you don’t know. Only a guy knows when another guy is hot for his woman. And anytime I’m here, Brett’s watching you.”
“Yeah, because he’s like a brother. He’s looking out for me. Matt is in his office most of the night so Brett steps up to the plate.”
“A brother doesn’t look his sister up and down while she dances.”
“Oh. My. God. He so doesn’t do that.”
He kept his voice low but Brett was at the other end of the bar so he probably couldn’t hear us. I did notice him glance our way. “Babe, he does. He was watching you the night you were dancing with that schmuck.”
“Ream, seriously, that was almost three years ago.”
“Yeah, and he’s still doing it. He was watching you the night we danced. That isn’t a guy who thinks of a chick as his sister.”
“Well, Molly watches you and you don’t see me threatening her.” Because she was harmless. Ream was hot, I got that.
His brows rose as if my comment was ridiculous in comparison. Maybe it was because Molly was shy and looked at Ream while hiding under a veil of hair, but still, I was pissed that he thought it was funny.