“Fuck Grey!” she screams, and I feel her walls tighten and her body start to convulse. Her head falls back and I keep my fingers in her, moving in slow strokes as she rides out the high. Once she comes back down, I pull my fingers out and place a kiss on her stomach. She lifts her head and stares at me, her eyes glazed over. “Now that I’ve eaten, we should get you fed.” I grin. Blair giggles, and I lift her off the countertop. “I could eat,” she says, and I grab the ingredients to make her breakfast and start our day. With Adrian back in town, I have no idea what’s to come. I just know I would do everything to keep Blair safe.
Chapter 24
Greyson
The bar was quiet for a Friday evening, just the low hum of conversation and the occasional clink of glass echoing through the room. I’d just refilled a pitcher of beer for the couple at the end booth when the door swung open. The air shifted, like a gust of something sour had slipped inside.
And then I saw him.
Adrian.
Tall and smug with that familiar crooked smirk that had always made my skin itch. His leather jacket looked too new and intentional, like he was here to make an entrance.
I froze behind the bar, my hand still clutching the pitcher. Madison, seated at her usual table with her newborn cradled in a sling against her chest, went quiet. Even she could feel it, the air sharpening.
Adrian’s eyes locked onto mine across the room.
“Well, well. Look who owns the damn place,” he said, loud enough for half the bar to hear.
I set the pitcher down and moved around the counter. “You’re not welcome here.”
“Oh, come on, brother,” he mocked, dragging out the word. “Don’t I get a drink first?”
The word stabbed harder than I expected. We shared blood, sure. But that didn’t make him family. And it sure as hell didn’t excuse what he’d done.
The place had gone still at this point. A few locals paused mid-conversation, recognizing Adrian from his short stint in town years ago.
“You need to leave,” I said, stepping closer.
Adrian leaned on the edge of the bar like he owned it. “You know, Grey, I was thinking. It’s funny how things always come back around, huh? I come back to town, and I find out my little indiscretion from years ago turns out to be your girlfriend’s trauma.”
A muscle in my jaw twitched. My fists clenched. “Don’t talk about her.”
“But she didn’t tell you the whole story, did she?” he pushed, cocking his head. “She didn’t tell you she wanted it. ”
I didn’t even feel my feet move. One second, I was behind the bar and the next I had him shoved hard against the wall, the edge of a shelf digging into his back. Everyone in the room gasped. Madison stood slowly, her eyes wide, protective hand over her baby.
“You never say that again,” I growled, “and I’ll make sure you never speak to another woman again. You assaulted her. You ruined her life for years. You don’t get to twist it into something else.”
Adrian laughed bitterly, even as my forearm pressed against his throat. “So you believe her. That’s rich.”
“I love her.” The words came out before I had a chance to think about them. But they were true. “And you’re a coward. You came back here hoping to control the narrative. But Blair? She’s not scared of you anymore. And neither am I.”
Adrian tried to push me off, but I stepped back alone, letting him stumble forward.
He straightened his jacket, brushing dust off like it mattered. “You’ll regret this.”
“No,” I said, voice low. “You will.”
Adrian’s gaze scanned the room, Madison watching him like a hawk, a few regulars eyeing him with disgust. He realized he had no allies here.
He turned on his heel and walked out, the door slamming behind him.
I stood there for a beat, chest rising and falling hard, before I looked up. Madison approached slowly, the baby still curled against her.
“You okay?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. Just needed to end it.”
