Biting Oz: Biting Love, Book 5 Read Online Free

both. But, um—”
    “I’m sorry. Please don’t go.” Mishela turned from Glynn to touch my arm. “It would be nice to talk to other women. Especially other performers.”
    Her tone caught at me. She seemed…lonely. Even if she was older than I thought, she was still a young woman away from home. I heard myself say, “Want to do something after rehearsal? Sodas at Nieman’s Bar?”
    She perked up immediately. “I’d love to. If you don’t mind the looming watcher.”
    Big, muscular Glynn, watching us… My belly heated and my panties felt a little too tight. Which annoyed the crap out of me (I had goals), so I said, “He doesn’t have to come.” And promptly flushed. Come . Perfectly innocent, except in connection with this hunk of striding sex…in the same sentence…much less the same room… uh . “We’re adults, Rocky and I. We’ll chaperone you.”
    “Mishela doesn’t go anywhere without me.” Glynn crossed arms, pumping his bold chest into the opening of his jacket. Mounds of muscle strained against cotton and leather. My eyes fell out my head and my panties shot directly to broil. Phooey.
    “Glynn speaks. End of discussion.” Mishela sighed. “My guardian would agree.”
    Rocky and I exchanged a glance. So who was Glynn, beyond being insanely gorgeous? Her brother? Bodyguard? Lover?
    A clap sounded behind us. “Places, ladies.” Coral-and-chartreuse buzzed past and through a side door.
    “Yes, Mr. Dumas,” Mishela called after him.
    Ah, Dumas. That explained Nixie’s Director Dumbass.
    “You heard the man.” Glynn took Mishela’s elbow and hustled her toward the theater.
    She called back to Rocky and me, “Nice meeting you both. See you after rehearsal.”
    “Well, that was interesting.” I saw Rocky juggle flute case, water bottle and fountain handle and automatically stepped in to help, twisting the handle so Rocky could fill her bottle…all the while trying not to panic. Glynn was even better than I remembered. How could I focus on duty and goals now?
    Sure, the music would absorb me during rehearsal, but what about after? We were going out for drinks together, for pity’s sake. How could I avoid seeing him, wanting to touch, to kiss…no, Rocky would stop me. And Mishela. She’d joked about Glynn the Warden, but how could any woman not want such a prime male? If I got too familiar with Glynn, she’d intervene. “Mishela sure doesn’t look seventeen.”
    “She doesn’t. I wonder when she figured out she’s gay.”
    My hand jerked on the handle, spraying water. “What? How do you figure that?”
    “Didn’t you catch it?” Rocky pushed her nose piece. “The comment about ‘if you were my type’?”
    “Well, yeah, but…wasn’t she flirting with Glynn?”
    “More teasing him, like a sister.”
    “And his sticking to her?”
    “Protective hovering.” Rocky capped her water, only half-full because of my ham-hand on the handle, and started back. “Maybe he’s her bodyguard.”
    My underwear roller coaster had evidently made me miss some things. I felt strangely lightheaded and lighthearted—missing yet another obvious fact, this one about me.
    Then I thought of a downer. If Mishela was gay, only Rocky would stop me if I slid my hands under Glynn’s black jacket to pet those broad shoulders…panic flared and I ran to catch up.
    Rocky said, “So how do you know Glynn?”
    “I don’t.”
    “Oh.” The normally neutral syllable was lengthened and pitched high, filling it with her skepticism.
    “I don’t,” I repeated, as if saying it again would convince her. “I just met him tonight.”
    “So I only imagined he was looking at you ‘that way’?” She elbowed open the house doors and trotted down the aisle.
    “What way?”
    “Like he wanted to eat you up. Which reminds me, did you see Rob brought pit chocolate?”
    My voice wouldn’t work. Glynn was looking hungrily at me ?
    Panic flared anew. More people. I needed more people between me and Glynn.