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That’s when he stopped reading. If he kept going, he’d surely crush the phone in his fist. He flipped the phone off and resisted the urge to drive down to Texas and deal with the asshole himself.Holy fuck. The guy is a lunatic.Rubble shifted his weight and watched Jupiter’s exchange with the customers. She was sweet as chocolate pie.What kind of man could hurt her?He already knew the answer.
“I put it away when I got here.” She moved for the phone, but he kept it out of reach.
“You don’t want to read the new ones.” He tucked the phone in the interior pocket of his jacket.
Her eyes shadowed. “That bad, huh?”
Tugging her to his chest, Rubble pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Her body shook slightly, and he hoped it was from the cold. He could fix that here and now. He couldn’t force her to feel safe. She had to do that on her own.
“This is club business. Okay, baby girl?” he whispered. “Nobody threatens Macha.”
She eased back enough to meet his gaze. “I’m not Macha.”
“The fuck you aren’t.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re living under Macha’s roof and working under our name. You don’t have to be patched to be Macha.”
Jupiter nodded. He knew in his gut she’d never been cherished by a man before. He’d right that wrong for as long as she’d let him.
Rubble cradled her jaw and kissed her top lip. Her eyes closed automatically so he repeated the act on her bottom lip. “Jupiter, I’m trying to be patient, but you make it so damned hard.”
“Then don’t be patient.” She lightly kissed his mouth, and he swallowed the urge to consume her on that very spot.
“Don’t say that if you don’t mean it.”
A family of tourists walked to the booth and started ordering, summoning her away from him. Before she went to help, she pressed her lips to his cheek. “I mean it, Rubble. I want to feel protected by you.”
She walked away, taking his heart with her. Resisting Jupiter wasn’t going to happen anymore. Not when she wanted him, and he wanted her. He let out a steadying breath, the hard-on in his jeans begging to be freed.Later.He’d show Jupiter precisely how he planned on protecting her.
CHAPTER19
JUPITER
Stray firecrackers echoedin the distance, red splashing across the sky through the bakery’s window. Jupiter and Rubble volunteered to take the remaining pastries and cash to the store for safekeeping until the next day. With only the back light on, the late hour combined with the looming truth that her past was catching up with her set Jupiter on edge.
She finished putting away the boxes of treats and walked to the front where Rubble stood watching out the window. Macha’s emblem on his broad back stood out amid the feminine colors in the shop. He looked like the ideal brooding male with his shoulders slightly hunched, eyes narrowing on every movement outside, and arms ready for action should the need arise. She set the pouch of cash in the safe then silently watched him.It’d be so easy to fall into this world. To fall into him.
As if sensing her gaze, Rubble looked at her. “Ready to go?”
Leaning her forearms on the counter, she nodded. “Whenever you are.”
“All right, I’ll warm up the truck.” He moved to do exactly that, but suddenly she couldn’t let him. The need to feel something other than fear overtook her better sense.Just because I have to leave eventually doesn’t mean I can’t see how a man should treat me.
“Wait.”
He paused at the door and turned. “For what?”
Her stomach dropped at the look in his mismatched eyes. She’d never be able to choose a favorite. One green and one blue were each too unique to decide between.
“I don’t want to go to the clubhouse yet.” She tugged off her coat. “I want to spend time with you without being interrupted by one of your brothers.” She smiled faintly. “Not that they’re not great, because they are. I just want some time alone with you.”
Rubble shifted on his feet, uncertainty lining his handsome face. “Are you sure?”
“Very.”
He turned the lock on the door and slowly walked toward her. “I don’t think I can control myself if we’re alone.” His eyes dipped to her lips. “You know the effect you have on me, baby girl.”
Jupiter came out from behind the counter and closed the distance between them. She gripped the lapels of his leather jacket and searched his eyes. Maybe it was the mountain air summoning her courage or the intense reaction she had to him that spurred her on. All she knew was that she desperately wanted him.
“I don’t want you to control yourself. Go wild, Rubble. I want to feel everything you’ve got.”
