“Fi, as long as I have known you, you haven’t dated,” Savannah complained.
“I was in the Congo volunteering at the hospital. When did I have time?” That was the excuse she always used. It was just no man appealed to her like Vincent. The one time she rebelled and tried finding a replacement, it had ended in disaster.
“That’s beside the point.” Savannah waved her off. “When is the next chance you are going to be completely free from your family?”
“Never,” she said easily. She was lucky her family had left her alone since finding out she was in Texas. Shedidn’tknow ifJoaquínhad her new phone number, not that it mattered since it was still off.
“Have some fun while you’re here. No one is saying go home with him, just have a drink with him. We’ll be here waiting. We won’t let him whisk you away without knowing where he’s taking you.”
Fiona reallydidn’twant to, but everyone was egging her on until she finally agreed, just to shut them up. The assurance that her friends had her back helped. After the last time she was in a bar she didn’t trust them.
Fiona stood and waltzed up to the bar with more confidence than she felt. Everything inside of her was screaming this was wrong. That shedidn’twant to do this.
The last time she had picked up a guy in the bar, ithadn’tended pretty. The guy smiled brightly when he saw her walking up to him. This was different. She wasn’t going home with this guy. She would talk for a little bit, maybe have a drink, and go back to her friends.
When she was only a few feet away, she veered to the right and all but ran to the bathroom, barely making it to a stall to throw up. She couldn’t do it. Talk to that guy, pretend like she was interested in what he had to say. It wasn’t in her nature to lead someone on and she wasn’t about to start now just to prove to herself she was over Vincent.
Rinsing her mouth out and fixing her makeup, Fiona stepped outside the bathroom, almost running into the bar guy.
“Hi.” He smiled brightly, making her wonder if his teeth were really that white naturally.
“Hi.” She tried sidestepping around him but he followed her move.
“I’mLewis.”
“Fiona,” she replied politely. She tried stepping around him again, but he countered her. Now she was getting annoyed. “Will you please move?” She was done being nice. She wanted to return to her friends and he was blocking her. They were standing in a quiet alcove where the overhead music wasn’t as loud. Would anyone hear her if she screamed?
“Why don’t you make me?” He chuckled at his own joke.
Fiona wasn’t in the mood for this.
“Fiona,” A deep voice behind Lewis called out. A voice she would recognize anywhere. One that sent shivers down her spine.
Lewis whipped around and stumbled back when he took in Vincent. He stood several inches taller than him and outweighed him easily. Vincentdidn’ttry intimidating the man, he just stood there scowling at him.Years of combatant training oozed from this man. He could subdue Lewis with only hand if he wanted to. But violence was the last thing she wanted. Or him.
Fiona just huffed out a breath. Great, now she had two men to deal with.
“What?”
“Do you need a hand or are you okay?”
Fiona stared at him in open shock. “You’re actually asking instead of just throwing him around like a rag doll for looking at me?” That’s what her brother would do.
“What?” Lewis sputtered, looking at her bug-eyed.
“Did you want me to?” Vincent looked perplexed.His arrogant stance drooped.
“No.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s just somethingJoaquínwould do.”
“I’m not your bother.”
No shit.
“But you boss me around just like him.” And abandon her.
Vincent looked exasperated, with her or the guy, she didn’t know. “Do you need help or not?”
She was shocked he was asking. Since he showed up at her brother’s, he’d been ordering her around. She was surprised he didn’t throw her over his shoulder and carry her out for being here, exposing herself to dangers. Oh, he was going to throw this situation in her face too. She had no doubt.
