The Secret Life of Bryan Read Online Free PDF Page B

wore the flats; it probably wouldn’t do for her to tower over her johns.
    He hadn’t wanted to approach her. She’d screamed “Trouble” with a capital T. But damn it, his brother wouldn’t have hesitated. Bruce would have seen it as his duty, and he’d have willingly gone to her. So Bryan did what he had to, and made the effort to “save” her.
    He snorted. Yeah, right. She was so damn cocky, so self-assured, she’d probably only come along because she thought she might be able to rip him off somehow. He’d keep a close watch on his wallet.
    And that nonsense about liking him? Prostitutes liked any guy with money to spend. For fifty bucks, she’d like him as much as he wanted.
    But…for some reason he didn’t really believe that. He’d gotten by on gut instincts too many times to disregard one this strong. Somehow Shay didn’t fit the mold, and he didn’t mean in the obvious ways. It was more than that.
    She seemed to vibrate with energy and something more. She didn’t look downtrodden.
    She didn’t look used.
    She was slim but strong, with almost regal features—except for those innocent blue eyes, so huge they could suck a man in. But not Bryan. He’d long since grown immune to feminine wiles.
    She hadn’t run off as he’d expected, as Bruce warned they often did. He’d been prepared to chase her, but instead of fleeing, she’d stepped right off the curb into the stinging rain to meet him. Crazy broad.
    Then, from one heartbeat to the next, her entire side of the street went black as pitch. There’d been no time for gentle urging, as was his brother’s custom, no time for explanations. The last power failure in that slummy area had left two people badly beaten and several buildings ransacked. Riots often erupted with little coercing. A blackout could fuel all types of depraved crimes.
    Bryan knew the feel, the taste, and scent of danger, and it had surrounded them. Luckily she hadn’t argued with him too much. Chili’s timely appearance had helped to convince her, no doubt because Chili was a greasy little bastard with a smile like a pig.
    The danger had brought out Bryan’s instincts, and he’d temporarily abandoned the ruse, acting more like himself than Bruce. Then when she’d asked for his name, he’d screwed up big time. He’d given his own. He didn’t make mistakes like that. Ever.
    But somehow, with her, he had.
    And he’d complicated it further with his half-assed correction. Bruce Bryan? Jesus, even to his own ears it sounded lame.
    Not many people knew his brother as anything other than the Preacher, but he didn’t like taking chances. He’d have to convince her…what was he thinking? To hell with convincing her. She wouldn’t be around long enough to cause too much trouble.
    Out of all the women his brother tried to “save,” he only reached about a fourth. The rest took advantage of his hospitality, his generosity, then returned to work in a few days, a week, a month.
    Regardless of how different she seemed, Shay would do the same. He’d just keep his dick in his pants until then.
    He recalled his brother’s lecture to be like a doctor around the women, immune to them as females. But Bryan only saw women one way and that was the one way Bruce had ruled out.
    Still, for a week he’d affected that attitude with ease. Now he felt challenged.
    Hell, he couldn’t understand the workings of the average female mind, so how was he supposed to understand a trollop?
    Knotting both hands in his wet T-shirt, he jerked it over his head, wadded it into a ball and flung it into the corner. It hit the faded wallpaper with a dull plop, but did little to relieve him.
    Outside, thunder boomed, reflecting his mood. At least Bruce had gotten the roof fixed, so there wouldn’t be any damp spots in the ceiling upstairs, no need to carry up pots to catch the leaks. It hadn’t been easy convincing Bruce to take his money for repairs. But Bryan was a mean son of a bitch, while Bruce was a