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“Brayden—”
“Later, lover boy,” he called out, and I could only shake my head.
Turning away, I began to finish the cleanup, sweeping the floor as well as all of Brayden’s needless worries away. Tor would be here soon, and he’d said to be ready to celebrate. I didn’t know what he meant by that, but I couldn’t wait to find out.
It had just turned nine as I pulled my car into a vacant spot in front of Lava Java. It was the time Jesse had told me his final shift at the small coffee shop would be over.
The wind was whipping tonight, howling through the streets like a lonely animal, and as I stepped out onto the curb, I fastened my black trench coat in place. They’d called for rain later tonight, and judging by the dip in temperature and the whistling wind, it wasn’t far away.
I walked past the large wall of windows that made up one side of the Lava Java and looked inside, searching for the man I’d come for. It was empty inside, and as I scanned the interior, the adrenaline started to course through my veins.
It was always like that the moment before I saw him. The rush I got from watching Jesse without his knowledge. And tonight was no different. I wanted to see him in this space he was familiar with. I wanted to watch the way he behaved with others and not me. But as my eyes finally located and latched on to his light hair, the man in the booth he was talking to had my feet coming to a stop—Brayden Fairchild.
You little fucking troublemaker.
My hands curled into fists as I watched Brayden pop a piece of food into his mouth and look at Jesse, who stood beside him with a broom but must have just said something that made Brayden frown before he started to talk.
I wanted to know what he was saying to Jesse. Needed to know. But when Brayden stopped talking, and I saw Jesse’s shoulders begin to shake, my irritation increased. Laughing… He made Jesse laugh. And I hated that. I hated that someone else had the ability to make him laugh, smile…react in such a personal way, and I was done standing outside in the cold watching from afar.
I walked up the sidewalk and rounded the corner, heading toward the main entrance, and as I opened the door, Brayden came to a halt opposite me. This was the first time I’d seen Jesse’s friend up close, and from an outside perspective, I could see the appeal. He was your typical all-American guy, from the short haircut to the chiseled jaw and well-built physique—he, no doubt, does very well in the den—but that was little comfort to me, and hardly going to save him, when all I ever saw him doing was trespassing on what was mine.
I ran my eyes over his designer shirt, jeans, and shoes, and once I was done inspecting him, I brought my gaze back to meet his. I wondered what he was thinking as he stood there doing his own inspection, and hoped he was remembering the way Richard Wagner had looked in a heap at my feet. That way he might decide the smart thing to do here would be to get the fuck out of my way.
“Good evening, Brayden.” He visibly swallowed, and I allowed the side of my mouth to curl up in a sinister smile as I moved aside and held the door open for him. “You were leaving, I assume?”
“I…uh, yeah. Yeah, I was just leaving,” he said, looking over his shoulder, as though searching for Jesse. Searching for someone to witness what was going on here because he could feel the fuck you vibe I was throwing off. Unfortunately for Brayden, all the staff, including Jesse, seemed to have up and vanished.
“Good,” I said. “Don’t let me stop you.”
Brayden frowned, much as he had earlier with Jesse, and then shrugged. “Wasn’t planning to. You have a good night,” he said, and then went to walk by me.
As he did, I lowered my head slightly and said by his ear, “Oh, I plan to.”
Brayden looked right at me then, and I bared my teeth in a wicked grin before I straightened and walked away from him, effectively dismissing him with no more than my disregard. I heard the door shut behind me and knew Brayden had gone on his way, and as if fate had it in for Jesse, he stepped out from the back at that exact moment with no knowledge whatsoever of what had just passed between me and his friend.
“Tor,” he said, a beautiful smile crossing his lips as his eyes landed on me.
I walked over, stopped in front of him, put a finger under his chin, and tilted his face up. “Hello.”
