&
nbsp; He could only see Kiarra from the back, but she was looking down at the table, uninterested. The realization pumped his ego up a notch, but was quickly followed by concern. He didn’t want the experience to send her back into a relapse.
But before he could reach their table, one of the men touched her arm and Kiarra visibly tensed. She tried to tug her arm away, but the man didn’t remove his grip. Jaxton wanted to punch the man in the face.
He took the last few steps toward the table, placed a hand on Kiarra’s shoulder, and squeezed. She looked up, and for a split second, relief filled her face.
He barely had time to register her new haircut and clothes before he said, “Is this man bothering you?” Jaxton then glared at the man.
The red-haired man put his hands up and said, “Calm down, mate. I was just about to leave anyway.”
Once the men left, Jaxton occupied the vacant seat next to Kiarra and gave Millie one of his best glares. “I trusted you, and you brought her here dressed like that? She needs rest, food, and training, not men drooling all over her and trying to get into her knickers.”
Millie waved a hand in the air. “Not everyone is like you, with a detailed plan for every second of every day. Most of us just like to relax and see what happens. It’s life, not a battlefield.”
Jaxton motioned around the pub. “She isn’t ready for this, and it’s made all the worse by you going soft in the head and sitting right in the middle of the room. You should know by now to sit off to the side.”
Millie picked up her pint. “Instead of assuming everything Kiarra can or can’t handle, maybe you should talk to her. She’s sitting right beside you, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Jaxton was more than aware of Kiarra sitting next to him, but he’d been jealous of the man touching Kiarra and he was taking it out on his sister. Otherwise, he might do something daft, like tuck Kiarra against his body and growl at any man who came near her.
For the first time in his adult life, he was close to losing his cool over a woman in public.
He took a deep breath, looked over at Kiarra, and felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The woman next to him was almost unrecognizable as the woman who’d tried to kill herself inside the AMT. Her haircut flattered her face, and the red dress made her skin look more alive.
She was beautiful.
And he wanted to kiss her.
But then Kiarra shifted in her seat and he forced his gaze away. Jaxton needed to get Kiarra away from the half-drunk men in the pub as soon as possible, before he did something stupid, like act on his attraction or possessiveness.
He stood up and offered Kiarra his hand. “You’ve been out long enough. It’s time to get you home. Let’s go.”
Kiarra was grateful for Jaxton scaring away the men, but even though she’d kept her mouth shut while the siblings bickered, she wasn’t about to let Jaxton order her around. Again.
She wondered if it would ever get easier convincing people that she could handle herself and that she wouldn’t break at the first sign of trouble. It wasn’t like she hadn’t experienced her fair share of problems inside the AMT, as Jaxton very well knew.
Besides, she was more unsettled by the half-lidded look he’d given her a minute ago. That look had not only make her heart pound a little too fast, but certain parts of her body that had been quiet for years had come rushing back to life.
Afraid she’d do something rash if she touched him, Kiarra ignored Jaxton’s outstretched hand and took a sip of her drink. “No, I want to stay here a little while longer.”
Jaxton curled his hand into a fist before plucking the drink from Kiarra’s hand and placing it on the far side of the table. “You’ve had enough to drink. Let’s go.”
Kiarra reached for the drink, but Jaxton took her hand and pulled her up out of the chair. “I said stop.”
As she bumped against his body, Kiarra fought the awareness sizzling against her skin at the contact and focused on the way he was treating her. She tried to lean back, but he kept a grip on her waist. While tempted to knee him in the balls, she restrained herself, not wanting to make the situation any worse. She poked Jaxton’s chest. “You stop it. Maybe I want to stay and have a conversation with someone who doesn’t order me around.”
Jaxton leaned his face down to hers, his breath on her cheek. “From where I was standing, it didn’t look like that man was interested in talking. Next you’ll be dressing like my sister and putting yourself on display.”
“Hey!” Millie said, but Kiarra and Jaxton ignored her.
Kiarra narrowed her eyes and tugged her hand. “Now you’re just being mean. Let me go. Millie will take me home.”
Jaxton said nothing, just turned and yanked Kiarra along with him. She dug in her heels and said, “Let me go.”
People in the pub were starting to gather around them. She knew people from the AMT were looking for her, and she shouldn’t be making a scene, but between the buzzing in her head and her anger, Kiarra didn’t care.
One of the staff and a few customers walked over, preventing Jaxton from getting any closer to the door. A few patrons asked if Kiarra needed help, but before she could answer, Millie appeared at her side.