Page 26 of Hearts Storm

My throat tightens at the nickname, and I can’t speak, can’t do anything but stare up at him as he squats in front of me.

Face a mask of concern, his golden-brown eyes assess me for injuries. There’s a small cut on his full lower lip, and his knuckles are red and swollen, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“Did they hurt you?” he asks, voice rough with anger. “Talk to me, Pretty. Are you hurt?”

Still unable to form words, I shake my head. My dress is twisted, hair falling in my face as the burn of tears threatens to spill over.

“Okay, okay.” He holds his hands up as if he’s attempting to soothe a wounded animal. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Safe. The word echoes in my head, and something inside me cracks. A sob escapes before I can stop it, and then another, until I’m shaking with the force of them.

“Hey, hey.” Brex leans in, hesitantly reaching out to brush my hair back from my face. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

And somehow, despite the fact he’s the last person I expected to see, despite the humiliation of what just happened—I believe him.

Mortification floods my cheeks as I look up at the man who just saved my life. The same one who tucked a twenty into my T-back while I was half naked on stage, then danced with me the next night at a club before handing me off to Logan, leaving with a woman on each arm.

His fingers flex against my cheek. “You gonna tell me your name?”

When I don’t answer, he huffs out a sigh.

Gently gripping my upper arms, he helps me to my feet.

Shifting uncomfortably under his intense gaze, I push against his chest—his solid. Warm. Muscular chest—before taking a step back.

“Come on.” He cocks his head with a grin. “I just saved your life. Least you can do is tell me your name, Pretty.”

“Why do you call me that?”

He shrugs. “Because Angel was already taken.”

Angel.

My heart trips.

Logan.

The fact that I’ve been living in Lakeside for the past few weeks, knowing Brex has been there and hasn’t seen me, boggles my mind. At least, he’s not acting like he knows we live in the same small-ish town.

Come to think of it. I haven’t actually seen him in a while.

“Hey,” he rumbles, cutting off the memories bouncing around in my head. “You sure you’re okay?”

thirteen

The gruff concern in my tone surprises me. “Are your insides still... intact?”

Her eyes clear, focusing on me as she raises an eyebrow. “What exactly do you mean by my insides?”

The look she’s giving me as I run my hands all over her body, checking for injuries, would almost be comical if it wasn’t for the unexpected apprehension running through my veins.

“I don’t fucking know. Your spleen, I guess?”

She snorts. “My spleen is fine.”

“What about your head?”

She rolls her eyes as I run my hands through her hair to check for bumps.