An inked hand circles around my waist from behind, lightly drawing me into the side of?—
Oh, my god. Recognizable by his scowl alone, it’s Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Miserable from earlier, but he’s not looking at me. No,this time, his piercing gaze is fixed with deadly precision on my ex-boyfriend.
“Did you just put your hands on my girl?” There’s a quiet fury in his words, his voice cold and controlled, but the threat within them is unmistakable.
Did he just saymy girl?
Without letting go of me, my tattooed nightmare leans forward, speaking directly into Ben’s ear. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but the blood drains from Ben’s face; his skin pales, eyes widening in utter shock. The guy leans back, his grip on me is solid.
Ben looks in between the two of us, and he looks like he wants to say something, but the guy at my side tilts his head ever-so-slightly, and Ben goes ghostly white. His mouth snaps shut, and he turns, disappearing into the crowd without another word.
I stare after him in disbelief. “What did you?—?”
“Follow me.” The tattooed hand slips from my waist to grip my hand before stepping away from the bar. He pauses when his tug meets resistance, seeing as how I’m still frozen in place.
Partially in shock and still stunned by what just happened, I give in and follow, allowing him to lead me through the crowded bar.
The crowd parts for him like the Red Sea, and we have no trouble reaching the VIP section far off to the right. The bouncer unhooks the velvet rope without a word. There’s fewer people in here, and I’m instantly grateful for a little extra space to breathe.
“Do you want a drink?”
I whip my head back to my still-unnamed savior. “What?” I shout over the loud music, processing his words only after I’ve already replied.
“A drink?” he repeats, but leans in closer this time. So close I can smell him, and—oh,he smells…good. I take a deep inhaleof the dark citrus scent, only to realize he’s still waiting for an answer.
“Oh, um… water. Please.” I shoot him a nervous glance. “A bottle of water,” I rush to add, swallowing hard under the intensity of his gaze. “If they have it.”
He leans back, speaking into the ear of some other guy I hadn’t noticed was lingering nearby. He nods, heading back to the bar.
I watch him go. I’ve never been in the VIP section of a club before, so maybe that’s normal?
His hand is still on mine, but I don’t pull away. He guides me up the stairs to an even more exclusive balcony section of the club, leading me to a set of empty armchairs. They’re tucked into the far corner by the railing, but damn, you can see the entire club from up here.
I’m distracted, eyes scanning the scene below, so I’m defenseless when he takes a seat, tugging me backward. A yelp escapes me. He puts me on his lap, my back pressed against his hard chest, making me far too conscious of how I am straddling his knee.
I attempt to lunge for the empty armchair beside me, but his hand on my abdomen keeps me in place.
“He’s still watching.” That deep voice is in my ear, his tattooed finger moving right past my eye, directing my attention all the way through the crowded bar until I find Ben.
So he didn’t leave.
He’s rejoined his friends, nursing some trash IPA, I’m sure, all while glowering in our direction.
I let out a deep sigh, my body relaxing slightly, and the hand drops away from my stomach, though the heat of his touch still lingers on that sliver of bare skin.
The man from earlier reappears with two bottles of water. Still sealed. He hands one to each of us before reassuming his post, watching our backs.
I furrow my brow, glancing back at my mystery man as he downs half of his bottle of water.
“You’re not drinking?” I ask, surprised.
“Neither are you.” He points to the still unopened bottle of water in my hand.
“Yeah, well—” I eye him carefully, gripping the bottle tighter. “I don’t drink around people I don’t know,” I admit. Usually I would lie and say it’s because I have an early morning or something along those lines, but something tells me lying to this man, even a white lie, is a bad idea.
“Clever girl.” The corner of his mouth ticks up as he takes another sip from his water. His praise travels straight through to my core, and it’s an effort not to squirm from where I’m perched on his knee.
“What about you?” I ask casually.Too casually.
