Kasey stomped up to her little apartment, slammed the door and locked it behind her, dropped her shoulder bag on the floor and threw herself on the couch in a fit of temper.  “God damned arrogant, controlling man!”  Then she threw a couch cushion across the room.

Kasey growled because Braedon had bested her, he’d followed her home, damn it now he knew where she lived and that meant he could show up anytime he wanted to.  She got up and went to her little kitchenette to put the kettle on for tea.  She looked at the time and was amazed that it was almost 4.30pm.

They must have sat in that restaurant for well over three or four hours eating, drinking and talking to each other.  She’d never done something like that before, hell she’d never had the money or the opportunity to do so.

She sighed and decided to send Jax a text message rather than call.  He’d give her the third degree about Braedon and she just wasn’t up for that.  She looked at the message she typed into her cell, “am home safe so don’t stress will call you soon K” she sighed and hoped he’d settle for her message and not call her back with twenty million questions.  She hit send and sent out a silent prayer that Jax was either too busy or had calmed down enough not to want to speak with her for now.

Kasey didn’t like how she was feeling, she didn’t want to think about how she was feeling, so she organised a tray with tea and some munchies and buried herself in a book until she was tired enough to go to sleep.

Next morning she woke early because she was doing a lunch time shift for Gerry.  She made her bed, organised her clothes and headed for the shower.  Once showered and dressed she put a brush through her hair tying it up in a pony tail, then applied mascara and eye liner and a clear lip gloss. 

She didn’t like bright lip gloss, didn’t think it suited her colouring but liked to have something on her lips.  She took one last look in the mirror rolled her eyes and left mumbling something to the effect of ‘she’d never be a glamour’.

When Kasey got to the Rocks she stopped off at a nearby café for a cherry Danish and a coffee then sat at the bus stop across the road from Gerry’s bar enjoying the sticky tartness of the Danish and the caffeine goodness of the coffee.

The bar was just opening and Kasey wasn’t going in until she figured they were all set up.  She knew from experience if she went in too early, she’d be the one organising everything before they officially opened.

She finished off the last of her coffee and sat back closing her eyes for a minute to take in the freshness of the day and the salt in the air, “You’re up and about early kitten, don’t tell me Gerry has you working again so soon?”

Kasey didn’t have to open her eyes to know who owned that voice, so she chose to ignore it.  “Come now, it is bad manners to ignore someone who is being so polite to you.”

She opened her eyes and sat forward smiling ever so sweetly at him, “And what business is it of yours what I do or when I do it?”  Then she got to her feet and strode across the road to the bar.

Braedon almost had a heart attack watching as she neglected to check the road for traffic and walked headlong into it.  Thankfully the drivers saw her and stopped without connecting with her.  Never the less he was ready and willing to hurt someone if she was injured in any way.

He raced after her and grabbed her by the elbow as she reached the footpath, effectively stopping her from getting any closer to the bar.  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?  You could have been killed!”

He saw the shocked look on her face, loosened his grip on her arm and wasn’t really surprised when she pulled her arm away from him.  She opened her mouth to speak, to yell at him, but words failed her and she turned away from him and walked as quickly as she could into the bar making her way to the back room where she put her bag in a locker before putting on one of the bar shirts that Gerry provided for his workers.

She stood there a minute and tried to get her heart to stop hammering in her chest.  She knew she’d put herself in danger and if Jax or any of his men had seen her she’d never hear the end of it.  But she realised she’s scared herself enough to know she’d be more careful in the future, then she shook her head, she’d always been careful!  If Braedon hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t spoken to her… “Grr!”  She couldn’t believe he’d gotten to her so much.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly trying to gain control of her emotions, then headed back out to the bar.  She saw Todd behind the bar re-stocking the spirits and when he yelled hi to her, she smiled back, “What no slurpy?” and laughed as he gave her a fake pained look.

Todd had been a good friend and was also the person who gave her most of the training she needed when Gerry gave her a chance at the bar.  Kasey looked around the room, she’d spent a lot of time here, gotten to know a lot of the regulars and had become well liked by most of them.  She had a sudden pang of regret… she’d miss this place when she left, but where that thought came from she had no idea.

Kasey shook off the thought and picked up a spray bottle and a couple of clean cloths and moved from table to table spraying and wiping, trying to give them all a wipe over before people started coming in.

The bar wasn’t a restaurant, but Gerry had an arrangement with a local deli to have finger food delivered for Sundays to help pull people in.  It seemed to work too, because once word got out, the bar started getting busier.

Kasey worked her way around the room cleaning tables and was so glad that laws had changed and she no longer had to clean ashtrays.  She worked quickly until she got to a table that was occupied.

She froze for a moment, knowing who it was; she sighed then looked up at Braedon.  “Hello again kitten,” he said as he smiled at her.  “I am sorry if I startled you outside, but in my defence you did give me something of a scare by walking directly into traffic.”

She shook her head at him, “Why are you here Braedon?”  She placed the spray bottle and cloths on the table and stood with her hands on her hips.

“I wished to see you again and hoped that you would be working here… so” he trailed off hoping that Kasey wouldn’t push too hard for more.  She was his mate and the thought of her being here alone… unprotected did not sit well with him at all.  He would spend all day here if he had to and then he’d see she got home safely, whether she liked it or not.

Gerry showed up then with boxes of finger food.  He walked in with a huge grin on his face, he loved Sunday’s because it wasn’t so rushed and he could relax and leave things to the rest of the staff.  Sunday’s he got to walk the floor, chat with people and offer them something to nibble on.

He saw Kasey and called her over giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  She responded in kind and Braedon could feel his wolf creep up on him not wanting any other man near his mate, even if it was someone she considered family.  He growled softly and was surprised when Kasey turned to him and raised an eyebrow.  ”Perhaps,” he thought, “I growled a little too loud?”

Gerry noticed Braedon and walked over to him releasing his hold on Kasey.  “Hello there, I’m Gerry; I think I saw you here the other night?”  Braedon smiled and offered him his hand.  “I hope you enjoy yourself here.  Have you met Kasey, she is my best server.  Kasey this is…”

Kasey rolled her eyes, “Braedon, we’ve already met.” Then she turned to move away from them both but was stopped by what he said.

“Yes Kasey and I had lunch together yesterday,” he smiled at her then Gerry, “She helped my friend and I choose gifts to take home with us for friends.” 

Kasey shook her head and thought to herself, “This is going to be a long afternoon!”  Then she looked at Gerry and his surprised look. “Yeah I helped them out,” and she grinned, “we even managed to piss Jax off too which was a bonus, I’ve never heard him so flustered before,” she turned to Braedon, “thanks that was so worth it.”

Gerry gave Braedon a look of surprise and held out his hand again, “My friend… and now you are my friend; I would have paid money to see that.”  They shook hands again and Braedon looked a little confused.  Kasey went to answer his confusion but Gerry beat her to it, “Jax is Kasey’s  err… surrogate father.  It would take a great deal for that man to lose his cool and I would love to hear the full story.”

Kasey sighed, “Fine Gerry but not today,” she said as she indicated other patrons entering the bar.  Then she pushed him towards the bar area where Todd stood watching with interest, then she turned back to Braedon, “You’re gonna stay here all afternoon aren’t you?”

He grinned at her in answer, “I would love to take you out for dinner when you have finished work.  You will be tired and in need of nourishment by then, so perhaps you will allow me to do this for you.”

She looked at him and melted, damn she couldn’t seem to stay mad at him, “Where’s your other half?” she asked with a raised brow.  “I thought you two were joined at the hip.”

Braedon had a look of horror on his face then he saw the twinkle in her eye and his expression softened.  “Jacob is my friend, my companion and to some extent my protection, but as much as I enjoy his company I had a feeling he would hinder any progress I might make in courting you.  So… dinner?”

Kasey couldn’t help herself, she laughed at him, “I’ll think about it okay,” then she turned and headed to the back room to put away the cleaning things, wash her hands and get her order tray ready to start work.  As she picked up her note pad and pen she froze, “Courting?  What the hell?”  Then she pushed the thought aside to think about later.

The afternoon went quickly; Kasey brought Braedon coffee at intervals noting that his face lit up whenever she came near.    Gerry took a plate of finger food and sat at Braedon’s table and before long they seemed to be chatting like old friends.  No doubt Gerry was hoping to hear the full story regarding how they pissed off Jax.  “Oh well, it’s a wonder the whole station doesn’t know by now.” She thought to herself.

Kasey was coming to the end of her shift when she noticed David come in, she looked towards Gerry and he nodded knowingly.  Kasey was headed back to the bar to give Todd her drinks order when someone grabbed her elbow.  For the briefest second she thought it was David and she really didn’t want another confrontation especially not with Braedon here.

She took a deep calming breath, “I just spoke with Gerry and he agrees that it is time for your shift to end.  Why don’t you go get your things and I’ll wait here for you.” then Braedon turned his head towards David as if to say, ‘unless you’d rather I deal with him now’.  She did the only thing she could do; she nodded agreement and did as he asked.

When she came back out, Gerry gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her to have a good time.  He watched as Braedon put a protective arm around her waist and led her out the door.  He also noticed David out of the corner of his eye looking none too happy at what he was seeing. 

Gerry sighed and went about his job chatting with patrons and having a quiet word with all of his staff.  He didn’t want David anywhere near Kasey and he’d make sure all his staff knew to prevent that from happening.  In the end if he had to ban David from the bar he would.  Kasey was family and he took care of his family!

Kasey and Braedon left the bar and as they stepped onto the sidewalk he hailed a taxi and told the driver to take them to the Hilton Hotel.  Kasey looked at him questioningly but he just smiled.  She took a deep breath and decided to go with whatever he had planned… for now.

When they arrived at the hotel he paid the driver and ushered her inside, through the foyer and into the elevator.  Now she was getting a little worried, no way was she going to his room.  She was getting up the courage to tell him that when the elevator opened and thankfully it was on a level that led out to a bar and restaurant area.

Kasey checked out what Braedon was wearing then looked at herself, she half turned to walk away realising she didn’t fit here at all when Braedon caught her hand and tugged her to him.  “You are the most beautiful woman here kitten, do not doubt that you don’t belong here.”  Then he gave her a kiss on the forehead and pulled along with him towards the bar.

As they took seats she heard an all too familiar voice calling out to Braedon.  “I was wondering when you two were going to show up.  I have organised a table with a view for you both and we will keep our distance as promised.”

Kasey burst out laughing, “Hey Jacob, I didn’t know you acted as a personal assistant too?”  The look of shock on his face was too much and she cracked up laughing again and this time Braedon joined her.

“Hmm, if this is the thanks I get, I’ll be going,” he said in a huff and Kasey got up and gave him a hug in thanks surprising the hell out of him.

“Thanks Jake, we appreciate it, don’t we Braedon?”  She said and she pulled back from him.  She could have sworn she heard a dog growl, but knew that was impossible.  She sat back down next to Braedon and she saw Daniel and a couple of other men coming up behind Jacob.

“You’re welcome, and its Jacob, not Jake.” Returned Jacob and he turned waiting for the men to come closer.  “Kasey you have already met Daniel,” she nodded as did he.  “This is Mitch, Trae and Christian.  We’ll be having dinner here as well; don’t worry though we’ll stay clear of you both.  Just call if you need anything.”

Kasey nodded acknowledgment of each man hoping she’d remember who was who.  She watched as Jacob gave Braedon a look and when he nodded slightly they all left.  They ordered drinks and sat in the bar enjoying the ambiance.  About half an hour later Braedon stood offering her his hand.  “Now that we are both relaxed perhaps we should go in for dinner.”

Kasey was feeling so out of her depth and didn’t want to make a scene by running out of the place, so she took his arm and let him lead her into the restaurant and their table.  She’d never been in such a fancy place before and couldn’t help but look somewhat wide-eyed at the room and the people there.  Once they were seated she felt a little better and relaxed even more when Aaron their waiter introduced himself to them. 

Kasey fairly grinned at Aaron surprising Braedon and setting of his jealousy.  “Damn it Aaron you are so cute in your waiter outfit,” she began, “I didn’t know you got the job here, how are you liking it?”

 Aaron grinned back, “Yeah sorry about that, I’ve been so busy getting my head around doing this job right that I forget to let people know. I’ve been here almost a month now Kase and I’m learning a lot, they like to make sure we have lots of areas we can be utilised in, so the bar work came in handy.”

He looked towards Braedon then back at Kasey, “Oh sorry Aaron, I’d like you to meet my friend Braedon.  Braedon I’d like you to meet Aaron, he use to work at Gerry’s with me.”

Braedon stood stretching out his hand and Aaron seemed a bit surprised as he was the first customer to ever do so, but he shook Braedon’s hand and said it was nice to meet him.  Braedon returned the sentiment and sat down. “Umm, so what can I get for you both,” he handed them the menu, “can I get you both a drink while you decide what you’d like to order?”

Kasey smiled at her friend, “Aaron you know what I’ll have right.”

Aaron laughed softly, “Sorry Kase we don’t have a slurpy machine in here.”  To which she laughed back and told him that if he wasn’t working she’d thump in. “Okay, okay, mineral water poured over ice, with as slice of lemon it is. Then he turned to Braedon, “and for you sir?”

“You and Kasey are old friends, I’m happy you are here Aaron you’ve made her feel more comfortable and I appreciate that.  I’ll have a scotch… no make that a coke, not too much ice.” Then he nodded at Aaron as is to say he truly was happy that he was there.

Aaron left to get their drinks and Kasey turned to Braedon, “What was that all about?”

Braedon took her hand and kissed it, “I could see that you were a little uncomfortable when we arrived, your friend seems to have changed that.  I brought you here to have a nice dinner, not to make you feel bad, so I appreciate that he was here for you.”

“He’s one of the good guys Braedon; he helped me out a few of times when I was afraid to go home.”  She saw the look on his face and kept talking, knowing he’d need to know why she’d been afraid.

“About eighteen months ago I started getting the feeling that I was being followed, it was usually after I’d worked a shift for Gerry, so it was late and difficult to see and…” she sighed,  “at first I thought I was imagining it.  I mean I never saw anyone and to be honest I was probably just being paranoid, but I was scared all the same. 

I told Gerry and he said he’d drive me home when I did a shift for him and when he couldn’t Aaron did.  Aaron even stayed a couple of nights because he could see how edgy I was.”  She laughed at the scowl on his face, “Aaron is a great friend Braedon, he’d have to be to condemn himself to sleep on my couch,” and she laughed again remembering Aaron waking up all stiff and sore.

The evening went all too quickly and somehow she couldn’t remember why she’d been so mad at him… well she could remember the why; she just couldn’t keep the mad up though.  She had to admit to herself that she liked Braedon and she enjoyed spending time with him.  He made her feel like she was the only woman there and that she was truly special to him.  She’d never had that before and she wanted it.  She just wasn’t sure what it would cost her to have it, even for a short space of time.

When it came time for her to go home, she didn’t want to leave, she wanted to stay with him and that scared her.  So she took a deep breath and let Braedon take her home.  As they stepped outside the hotel a familiar car pulled up and she smiled when she recognised Daniel in the driving seat. 

When they arrived at her apartment Braedon walked her to her front door.  She wasn’t sure if he wanted to come in and she didn’t know what to do or say, but she needn’t have worried.  Because when she opened the door he gave her a hug, kissed her softly on the lips and told her to make sure she locked the door behind her.  She was so surprised she reached up and gave him another kiss then turned and closed and locked the door behind her.

Braedon stood looking at the door with a huge grin on his face; she was sensing the bond between them.  The bond was getting stronger and even though he didn’t want to leave her here alone, he turned and left.