“You have someone threatening you, Brysen?”

Her teeth dug harder into her lip. “I don’t know. I got a weird text after the party from a number I didn’t know, and then Ramon, the bartender who just saved my life, said there was some guy lurking around the restaurant during my shift. I mean I have been known to rub a guy the wrong way when I’ve turned down a date or two, but generally only when they don’t get the hint. It could all be coincidental, but after tonight, I just don’t know what to think.”

We got to the garage and I used the keypad to get the gates to swing open. As soon as the big metal barriers clanged shut behind us, she finally relaxed. I pulled the car into the bay and shut the door. It was insulating, like being in the heart of a big iron-and-steel box, and when I walked around the car to help her to her feet, I had to make a seriously concentrated effort to keep all the anger and confusion her words had churned up in me in check. I didn’t like women being threatened or feeling fear in general, but considering it was her, and something about her was firmly entrenched under my skin, all of it made me see red.

She gave me her good hand and I pulled her to her feet. We were chest to chest, her eyes glimmered so enticingly, and it was all I could do not to bend down and pull that gnawed-on lower lip into my own mouth. She was hurt, she was scared, and she was pretending really hard that she didn’t like me at all. None of that stopped my dick from going hard and my nostrils from flaring at her alluring scent.

“Let’s go get the rocks out of your knee and arm before they cause you more problems than you already have.”

She nodded jerkily and took my hand so I could guide her up to the loft. I could feel her palm quiver against my own.

“By the way, did you save my laptop?”

With all the drama of almost watching her get run over, I had forgotten all about the reason I was waiting for her in the parking lot in the first place.

“No. It was DOA, but I did get most of your Math Theory shit onto a new hard drive. You’re right; it’s an easy class and you shouldn’t be failing it.”

She made a light noise behind me and I didn’t bother trying to give her a tour of the place since everything was really in one room and she could see everything I owned in one glance. I took her right to the tiny bathroom and pushed open the door.

“Great. And the good news keeps on coming.” She sounded so sad, so defeated, it twisted something hard at the center of my chest.

“I got you a new one.” I gave her a little nudge so I could reach around her to crank on the water in the shower. “I think you should try and rinse out as much of the gravel as you can in the shower first. The water is either the temperature of the sun or of the Antarctic, so you’ll have to pick whichever one hurts less.”

I leaned back and paused because she was staring up at me with huge blue eyes the color of the summer sky. I could float away and get lost in them with very little effort.

“You bought me a new computer?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Yeah, and you’re gonna take it and tell me why someone really might have it in for you, and then I’m going to find whoever it is and make them think twice about their current life decisions.”

She opened her mouth to argue, or to say thank you, but she didn’t get the chance to do either because I got a text from Aldo saying he was out front and needed a way to get the BMW inside the gates. I also decided he had much more to do for me before his debt was going to be wiped clean.

“Take a shower, Bry. Clean up, and when I get back I’ll help you get the rest of the grit out, wrap you up, and send you home.”

I was halfway out the bathroom door when she put a hand on my arm and drew me to a stop. I looked down at her tiny, shaking hand and then into her lovely, sad eyes. I was going to strangle whoever was responsible for putting that look there.

“Race . . .” She trailed off and all I wanted to do was scoop her up and put her somewhere flat and climb all over her. She was hurt, and it was totally inappropriate, but my libido didn’t care. “Why are you doing this? I’m friends with your sister, not you. I’ve never even been very nice to you. Why are you being so helpful?”

My motivations seemed to be in question to anyone and everyone. It was starting to get old. I reached out a finger and moved the longer, front part of her hair off of her face so I could hook it around the delicate shell of her ear. The action made her shiver.

“I take care of my own, Brysen. Like it or not, that includes you.”

I stepped away from her as her pretty mouth fell into a little O of surprise. I was getting to the bottom of what was going on with Brysen Carter, and while I was at it, I was kicking down that stupid wall she had erected between us. Like Nassir had said earlier—there was only one way to do things, and that was my way. Whatever she was dealing with, whatever control she was missing in her life, she was about to have all kinds of the worst sort of help getting it back. I just hoped she was ready to give a little so I didn’t destroy both of us in the process of pounding ruthlessly against those shields she was constantly throwing up.