Her CEO Stalker and Her Second Chance Mate Chapter 83

Carter

I drove Briar to work and the guys stepped out of the bays after they eyed me as she and I had a hushed conversation about keeping her weapons close and the promise to keep her phone on her in case anything came up. She nodded in agreement as I cupped her cheek, speaking to her softly. I didn’t know what got into me, but when she turned to leave, I tugged her back and kissed her. It was meant to be a chaste kiss, a quick goodbye, but I found I needed a better taste, and the guys were lined up observing. Knox had his arms crossed over his chest and Todd and Byron were scrutinizing me as I walked up.

“So you and her, is this really happening?” Tod asked.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“Not as long as you aren’t pulling her strings like the rest of your assignments.”

I held up my hands, accepting the blow and willing them to listen.

“The last thing Briar will ever be to me is a puppet; my intentions are true; I swear,” I let them know honestly. I couldn’t let word get around what Briar was to me. He would chase her off himself, thinking me delusional, and I would pay the ultimate price. To everyone else I hadn’t told, who wasn’t a necessary part of the equation I was building for us, my word would have to be enough. They eyed me, not fully convinced.

“Briar is different. Shes Jakes people, and I will always honor him.”

“I do need a favor from you guys though…”

“What kind of favor?”Byron asked.

“The kind that means when I can’t watch her here you do, her piece of shit ex is trying to find her and left her a calling card on her front porch yesterday so anything seems out of place you call me.”

“You mean the piece of shit Alpha she stunk of when she got here and left all those bruises on her face?” Tod asked.

“Yeah, that shit bag. This isn’t an order from him either, it's a personal favor to me.” Now I had their attention. By the end of my debrief, even though I gave them no details on Briar's full story, nor my deepest reason for protecting her, they had promised to keep an eye on her, and I was thankful. They were all good guys. I just had to make sure Knox stayed in his lane.

After my rounds and a check in with the chief, I picked my girl up for lunch. I had ordered ahead, so my change of vehicles didn’t waste time. She sat across from me as she pushed her food around on her plate. I took her hand.

“Hey,” I tried to stir her out of the funk.

“Hmm,” she responded, clearly troubled.

“Remember what you said this morning?” She stared at me, confused. “You said he wasn’t going to stop you from living your life so eat the damn food Briar,” I growled. She had barely eaten a slice of toast this morning, and I wasn’t having it again for lunch. If she wanted to train hard, she’d have to keep up her strength, and sustenance was a requirement of that. She stared at her food unbothered by my tone. “You have to eat to train, baby, you want to get stronger, you can’t let your emotions control your appetite.” I coaxed in a soft, gruff whisper. I knew full well it was more than her emotions, but the fact that his bond was calling to her. Her fear was a trigger to her memory of him. She would have to conquer that too.

I stroked my thumb over the back of her hand. She leaned her elbow on the table and let her head rest in her other hand. Her wheels were turning as she closed her eyes and wrestled with her thoughts. I continued the soothing strokes over her knuckles as she worked through her thoughts. On the inside, I silently willed her to choose her life for us, for a future. Selfish thoughts cascaded through my head of a time past this one, a time where her link to him was severed, and only ours remained.

Her eyes opened and met mine as if searching for what I wasn’t sure…my resolve, maybe. She squeezed my hand in maybe a thank you for the reminder, but as she pulled away, I grabbed her hand again, interlacing our fingers, hers naturally folded into mine, no hesitation, no awkwardness, like she could possibly feel the faint pulse between us. Her eyes stared into mine, resolve hardened before she tore them away from me and scooped up a bite and swallowed it down, forcing it.  Her fingers tightened, and she let out an annoyed breath through her nose. She was battling with a will to live, as he benefited from her surge of life. She’d have to want it more than he did. That would be my mission.

That thin thread between us tightened with each bite, and I selfishly savored it. It tied me to her like a lifeline. It wasn’t for the reasons I wanted it to be, but her fierce need to survive, an instinct she didn't yet understand. I picked up my burger with my free hand. I’d take what I could get for now. I’d let her lead where it would go from here but I’d be a pain in her ass to keep her going. I accepted the several steps back this may take us, I’d do it with grace if it meant she came out on the other side. She was mine already to me but I wanted her to choose me without the rest. That was work I needed to do for my mate. Patience, loyalty and fierce protectiveness when needed not an overbearing dipshit of an alpha I reminded myself as I dropped her off at my place and left in the work truck.