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31
AARON
Aaron slipped his hand from his coat pocket to wave towards Mikel who was carrying a bag of takeout across the street before he disappeared into Remy’s café. Seems like he wasn’t the only husband who wanted to surprise his wife for lunch today. Though Aaron had ulterior motives. Brynn’s birthday was coming up in a few days and he was still wracking his brain with what to do for her.
He paused in front of the bookstore, taking in the festive lights in the shop windows on either side of the main road of town. Silver and red candy canes crisscrossed on streetlamps. Snow-dusted wreaths hung on the wall between storefronts. Holidays in Shattered Cove never got old. Maybe he, Brynn, and Dani could take a stroll to Green Park tonight, get some cocoa, and see the tree all lit up.
His gaze caught on a man turning abruptly from the edge of the bookstore window, a small piece of paper dropping from his hands to the sidewalk.
Aaron shook his head. “The trash is two steps away, asshole.”
The man didn’t even turn around; he just kept walking. Aaron plucked the wrapper from the ground and threw it in the trash. He turned and grabbed the handle on the door before pulling it open and heading inside. The warmth hit him first with the smell of books second. His gaze darted to the empty front desk. Where is she?
He strolled down one row of books, noting the few other customers milling around the store. Her giggle in the far-left corner dragged his attention that way, bringing a smile to his face. Aaron froze, his grin disappearing. Brynn was standing by the children’s shelf, her open palm in Ricky Emerson’s. Ricky traced his finger over the lines on her hand, his voice low. Aaron’s shoulders tensed. His hands fisting at his side. He wanted to wipe the smirk off Rick’s face. Aaron grit his teeth and took in a deep breath. Normally, he was the peacemaker, the one who kept his cool under the most stressful situations. But not when his wife let another man touch her, especially when he understood just how much trust it took for her to let a man get close. This fucking crossed the line.
Aaron puffed out his chest and strode forward. Ricky turned to him first, his eyes widening a fraction before his smile grew.
Motherfucker.
Brynn spun around as Aaron grabbed her hand and pulled her into his chest. “Hey, sunshine.”
She let out a surprised squeak as he slipped his fingers through the hair at the base of her neck and tugged with enough pressure to tip her head up to meet his mouth. His other hand grabbed a handful of her ass and squeezed her body tighter against his.
Her lips were tense at first, but a moment later she relaxed against him. His kiss wasn’t asking; it was telling, possessive, as if each swipe of his lips against hers would brand her. Did it mark her heart as much as it did his?
Ricky cleared his throat, then chuckled. Brynn tensed, as if just realizing they were not alone. It brought a thrill to him that she was just as lost in his touch as he hers.
He pulled back, grazing his teeth on her lower lip and tugging just a little. She stared up at him, her hazy green eyes dark with want.
“I’ll just . . . uh, leave you to it. Nice to see you again, Aaron. Have a good afternoon, Brynn,” Ricky announced before his footfalls moved farther away from them.
Brynn shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of his trance as she straightened, her gaze darting around the room. Her cheeks reddened. “Aaron, I’m at work. I don’t think that was appropriate here.”
“He needed a reminder that you’re a married woman.”
Brynn blinked, her brows drawing closer together. “Ricky?” She shook her head. “He’s a regular at the diner. He was reading my palm. He was just being nice. He’s like that with everyone.”
He stepped forward, bending so his mouth was by her ear. His hand moved to her lower back, his other hand brushing over the sensitive spot between her ear and shoulder. “I don’t like to see another man touching you.”
She shivered in his arms—or was she trembling? Was he going too far? Images of Ricky’s smirk flashed in his mind and a fresh rush of jealousy filled his veins.
“Why does it bother you so much?” Brynn asked, her voice all breath.
He pulled back enough to face her, his thumb wiping over her throat. Her pupils were black as midnight with only a small sage ring around them, the flecks of gold catching the light in the room, much like this woman had captured him.
“You want my truth?”
She nodded once.
“Because I feel like you’re mine . . .”
Her eyes shuttered and her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
No one else came near them in the store, as if the customers could sense the tension between them. He was crossing all sorts of lines he’d set for himself, but he couldn’t take it for one more goddamned second. His self-control had snapped the moment she’d let another man touch her.
“Does that scare you?” he asked.
She licked her lips, her eyes searching his. “It should make me terrified . . .”
