Between Breaths (The Seattle Sound Series Book 2) (10 page)

“Here we are. The original bottling location for Dogwash Brewery.”

“I think you brought me here to kill me. Looks creepy enough.”

She edged in closer, and I threw my arm across her shoulders, bringing her in tight to the line of my body. I wanted her closer, me inside her, but she hadn’t offered. Plus, we were out of the car, here in this hellhole of a parking lot.

“I know Dan, the owner. I wrote a piece on him years ago, when he’d just started brewing. He has a small kitchen on-site. His club’s killer.”

“All this talk of death. Let’s try something else for a mo’, shall we? But eating, I’m good with that. The muffin was great but not filling. I’m close to gnawing off your pretty fingers.”

“It’s especially good when paired with their Golden Retriever Blonde.”

“What is it with you Yanks and pets?”

Briar shrugged. “We like animals in the Pacific Northwest. We also recycle everything that we can—and some things we probably can’t just to feel superior—and refuse to fluoridate our water.” She led me around some crates and to a back door. She knocked twice, hard. “It’s part of our charm. Along with gray skies, cool temperatures, and some of the most vibrant greenery in the country.”

We waited. The alley was clean but narrow. Too dark and secluded, especially for a woman alone. Briar slammed her fist against the door again.

“This better be good,” growled a voice. The door flung inward, revealing a large man. He must’ve weighed in at one hundred and fifty kilos, maybe more. I edged in front of Briar when he frowned. She elbowed me back and fell into the man’s arms.

“Good, it’s you! I haven’t seen you in months,” the man howled, a grin splitting his wide, jowly face. “So glad you let me know you’re back in town. How’s your sister? What’s Abbi up to? Simon—he and Ella good?”

I cleared my throat, feeling like an arse, standing here while Briar was mauled by a guy with a good fifty kilos on me.

“Dan, this is my boyfriend, Hayden.” Briar pulled out of the hoss’s arms to beam at me.

Boyfriend
. The title settled with surprising ease, especially when I wrapped my arm around her waist.

“Briar’s got herself a man.” Dan clapped his hands, rubbing them together like villains do in movies. My stiff shoulders tensed more. “Oh, this is too good! Wait. You aren’t a doctor, right? No God complex?”

“No, mate. I’m a musician. Very human. Probably neurotic.”

“And you’re foreign. You play country music?”

“Some influences, sure, but mostly alt rock.”

“Meh. Not my thing. Still, glad you’re not a doctor.” Dan pulled me into a bear hug that was even tighter than some of my wrestling matches in school. More like the full body plaster I loved to give Briar. He leaned down and I worried the yobbo was going to kiss me. Instead, he whispered, “Hurt her and I’ll kill you.”

I nodded the little bit I could manage against his massive chest. “Got it, mate. How about a little less manhandling? I prefer the women. Well, one lady, anyway.”

Dan released me. I stumbled back. The man was as high as the koalas that nibbled Eucalyptus leaves all day.

His laugh rumbled across the room. I turned wide eyes toward Briar. Why the hell did she bring me to meet this nutcase? She smiled and shook her head.

“Relax.” She took my hand, and, damn me, I did. I trusted her. The weight in my chest eased, but my brain fired a million reasons why trust was stupid, making me dizzy.

“Like I said in my text, we could really use one of your sandwiches.” Briar batted her long lashes over those big blue eyes, and Dan melted even faster than I did. Good to know I wasn’t the only one, but, at the same time, I didn’t like the way he reacted to my girlfriend.

“Beer first. I’ve got a new one you need to try, Bri.”

Dan pirouetted—something I never would’ve believed possible if I hadn’t seen the move with my own eyes—and trundled across the room, weaving between about ten battered oak tables. The chairs were sturdy, clean, but the faint smell of spilled beer leached from the floor.

“Dan’s part of the Northwest’s microbrew movement. I met him about eight years ago just after he’d leased this place,” Briar said as we followed Dan, her fingers entwined with mine.

“This girl has one helluva beer nose on her. Hasn’t missed one yet.”

Dan set us up in the spotless industrial kitchen bristling with stainless steel. At one of those huge, clear-glass fridges, he pulled out a cask. Setting it on the counter, he poured three froth-topped pints and shoved one in Briar’s hand before handing me mine. Lifting his glass, he waited.

Briar sipped, smacked her lips. Her brow wrinkled as she sipped again. “Wheat and rye?”

Dan boomed out a laugh, reminding me again of an angry bear. “Nothing gets by you, Bri.”

“Lemon?”

“Yeah, the peel.” Dan turned to me. “Well? What do you think?”

I took a tentative sip, let the liquid roll across my tongue. “I’m Aussie. We love beer. Practically raised on the stuff. This, though, this is special. Better than a lot of the drub I’ve tried.”

“My summer special now that it has Briar’s stamp of approval,” Dan paused, eyebrows raised. At Briar’s nod, he smiled. “I’ll put it on the menu at our place.”

“So this isn’t your restaurant?” I asked.

“This is my brewery. Where I try some recipes to see if I want to put them on the menu for my restaurant. About that lunch.”

Dan busied himself in the kitchen as Briar’s phone buzzed. She fumbled to pull the case from her pocket. A quick smile flashed across her face, her eyes all lit up bluer than Sydney Harbour.

“My sister just confirmed she and Asher are coming into town. Asher’s set up an acoustic jam at The Vera Project. It’s a local music venue. Lots of bands play there. Want to come with?”

“Of course! Well, if I’m still here.”

Her face fell, a frown building, but she ducked her head and responded.

“Hey,” I said. “I hope to be. I’m really interested in what Asher will do to arrange his big electric pieces to acoustic.”

She finished her text. “I told Lia we’d meet up with her some time tomorrow if you’re still around. She said she hopes to meet you.”

“Is she like you?”

Briar shrugged. Dan slid a couple of plates in front of us and I picked up a crisp to munch.

“Nah. Lia’s quieter. More of a watcher even than our Bri. She’s got this aura,” Dan said, narrowing his eyes as he considered. He set his own plate down, gulped his beer. “Zen-like.”

“Just like you, then. An angel of calm.” I bit into my sandwich. “This is really good.”

Briar’s lips lifted up in the semblance of a smile, but she seemed worried.

B
riar

W
atching Hayden come
close to unraveling earlier was hard, but not as hard as when he’d pulled back from me in Rosie’s room. He’d been ready to bolt when he met Dan. Thankfully, the food and beer relaxed him enough to enjoy the meal, even crack a couple of jokes.

This wasn’t the same man I’d seen last night at Rosie’s, or even this morning in his hotel suite, and little shivers of worry crept up my spine.

“Bye, Dan. Thanks for lunch. And the beer.”

“Any time, Briar. You know that.”

I stood on tiptoe and kissed Dan’s cheek, surprised when Hayden shifted closer to me. I bit back a smile. He was staking his claim. On me. Hayden’s fingers curled into my waist as he held out his hand.

“Thanks, mate. The beer was fantastic.”

Dan beamed. “Maybe I’ll make something and name it after you. Even if you don’t play good ol’ country.”

“If you do, I’ll send you some autographed stuff.”

Dan’s smile grew. “Well, then, that’s mighty nice. An Aussie rock star in my brewery. What a day.”

Hayden walked me to the door, opened it, and waited for me to step out. I sighed at the drizzle. I pulled my sweater tighter at my neck.

“How do you handle this weather?”

“You get used to it.” Which was true.
Used to
didn’t mean
like
.

“Don’t women worry their hair will frizz and their makeup will smear?”

I opened the car door, and Hayden waited for me to climb in before shutting it and sliding himself into the passenger’s seat.

“My hair is always frizzy, and I don’t wear much makeup, just in case.”

Hayden turned to look at me. “I like the way you look, Briar. You’re beautiful. The little beads of water in your hair give you a halo. I meant what I said earlier. You’re my personal angel.” He leaned forward, his large hand cupping my cheek as he brought his lips to mine. It started sweet, but the desire we felt burst across our skin. I leaned closer, needing more, as Hayden plundered my mouth.

I moaned low and deep in my throat, my hands cupping his cheeks.

“I want you,” Hayden breathed against my lips.

“Yes.”

“I’d take you here, in this car, if I could get away with it.”

“Yes.”

Hayden shook his head, a smile tugging his lips. I pressed mine to his again, licking across his bottom one before dipping my tongue into his mouth. Once again, he broke the kiss off. I whimpered.

“Much fun as illicit sex would be, I don’t want anyone else getting an eyeful of your tits.” He slid his hand down over my needy chest, massaging the area with his large palm. I couldn’t get enough of this man. “Take us back to the hotel. Now.”

“Bossy.”

Hayden bent his head to bite the side of my neck. “You like it.”

“I do,” I breathed.

He leaned back into his seat. “Buckle up, Briar. We have deals to complete.”

I sat back and clicked on my seat belt. “I’m just a deal, huh? Merger, I guess.”

Hayden rubbed his finger over his upper lip. “I have a feeling you’re too much to be categorized.” He glanced out the windshield, his thick blond brows pulling into a tight V over his nose. “I don’t do this with women. I’m not much for affairs, and I’m definitely not into relationships. Not with my work schedule.”

I gripped the steering wheel, my stomach burning as I stared straight out the front, too. “So you’re telling me you want to keep this thing casual.” I bit my lip, fighting back the tears building behind my eyes. “I shouldn’t have introduced you to Dan as my boyfriend.”

Hayden’s large hand slid, warm, safe, over my white-knuckled one. “No, love. That’s not what I meant. This is special. But it’s not how I do things.” He blew out a breath and leaned his head forward into his hands. “Crikey, I’m making a blow of this.”

I smiled, feeling more settled. “Good. I’ve never slept with a man until we’d been dating for three months. My own personal rule after Lia got pregnant at eighteen. I didn’t want to end up with a child tying me to a man I didn’t like.”

Hayden leaned back in his seat. “Makes sense. Glad you made the exception for me.”

That burn rekindled low in my belly. This time from desire. “Not sure I had a choice.”

“Right-o. Let’s find that bed.”

I started the car and pulled out of the lot. “I have to feed Princess. Clean clothes would be a good idea, too.”

“To Rosie’s then. Don’t you have a place here?”

I shook my head. “I lived with Ken.”

Silence.

I braved a glance. Hayden wasn’t happy. “So you just broke up.” His voice was filled with censure.

“No. I stayed with Lia for a while.”

“So how long have you and the wanker been off?”

“A couple of months.”

“He was there yesterday. Talking to you.”

“Actually, he threatened me and called me names. We didn’t talk at all.”

He grunted, his scowl fierce. “I want to shove his head up his arse.”

After a long tense moment, he turned up the music so Jose Gonzalez’s new song filled the space. He leaned back, closed his eyes. I didn’t know how to take that, exactly, so I drove us back to Rosie’s condo, my mouth shut and my mind spinning too fast.

When I exited the car, I shivered, palms cupping my elbows. Even though we were underground, the rain cooled the air. Hayden slid his arm around my waist, pulling me close and sharing his body heat. We rode the elevator up to Rosie’s floor in silence.

Once we were inside the condo, Hayden leaned down to pet Princess, who purred at his feet, while I went to the kitchen and pulled out the salmon. After leaving her a slab big enough to feed Dan, I headed into the bedroom, hoping I’d packed a dress. I hadn’t packed much—anything—when I left Ken the first time. I’d stolen some items out of both Lia’s and Abbi’s closets, but I hadn’t done much shopping. At first, I’d moped, then I’d needed to get Lia through her breakup with Asher—a breakup that turned out to be a miscommunication. Now . . . well, I didn’t know what I was doing now.

“I don’t like the wanker doctor,” Hayden said as he stalked into the room.

“Why are we talking about Ken?”

“The idea of you with him makes me crazy.”

I spread my arms. “That was before we met. And I haven’t been with him in months.”

Hayden stalked closer, his hands tunneling through my hair. He cupped the back of my head, forcing my eyes up to his. He searched them before his lips claimed mine. I gripped his biceps, shuffling in closer. Hayden tilted my head, sliding his tongue deeper into my mouth. I moaned as he sought out all my secrets.

He pulled back and met my eyes. “I’m it. The only one you think about like this.”

I shivered, turned on even more now that Hayden was jealous. “You are.”

“I’ll make sure of that.”

* * *

“
S
weet Briar
.”

I swatted at the hand brushing my bangs back from my cheek. Hayden chuckled. “You’re a feisty one.”

I blinked and sat up. “What time is it?”

“About six. We both fell hard into sleep. Seems we’ve worn each other out,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

I couldn’t think of the last time I’d napped. But between worrying over Rosie and fearing Princess would try to maul me, I wasn’t sleeping much.

“Gotta get up now, love. We have a dinner date.”

“We do?” I yawned, blinking up at him. He was dressed once again, but his hair was damp. I pouted. “I wanted to shower with you.”

“Then I would never have gotten to take you out for a proper meal.”

“I like you for dinner better.”

He grinned before leaning in to press a kiss to my forehead. I grabbed him, but he slid from my grasp.

“Shower if you want. Might want to take off your boots to do it.” He winked.

I laughed. My jeans and panties were bunched at my ankles. “I can’t feel my feet.”

He pulled off my shoes and then the rest of my clothes, rubbing my toes. I fell back on the bed, luxuriating in the moment.

“I made a rezzy for seven thirty.” He stepped back and offered me his hand, which I accepted.

“Where are we going?” I stretched. Hayden ran the tip of his finger across my breast, and I shivered.

“Six Seven. I’d take you somewhere else if you prefer. But the hotel should give us the most privacy.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at me. I smiled to reassure him.

“That sounds great. A quick commute back to your place.” I winked.

“Thinking to take advantage of this, are we?”

I bit my index finger as I gave him a very thorough once-over. “Yes.”

His nostrils flared. “Good.” He cleared his throat and stepped back again. “I’ll, uh, I’m going to top up Princess’s tucker.”

He turned and left before I could ask what that meant. I shrugged, instead focusing on getting clean.

My shower was short but hot. I’d opted to not wash my hair, hoping the steam would make it more manageable.

I grabbed the one dress I found—black with a flirty asymmetrical hem that started about three inches above my knees in the front and fell to midcalf in the back. I dug out my one pair of strappy, heeled sandals and a cream-colored teddy I’d spent way too much money on. I considered it for a moment; the lace was delicate, soft. While the lingerie didn’t add any cleavage to my narrow chest, the cloth caressed my skin and made me feel sexy.

I slid into my clothing with quick, efficient movements. After a short internal debate, I added enough clothes for a couple of days into my suitcase.

Hayden was in the living room, typing something on his phone when I came out. His breath passed his teeth so I twirled.

“Will this do?”

“How about room service?” he asked, his voice strained.

“Just because I’m toting a suitcase and you orgasmed me into a two-hour nap does not mean I’m without scruples. You promised me dinner.”

“I promised to court you,” he said, picking up my hand and kissing the back of each knuckle, pausing long enough to let his tongue drift over them. By the time he finished, I was breathless, more than ready to skip not only the restaurant but the meal altogether.

“You look gorgeous, Sweet Briar.”

He winked, and I’m pretty sure I moaned. That look combined with the rich timbre of his voice multiplied by his accent—I didn’t stand a chance.

“I want to show you off nearly as much as I want to unwrap you. Bye, Princess. We’ll see you in the morning. Not early.” With one last pat to the cat’s back, he opened the condo’s door, taking the suitcase from me. I locked the door and hiked my purse back up on my shoulder. I hated carrying it, but I had too many items I wanted with me tonight, and no pockets.

“Walk in front of me.” He hummed low in his throat. “I like the long skirt, but I can’t stare at your legs.”

I stopped walking and gaped at him.

“Come here. I want to put my hand on the swell of your hip and see if I can figure out what kind of panties you’re wearing.”

I strode into his open arm and thrilled when he pulled me into his side. His fingers drifted over the soft silk.

“Mmm, not much of anything back here. No wonder I didn’t see any lines when I was ogling your bum.”

I laughed, shaking my head. The elevator opened and we stepped in, ignoring the three other people in there. Something about bantering with Hayden narrowed my focus so I forgot the rest of the world existed.

“You’re Hayden Crewe,” someone behind us gasped.

I glanced at Hayden from the corner of my eye, his face tensing in that look I was beginning to realize was him erecting his emotional wall.

I laughed as I faced the woman who was a couple of years younger than me and very pretty. “You mean Larry?” I pointed at Hayden, keeping a little smile on my face.

“Larry?” the woman asked, frowning as she studied the back of Hayden’s head. “He looks just like Hayden Crewe. The singer from Jackaroo. That’s an Australian band.”

I opened my eyes wider. “Hear that, Larry? Australia has musicians. I was told they only had movie stars,” I mused, leaning in closer before winking. “The country’s best exports.”

Hayden made a choked sound and I could see the smile trying to break across his face. I turned to face the woman. “Have you been to Australia?”

She shook her head, still studying Hayden’s back. I didn’t like the proprietary way she eyed him, like she could see all the sexy dips and ridges.

“I hear it’s all desert and totally barren. There’re more kangaroos than people. And the dingoes eat people.” I shuddered.

The elevator dinged, opening to the garage level. Hayden pulled me forward quickly, forcing me to run in my heels. I wasn’t at my best in heels, period. Definitely not running.

He glanced back, making sure the woman wasn’t following us. She was still staring at us, so Hayden pulled me behind one of the big concrete pillars. He pressed his mouth against my bare shoulder, his arms around my waist. He laughed, trying to muffle the sound.

“Crikey, Briar. Dingoes eat people?” He laughed again, harder.

I shrugged. “You didn’t have to talk to her.”

“Brilliant, love. You gave her a phobia of an entire country.”