Chapter 36

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

What a clusterfuck. They were spread thin enough as it was with the current murder investigation. Adding Brynlee’s issues on top of that damn near pushed him to the edge.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He’d heard from Dare that she was out at the bar tonight with her friend, Melanie, enjoying a well-deserved break, but the thought of her being out there gnawed at him.

They weren’t dating; he had no right to check up on her. Yet, here he was, pacing his living room, wrestling with the urge to make sure she was safe. The recent car accident had shaken him more than he cared to admit. Seeing her bruised and shaken had ignited a protectiveness he couldn’t fully explain. And then there was the incident with her cat, the mutilation that had left him furious and helpless. Someone out there had targeted her, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her being hurt again.

He pulled out his phone and stared at the recent string of messages. Well, his messages. Brynlee was ignoring him. Why? Was she deliberately trying to get under his skin? He knew he could be overbearing at times, but it was only because he cared—more than he wanted to admit. He was a detective, trained to handle high-stress situations with a calm, analytical mind. But when it came to Brynlee, all logic seemed to fly out the window.

The memory of their last argument flashed through his mind. The way her eyes had sparked with anger, the fire in her voice. They bickered incessantly, yet, somewhere along the line, the animosity he used to feel had morphed into something far more complicated. Something he didn’t want to examine too closely.

Sawyer glanced at the screen again, hoping for the telltale ping of a new message. Nothing. His frustration grew, and with it, a twinge of fear. What if something had happened to her? What if she was in trouble and couldn’t reach out?

He shook his head, trying to dispel the worst-case scenarios playing out in his mind. He knew she was probably fine, just enjoying her night out.

He hated this feeling of helplessness, of not being able to control the situation. It wasn’t just the cop in him that made him overprotective; it was the man who had grown to care deeply for Brynlee Layne, despite their constant clashes.

The minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. Still no response. He sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside him.

He exhaled deeply as he sat up straight and pushed from the chair. Fine. If she wouldn’t respond to him, he would just go to her.

* * *

Her eyes had started to glaze over and she glanced at her phone. Just after ten o’clock.

Melanie chuckled. “Long day?”

Brynlee shot her an apologetic smile. “Actually, yes. I’m going to go to the bathroom. Excuse me for a second.” She picked up her phone and purse and slipped off the stool. Her vision blurred as she took a step, and she stumbled.

“Hey, you okay?” Mel was on her feet next to Brynlee a second later, concern etched deep in her expression.

“I’m good.” Brynlee waved her off. “I didn’t have much to eat today, so it must have snuck up on me. I’ll be right back.”

Brynlee made her way to the bathroom and sat down in one of the stalls. Leaning forward, she closed her eyes and put her head between her knees. She felt as if she was moving in slow motion, sluggish and unsteady, her surroundings distorted in her blurred vision. What in the world was wrong with her?

The familiar ring of her phone startled her and she dug through her purse, following the vibrations. The jaunty melody stopped before she could find it but started up again almost immediately. She blinked, trying to focus, and her hand finally curled around the device. Brynlee swiped a finger across the screen and lifted it to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Jesus, Brynlee, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the last hour. Where the hell are you?”

“Sawyer?”

“Why the hell couldn’t you answer your phone?”

Brynlee let out an indignant huff. “I was talking to someone. Don’t be such a jerk.”

“A guy?”

She hesitated just long enough for Sawyer to interpret her response. “Goddamn it, Brynlee, I?—”

The rest of his words were cut off as she hung up on him. Within seconds, the phone began to ring again. She rolled her eyes and slid her thumb across the screen. “What do you want?”

A heavy sigh filtered through the line. “How much have you had to drink?”

“I’m fine, Sawyer.”

His voice was deadly calm. “How much?”

“Just one. But it was… really strong.” Her mind spun and she couldn’t focus on the words coming from the other end of the phone. “What?”

Sawyer was silent for a long moment and she heard a harsh exhalation on the other side. “Are you still at the bar?”

Brynlee looked around the stall as if it would magically answer his questions. “Um. Yeah. Mulligan’s Pub.”

“Is Melanie okay to drive or has she been drinking, too?”

She waved a dismissive hand in the air. “She’s fine.”

Another stretch of silence. “All right. I’ll be right there.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure I’ll be fine in a minute. I’ll just call an Uber or something.” Brynlee waited for a response but his end was silent. “Sawyer?”

She pulled the phone away from her ear and glared at the blank screen. Damn it, the man had hung up on her. With one last scowl, she dropped the phone in her bag and pushed open the door to the stall. Hoping it would help to sober her up, she took a few minutes to wash her hands and splash some cool water on her face. She touched up her makeup and took one last look in the mirror before heading back to the bar.

Loud music assaulted her ears as she made her way out of the bathroom, and she grimaced. Her head felt like it was swimming, a headache hovering right at the base of her skull as she made her way back to the bar. Catching sight of her, Melanie slid off the stool with a grin. “Let’s dance!”

Grabbing Brynlee’s hand, Melanie tugged her toward the dance floor in the corner. Brynlee bit back a grimace. In all honesty, she was ready to go home and curl up in bed. But she hated to let Mel down.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to get lost in the rhythm of the heavy beat. Heat from the crush of bodies assaulted her, the scent of perfumes and colognes filling the air. She tuned it out, focusing on the music and lifting her arms high over her head.

A strong pair of hands landed on her hips, and a slow smile curved her face as the man moved in close behind her. His hips moved in perfect time with hers, and she sucked in a breath as he slid one hand around to her belly, sealing them together.

She glanced down at the dark hands gliding over her curves, then turned in his arms, her gaze slowly roving over him: strong hands and forearms, muscular torso, broad shoulders, chiseled chin… Shit .

Her gaze clashed with a pair of dark brown eyes and her mouth dropped open in shock. “Sawyer? What are you doing here? And how did you get here so fast?”

“I was already on my way here. Come on, I’m taking you home.” He tugged on her hand but she resisted.

“No, I…” She teetered on her heels and Sawyer wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her securely against him.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” Brynlee sounded breathless, even to her own ears.

Sawyer sighed and dropped his forehead to hers. “You’ve had too much to drink.

“I did not!” Brynlee reared back, stumbling in those godforsaken heels again. Thank God he hadn’t let go yet or she’d be on her ass in the middle of the bar.

“Can you walk or do I need to carry you?”

The indignity of being drunk irked her but the thought of Sawyer having to carry her from the bar was too much. She shook her hand free of his and stomped toward the exit, pushing the door open and striding into the cool October night.

Brynlee stopped abruptly on the sidewalk, looking left and right. She propped her hands on her hips before swinging around, right into a wall of solid muscle. Her hands came up to brace herself and wrapped around Sawyer’s biceps. Her gaze met his hooded eyes and his arms tightened around her back, urging her even closer.

The tantalizing scent of cologne tickled her nose, and she leaned in slightly. “Why do you always smell so good? It's annoying. Actually…”

She tipped her head and peered up at him. “You're annoying. And arrogant.”

“You mentioned that,” he said, a wry smile pulling at his lips.

Was he laughing at her? He smacked his chest. “You're overbearing. And pushy. And…”

Her words halted as he dipped his head and kissed her shoulder. Her head suddenly felt too heavy to hold up, and she allowed it to drop to the side. Sawyer took advantage, kissing his way up the column of her neck. “Tell me all about it.”

She jerked back and stared at him, eyes narrowed. “You think you can just barge in whenever you want, well you're wrong. You can’t just kiss me and expect everything will be okay.”

“Worth a try.” He kissed her jaw, her cheek, and she felt herself melting into him.

“Sawyer…”

Brynlee’s eyes dropped to his mouth and she swiped her tongue across her bottom lip. His head dipped to meet her halfway, the searing kiss stealing the breath from her lungs.

Breaking the kiss, Sawyer eased back and stared down at her, eyes glittering. He opened his mouth to speak just as a roiling sensation flared in her stomach.

“Oh, God!” She wrenched free of his grasp, frantically searching the area. “I’m going to be sick!”