Hammered (Blue Bay Crew #3)- Cathryn Fox Page 0,78

the dark woods. “What did you hear?”

“I thought I heard a noise, like a click or something.”

My insides tighten, as I pull out of her and sit up. “Chances are it was just a twig breaking. Probably a racoon or something. I’m sure it’s nothing,” I say to reassure her, but what if I’m wrong? What if there is something or someone out there, and I was so lost in her I missed it. Fuck, I shouldn’t have taken her out here like this. She put her body in my hands and I don’t take that lightly.

“What if it’s a bear?”

I help her sit up, and she reaches for her dress. “Want me to go check?”

“No,” she says quickly. “One encounter with a bear is more than enough.” She puts her hands on my face, and there’s real worry in her eyes when she adds, “I am not going to sit here and watch a bear eat you alive.”

“Eat me alive, huh?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Worried about me, Haven? Afraid an injury will keep me from protecting you?” I ask, a ridiculous ploy to hear her say I’m more than simply a bodyguard to her.

She opens her mouth, then shuts it again as she frowns. Her head drops for a second, and there’s a storm in her eyes when she makes a fist and holds it up. “Something like that, but know this, I’ll kill you if you get hurt.”

“That’s a little counterintuitive, don’t you think?” I say, but her words trigger something in me and my mind races back to all those years ago. Is it possible that Haven was right? That my father acted out of fear? Sure, he was a hard-assed son of a bitch, on all of us, but maybe it was because he only wanted what was best, raising us and making good men out of us the only way he knew how. Did he react and say cruel things because he was so scared? Is it possible Haven is doing the same? Does her worry for my safety imply she’s feeling more here too? Or am I really just getting ahead of myself, and conjuring up things that aren’t real?

19

Haven

The warm afternoon sun shines down on me as Jonah and I stand outside the exterior of the newly constructed bar front and share an intimate moment. All eyes are on us, as I go up on my toes and kiss him. His hands slide around my back, and while he might be a good kisser, his lips on mine do nothing for me.

Honest to God, after Tyler, I’ll never be able to look at another man, and I’m sure there is no one out there who can take my body to the heights of pleasure like Tyler has. Yeah, okay, it’s true. I asked him to be my bodyguard, but over the last few weeks, he’s become so much more. Just yesterday, my brother called me and for the first time in my life, I’ve not called him back. I fired him off a quick text to let him know I’m okay, but how can I talk to him and act normally? I might be an actress, but I’m not good at lying and to me, an omission is the same as lying.

We break the kiss and I spend the next few seconds gazing up at Jonah, letting the camera capture the adoration in my eyes. Right now, the only way I can portray those emotions is by pretending I’m staring up at Tyler. My God, I am in so much trouble here. We’d only met a month ago. How could I have fallen so fast and so hard? How could I not? Tyler is…everything.

I loop my arm through Jonah’s, ready to walk to the gazebo and finish our scene, but when I take a step, he remains perfectly still, jerking me backward.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“Mason called cut.”

Shit.

I was lost in thought; I hadn’t even heard him end the scene before we finish it. I stand there, and Jonah frowns at me. I blink to pull myself together, and my heart speeds up.

Jonah puts his hands on my arms, and gives a gentle squeeze. “Hey, where’d you go?”

“What? I…” I glance around, and everyone is walking off for a break, and I give a little laugh. “Sorry, I was so into the scene I didn’t hear Mason.”

A beat passes between us. “You sure that was it?” he asks, and looks over my head.