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That caught the attention of some of the nearer tables, and Chloe felt a flush burn across her cheeks Brendans expression changed The current of rage that jettisoned through hied forward, she reacted instinctively She slid between the two of the a quelling hand on Tinificant about how she felt with Brendan Shed beco herself into a potentially volatile situation, but this time she hadnt hesitated Of course, once there, surrounded by combustible violence, her mind was jerked back to theher as his screaled past that Though she was standing between twoup to their chins, Brendan would never hurt her, even if it ht Nor would he let anyone hurt her She knew it Because she knew that, she stayed where she was, hoping it would defuse before the young fe over at them warily, called the cops
You son of a bitch, Brendan said, trying to keep his voice down Ive done nothing to deserve that froize to her, or I to ruin that bleach job youve had done on your teeth
Shes protective, Ti look Like a cute Poritted her teeth Seeh for hih for hiuerite Shes the only one hes ever begged to brand hiid behind her, his hands closing on her biceps, whether to steady her or thrust her out of the way, she didnt know But she couldntelse to Ti back to the very first night Brendan had stayed with her
When shed first seen the brand She remembered how shed co on his stomach The way shed pressed hersoht about the fleur de lis , the way his eyes changed when she passed her fingers over it I wont refuse to answer any question you ask, but I that you hold off on that one I dont want to scare you off I like being with you tooher face, Tim nodded with satisfaction, stepped back Ill see you around, Brendan Paybacks a bitch, isnt it?
Youre a coward, Brendan said with venoet Which is a good thing, because if she didnt finish the job she started, her husband sure as hell would Youre still running scared, Ti scared
Excuse me, Chloeif they pounded one another to cru but fortunately had gone to a ot out the door, hardly aware of the people coh
Her uerite The brand The way Brendan acted toward Marguerite, and her toward hied her to how protective M was Take care of yourself or ill do it for you What better way than to send her someone ould watch over her, show an al her needs before his?
No lover acted like that, uerite wasnt duplicitous But she was very secretive, and Chloe didnt completely understand this odd world of Domination and submission Particularly what a Mistress could or couldnt command a slave to do
She closed her , because behind the pain of betrayal was the return of nighth the night
Slut, whore, liar None of what you think is real
Chloe
His shout made her feether, being near her She was a billion years old, and the touch of another organis her, just like those bones under glass shed seen at aBefore she was nine, before she realized that everyone was like those bones, and they all lived in fragile containment environments, so easily shattered
She yelped as she was forcibly jerked backward, a moment before shed have stepped off the curb into the four-lane Ta wheels blasted open the door of her e up her heart rate and adrenaline so abruptly pain grabbed her chest She struggled against the ar to be free Oddly, she realized she still had hot chocolate taste on her tongue, the remembered pleasure of a few minutes before
You really need to not do that when youre upset, Brendan muttered in her ear Chloe, calot her to one of the coffeehouse benches set under the spreading canopy of a couple live oaks, providing soe from the rain
He eased her head down to her knees but she pushed against hi him know her chest hurt and she needed to sit up While he backed off, he reers She pulled them out of reach, crossed her arms over her chest
A s she oriented herself, she realized Tim was a few feet away, his face white, short of breath A pparently he wasnt a totally unredeemable asshole, because hed run out here with Brendan when they both realized she wasnt aware of her surroundings
She okay? He spoke tersely
Go away, Tierous You dont want to be here
The face of Brendans former lover became wooden, but he nodded, turned away In a matter of steps he was out of her field of vision, probably headed to the parking area Vaguely she wondered what flavor latte hed gotten from the shop before he chose to ruin her day
Brendans aard silence cut her, but his words were little better He cleared his throat Would you like et your hot chocolate?
The half snort, half hysterical chuckle spat from her lips like a curse, full of scorn and self-deprecation Sure Why not? I o to waste, just because I feel Hell, how am I supposed to feel about this?