His Flower (Rewritten)

Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

       There was a well-known fact about Rex Turner, one everyone knew. He grew up as a foster kid, no parents, no family, just him and the horrors of those homes. Maybe that was why he was the way he was. Why he knew how to fight so well, why he was angry all the time.

       Why he never let anyone in.

       Growing up all alone in house after house-that were never truly homes-with handfuls of other kids, and adults who only saw you as a paycheck, could turn anyone against the world. Even someone as strong as Rex.

       Foster kids all cope in different ways, all have different mannerisms, and attitudes, but there was something they all shared, something that only others like them could identify. Fosters could spot another without a problem. There was this... look sometimes, either on their face or in their eyes, one that never truly went away no matter how hard they tried. It made finding their own easy enough.

       I saw that very look pass over Rex's face as he used those large arms of his to push us through the crowd of the packed club Echo. His dark gaze never focused on one spot for too long, his handsome face was set in a stony resilience, and his attention never stopped surveying the room.

       I couldn't help but feel like he was a Secret Service agent and I was the president of the United States. Two beings far more important to each other than I could ever dream of being to Rex.

       "Rex!" A young-looking man, maybe twenty-five or twenty-six, beamed at the biggest crush I ever had as he pushed us towards the bar. "Haven't seen you around here in a while." The guy had light brown hair, a killer smile, and eyes of such a familiar green I nearly stumbled in surprise.

       "Hey Charlie." Rex nodded at who could have only been Trey's older brother when he finally pulled us up to the bar, and pressed against my back. My chest nearly exploded when those large, muscular arms caged me against the dark wood of the bar, shielding my much smaller body from those crowding around us.

       Charlie was wiping down a few glasses as his eyes snapped down to mine, then lifted to raise an eyebrow at the boy behind me. "Who's this?" He asked casually enough, though the look in his green gaze was close to threatening.

       "Rose, she's a friend."

       She's a friend.

       We were-we were friends now?

       "Looks a little too young to be in here."

       And just like that, the enthusiasm building in my stomach from Rex's words instantly disappeared. I couldn't help the pout that ached to pull at my lips. What was with it with people thinking I look like a kid?

       Rex stepped closer to me, his hard chest almost flush against my back. I wouldn't have been surprised if he felt the heat creep up my spine and into the back of my neck. He was close, and despite the nervous shivers shaking through my body, I liked that very much.

       "I really don't think you want to talk about the age requirement of this place, Char." Rex's voice had darkened a notch or two, and even though it wasn't directed at me, I felt a twinge of fear shoot down my spine.