"You helped get Sascha and Faith out of the Net. You've been their friend," she hissed, raging at the unfairness of it.
"No." Judd pulled his hand from hers. "I've always acted in my own best interest."
"That's not who you are." She refused to let him try to convince her otherwise.
His eyes fixed on hers, the gold flecks darkening to amber. "An assassin who looks after his own skin? That's exactly what I am, Brenna. I would rather die than harm you, but anyone else? I could kill them without blinking. It's what I was born to do."
Brenna knew she should be happy that Judd had admitted as much as he had about his feelings toward her, but she was still fuming over his intransigence on everything else when she walked into the living room at around seven the next morning. He was attempting to button a vivid blue shirt over his bandaged chest. Even injured, he was so beautifully built that her mouth went dry and her face flushed. The hunger was piercing, seducing her into moving forward.
"Let me." His arm had to be painful. And she couldn't begin to think about the wounds on his chest. If they had gone a little deeper...
"Brenna." He didn't halt her, but his tone held a dominant undertone she recognized all too well, having grown up with men who suffered from the same chauvinistic streak.
"I've never seen you in any color but black. Blue looks good on you." She buttoned the shirt over his bandages with tender care. The garment was a fraction loose, Judd's build more lightly muscular than Nate's. Her Psy was built for stealth and speed, his body a well-honed weapon...one she ached to stroke. The idea of running her hands over the smooth, powerful lines of his body made her fingers tremble.
One male hand closed over her wrist. "We have to discuss this before your brothers arrive."
Tears in her throat. "We've got time to have a cup of coffee."
"No, we don't. Nate made the calls long enough ago that they have to be close."
She knew the DarkRiver male had delayed as long as he could, but wished it had been forever. "Just one cup," she cajoled.
Tugging at her hand, he forced her to look up. "Why are you avoiding the subject?" The gold flecks in his eyes were sparking bright - it wasn't her imagination, they really were. Before she could ask him what that meant, there was a commotion out front and her brothers stormed into the living room followed by Nate and Lucas.
Chapter 24
Riley's face went hunting-still as he saw Judd's hand around her wrist. "I swear to God, if you don't stop touching her, I'll - "
"You'll what?" Brenna demanded, pulling away her hand but only so she could face Riley. "Finish off the job you started last night?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Andrew reached out as if to grab her and drag her to his side.
Judd was suddenly in front of her, having moved so fast she was left gasping. "I can't let you touch her in your current mood."
Looking around Judd, Brenna saw Drew's fingers curl into a fist. "She's my sister. It's one of you bastards that hurt her."
"Be that as it may, I'm not letting you near her until you get yourself under control." Judd's voice was cold, implacable, dangerous.
Growls sounded.
"Shut up!" Brenna yelled. "All of you!"
Her brothers looked at her, startled. The cats stayed on the edges of the room, probably not looking to interfere unless blood threatened to be spilled.
Judd glanced over his shoulder. "Don't." Pure male command.
"Don't you give her orders, Psy!" Drew again.
She'd had it. Pushing past Judd to stand in front of her middle sibling, she thumped a fist into his chest. "Do you know what he's warning me not to do? Accuse you or Riley of attacking him."
Her brother froze. "What?"
"Judd came in wolf-mauled," Nate drawled. "His chest's a mess and believe me, you don't want to see his arm."
"You think we did that?" The hurt on Riley's face was so raw it rocked her.
But she wasn't backing off. "You've threatened him over and over. And I smelled the scent of family."