Page 6 of Unhinged

CHAPTER FOUR

brYDGETT

Arrow showing up at the diner was a shock, but I think I played it off well enough.

My heart thudded in my chest when I recognized him, but I kept my smile steady, even though it felt like my stomach was doing flips.

He wasn’t wrong in assuming Kenny wasn't my type.

The guy looked and acted like a slimeball, the kind of man who makes your skin crawl with just one glance.

Sitting with Arrow wasn’t part of the plan, but the idea of playing along with whatever game he had in mind intrigued me.

And honestly, who could resist? The man looked like he stepped out of a bad-boy fantasy, all inked skin and sharp features that made my heart race just looking at him.

I left him to get his deluxe basket, delivering it with a smile before tending to the other patrons.

His gaze burned a hole in my back the entire time I flitted about the diner.

Seeing he’s done, I decide to give him a little extra show. I put a little sway in my hips as I walk back to his table, feeling his eyes on me with each step. “See you next time,” I purr, dropping the check in front of him.

“Oh, you can count on that, baby,” he growls. I don’t miss his left hand trying to adjust himself discreetly under the table. The sight sends a thrill through me, and I can’t help but shoot him a playful wink before turning away, saying a special thanks to my blockers for masking my arousal.

In the back, Ruby is waiting for me, her expression serious. “Can you come to my office for a minute?”

“Give me a sec,” I respond, wondering what she wants.

I check on my other table before heading to her office and stepping inside.

“You summoned?” I ask, trying to shake off the lingering effect of Arrow’s presence.

“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about you taking off this weekend at the last minute. That can’t happen again, Brydge.

You wanna request time off, so be it, but you can’t just short staff me out of the blue for a weekend.

” She sets the pen she was writing with down and leans back in her chair, eyeing me.

I nod, feeling the weight of her words. “Yes, ma'am. I’m sorry. Won’t happen again.”

I mean it, too. Ruby has always been fair, treating me with a kindness I didn’t always deserve. I know I can’t afford to lose this job, and I appreciate her honesty, even if it is a mild scolding.

“You’re a good girl, Brydge, and I know you have a kid, but this is my baby. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Get back out on the floor. Wait! Can you take the trash out for me?”

“Yes, ma'am.” I pull the bag from the can and tie the strings together, walking to the backdoor. Propping the door open with the block of wood we keep in the back, I grab the bags by the door as well. As soon as I heave the bags over the side of the dumpster, I’m pushed inside the fenced area it's contained in, and the gate closes. What the fuck?

Before I can react, a hard body presses against my back and a warm breath tickles my ear. “You’re too damn sexy for your own good, baby,” a familiar voice murmurs, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Did you follow me out here?” I ask, pushing my ass back against Arrow’s cock. He’s rock hard and despite myself, heat pools low in my belly.

Sue me, he’s hot and I’m only human. Plus, he smells delicious: like apple, plum, and sandalwood.

“Yes. You should be more aware of your surroundings,” he breathes, his teeth grazing my ear, then my neck, then my shoulder. Each graze is sending a jolt of pleasure through me.

“Fuck,” I whimper, my body responding to him in ways I can’t control.

Thank fuck I have my slick blocker panties on and took my suppressants, or he’d know I’m an omega instantly.

“Not yet. You’re better than a quick fuck by a dumpster,” he growls. “But fuck, I can’t keep myself in check around you.”

He slides a hand down the front of my pants, cupping my mound. I should stop him, but I can’t seem to find it in me to want to. Fuck it.

“Brydge! You alright?!” Ruby calls from the diner, snapping me back to reality.

“Dammit!” he mutters and releases me, pulling his hand away. I spin and raise up on my tiptoes, kissing his cheek.

“Sorry.” I wink before turning and walking away, my legs shaky. I speed-walk back to the diner, my heart racing for entirely different reasons now.

“Everything alright, Brydge?” Ruby asks as I slip through the door, letting it shut behind me.

“Yeah. I broke one of the bags when I was throwing them in. Just picking up my mess. Sorry,” I lie, my mind still reeling from what had just happened.

The rest of my shift passed without incident, though I couldn’t shake the memory of his touch, his scent, the way he made me feel.

I didn’t see Arrow again, but when I cleared his table, I found a good-sized tip waiting for me.

The money felt like a small victory, a reminder of the power I still held in this little game.

I'm going to use it to treat myself and Judge later this week.

“I’m out of here, Ruby!” I call, grabbing my bag and cashing out my credit card tips.

I push through the door and make my way across the parking lot to my GTO, sliding behind the wheel with a sigh of relief. My only thought is getting home to snuggle with Judge.

When I get there, Judge is sitting at the kitchen table doing his homework. “Hi, Georgia. Hi, baby.”

“Mommmm,” he grumbles without looking up. “I’m not a baby. Can’t you just call me Judge? You named me that, and I want to be called that.”

I cover my mouth to stifle a laugh. “Yes, ba—I mean, Judge. I will try to stop calling you baby. But you know, even though you’re eight, you’ll always be my baby, right?”

“Yeah. It’s embarrassing, though. So maybe you can only call me it at home?”

“I can do that.” I ruffle his hair before leaning down and kissing his temple. “Let me go take a shower and wash the smell of grease off me. Then we can talk about what you wanna do tomorrow since I’m off and I got a good tip today.”

“I wanna go to the trampoline park! Please, can we go there?!” Judge squeals, bouncing in his chair.

“Yeah, we can go there. I’ll check what time they open when I’m done showering.” I playfully roll my eyes while smiling and head down the hall toward the bathroom. Of course he wants to go there; it’s always his pick if he gets one.

After a quick shower, I dress in a pair of skull-covered jogging pants and a black tank top, padding back to the table where Judge is packing his homework away in his bag.

“Since you’re off school tomorrow for school improvement day, we can sleep in and have bacon for breakfast, then head to the trampoline park. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me. Georgia, are you gonna come with us?” He looks at our neighbor with bright eyes and a toothy smile.

“No, sir. It’s my day off, too. I'm going to take a nap and watch my soaps.” She grabs her sweater from the back of the chair she was sitting in and heads to the counter where her purse is.

“Here, Georgia.” I hand her a twenty from my purse and she smiles softly at me before leaving our apartment.

“Okay, let’s see what time this place opens, shall we?” I dig in my purse for my phone but don't see it. Where is it? I empty all the contents out on the counter, but still nothing.

Fuck! I must have left it at work.

“I left my phone at work, J. We’ll have to swing by the diner after breakfast to grab it and then head out on our adventure.”

“Sounds good to me,” he replies and I can’t help but think how lucky I am that my kid is so easygoing.

A few hours later, we are cooking spaghetti together—his choice, of course.

As we sit down to eat, he tells me all about his day and how there was a fight in the hall with the older kids.

I hate his school. I’m hoping this year is his last year in public school.

I’ve been scrimping and saving, putting away a little from each check and any good tips into a savings account for him to attend a private academy next year. We’re so close.

After dinner, I tuck him in and read him The Very Hungry Dinosaur .

When he finally passes out, I lay Ghostface next to him and kiss his forehead before heading to my room.

I fall asleep to filthy fantasies of me taking Arrow’s knot.

If only I didn’t come with the past that I do.

I have no regrets about having and keeping Judge, but who wants a single mom omega who has a child from an assault?

That’s more baggage than I wanna deal with, let alone a pack. So I’ll just keep taking my blockers and giving my little boy the best life I can. Me and him against the world.