BRIAN (The Callahans Book 1) by Glenna Sinclair Page B

walked into the bar ten minutes later and found Brian laughing as he told a story to a couple sitting a few stools down from him. The only problem was, he kept forgetting where he was in the story. And he was sloping the dark liquid of his drink all over his hand, the sleeve of his suit, and the skirt of the pretty lavender dress the girl was wearing.
    “Hey, buddy,” the man said, clearly annoyed. “Why don’t you go tell your stories to someone else.”
    Brian lifted his glass to his mouth, took a long, deep swallow, and then shocked everyone by spitting it in the man’s face.
    “It’s a free, fucking country. I’ll do whatever I want to do.”
    The main raised his fist, and I slipped between them, pushing Brian back out of the man’s reach.
    “I’m sorry,” I said. “He’s had a long day and he’s a little stressed.”
    “Yeah, well, we all have bad days. That’s not an excuse to annoy other people.”
    “I know. I apologize.”
    “Don’t apologize to him,” Brian said, pushing against me as he tried to get into the younger man’s face. “Do you know who I am? Do you have any fucking idea who I am?”
    “You’re a pathetic old man.”
    “Son of a bitch,” Brian mumbled, as he dropped his glass, causing it to shatter against the ceramic tiles on the floor as he raised his fists to the younger man. “I’ll show you fucking pathetic!”
    “Brian,” I said, pressing my hands to his chest and pushing him back. “Don’t do this.”
    “I was just trying to entertain the ungrateful bastard and his ugly girl! How dare he call me pathetic? And old. Have you seen my fucking girlfriend?”
    “Brian,” I said, pushing him back again even as I saw security guards coming into the room from the corner of my eye. I shook my head and they backed off, but Brian was still yelling, still fighting against me. “Brian, please!”
    He focused on me for the first time since I walked into the room, his eyes wild and a little crazed until they took in my face. He suddenly calmed, touching my cheek lightly.
    “You’re so beautiful,” he said softly. “Why did you have to come back into my life now?”
    “Let’s go upstairs, Brian.”
    He studied my face for a long moment, his eyes focused on mine for a majority of that time, and then moving slowly down over my face to my neck, to the thin t-shirt I’d pulled on after the bartender’s call.
    “So beautiful,” he whispered. But then his attention flashed back to the guy at the bar. “You have no idea who I am. I could take you out with just a flick of my hand!”
    “Sure, old man.”
    “And the women I’ve been with…? If you were ever so lucky, you’d have no idea what to do with them.”
    He took my arm and led me, slightly unsteadily, to the elevator. I sighed in relief as the doors slid closed on the security men who’d followed us through the lobby. But then Brian pushed me back against the wall, his hands trapping me there as he came in for a kiss. I was caught off guard, so surprised that it didn’t even occur to me to fight him off.
    There was this thing Brian did, this little brush of this lips, this little twirl of the tongue, which I’d always loved. I dreamt about it in the darkest moments of the night, of that touch, and missed it when I was married and my husband’s wet, slightly lame, kisses couldn’t compare. I told myself it was just a physical thing, but there was this place in my soul that knew it was so much more.
    I’d missed this. Missed it more than I’d ever allowed myself to believe.
    His hands moved from the elevator wall to my body, one resting on my hip while the other moved over my ribs, disturbing the gentle fall of my shirt, coming to rest on the rounded curve of my breast. My nipple responded, standing up against his touch, reaching for him, begging for him. He seemed to understand the message, squeezing gently, then a little harder, a soft moan slipping from between his lips.
    I’m a little ashamed to admit