at her then, turning his head to rake his gaze over her. It only took him ten seconds to assess she wasn’t in the best place. He scowled at her, almost pushing off his stool to yank her to him for closer inspection, but the way she shied back triggered his protective instincts. He stayed seated and lost the scowl. “Do what, little one?”
“This!” She thrust out a small hand with fingers he could easily nibble on. In her palm rested the bait he’d hooked her in with. “Is this a bribe?”
“Jesus,” Liam said softly. “How much money?”
Bodie’s eyes glanced toward the blond, Braun noticed, and the pain in them deepened before she wrenched her gaze away and locked it onto his. Pain morphed to feminine anger. “A thousand fucking dollars? What were you expecting me to do for that?”
Oh, she had some fire in her. He liked that. “Say thank you?”
Her mouth dropped open in shock as her eyes flared wide, that delicious blue turning confused. “T-Thank you?”
“Good girl,” he murmured in a praising tone and gained some satisfaction in seeing her blush prettily. Those two words cooled her temper considerably, although it was plain to see she was digging deep to find the source of her anger again. Liam had been correct when he said she had a lot of the damned stuff locked inside her. “You didn’t need to drive all the way out here to say thank you, but I appreciate the gesture.”
Bodie blinked. “I-I didn’t.”
“You didn’t drive? Hell, it’s a long fucking walk.” He masked his grin with his drink as she spluttered, bewildered. “Liam will drive you home when you’re ready to leave. It’ll be dark soon and it’s not safe for a lone female to be wandering the roads by herself.”
“I—no. I drove here but I didn’t come to say thank you. I came to give you this back!” Damn if she didn’t nearly stomp her little foot in a temper tantrum. She shoved the money toward him again, keeping her distance. “Here, take it. I don’t need anything from anyone. I can’t accept this.”
“Sure you can. There’s no strings attached to it, little one.”
“There are always strings attached, one way or another.” When he wouldn’t take the money from her hand, she slapped it down on the bar. “There. Now I owe you nothing.” She visibly quivered under his assessing stare, her eyes meeting his for a few seconds before they dropped meekly to study his boots. “I appreciate it, I really do, but I can’t take it.”
Submissive, Braun thought with satisfaction. He’d bet the full amount of cash he’d given her she didn’t even know what these moments of capitulation were. She was too full of piss and vinegar, brimming with that simmering antagonism, to truly understand what a treasure she had to offer. “Tell me, little one, when was the last time you ate?”
Liam was wisely holding his tongue, but his gaze arrowed in on Boadicea—and wasn’t that just a lovely name—with all the focus of a hunter sighting his gun on an albino moose.
Bodie’s eyes flickered from side to side without lifting. Braun studied the flutter of her lashes as she worked out truth and lies. She wouldn’t look at him when she whispered, “Lunchtime.”
Little fibber. Hardening his voice to steel, Braun snapped, “Don’t lie to me, girl. One thing I won’t tolerate is being lied to.” He gave her a few seconds to shudder in the face of his displeasure, her arms coming up to self-comfort, then asked again in the same tone of voice. “When was the last time you ate?”
Her weight shifted from foot to foot. “I don’t know.”
Braun growled. Her face held a gauntness that spoke of several days’ starvation. She might be scavenging scraps here and there, enough to keep her body functioning, but it wasn’t enough. He snapped his fingers and pointed between his spread legs, intrigued whether she’d obey his silent order or give him a resounding fuck you.
The pretty little thing bit her lip worriedly, then stepped forward into the cradle of his legs. But when he stroked his hands gently down her arms, she snarled at him and stepped back again.
Interesting.
“I’m not going to hurt you, little one. Come back here please.”
Hands wringing together, she shook her head. “I didn’t come here to play twenty questions with a stranger. Whatever games you play here, I don’t want to know. I just want to go home and forget I was ever