All it’d take is the right situation… Or the right person… The right woman to unlock whatever it is he prefers to hide.
I sway toward him. A flush stains his cheeks. He lowers his head toward me. Then a glass smashes somewhere in the bar. Both of us jump apart.
"We should get going." He clears his throat.
"Yeah." I swallow, then look away. I snatch my jacket from where it’s hanging under the bar counter.
That’s the second time this evening we almost kissed. I’d do anything to feel his lips on mine. Unbidden, my gaze falls on his mouth. When he sets his jaw, I raise my gaze to his eyes. Which are, once again, shuttered. He spins around on his heels and walks away. I follow him.
Halfway to the door, a man steps in front of me. He’s taller than James. And while he’s broader, his muscles seem to be the kind that come from pumping iron at the gym. No doubt, he has tasteless protein shakes for breakfast.
"Excuse me." I try to move around him, but he shifts with me. "Hey, pretty lady, can I buy you a drink?" He leers at me.
Oh, for heaven’s sake. Why are men so predictable? "No, thank you." Once more, I try to step past him. Once again, he plants his body in front of me.
"Really?" Anger bubbles low in my belly. "Let me pass."
"Not until you have a drink with me." He reaches out for me.
I step back and brace myself, preparing to knee him in the groin. But suddenly, he’s grabbed from behind and shoved to the side, and James stands in front of me.
The other man bellows and charges.
James holds his ground. When the man is close enough, he shoots out his fist, which connects with the man’s cheek. The man sways, then topples over.
"Oh, my god, you knocked him out!" I clap my hands together.
Around us, the people who had frozen burst into action. A couple of well-built men approach us. They are similar enough and dressed in clothes which mirror the man on the ground. Enough to indicate they are my antagonizer’s friends.
Without missing a beat, James strikes out again. He catches one of the men under his chin. The man crashes into the table nearby. The people at the table jump up.
He throws another punch which gets the other man in the nose. There’s a sound of something breaking.
I wince.
The man screams. Blood erupts from his face. He holds his broken nose and staggers back.
James locks his fingers around my wrist. The next moment, he’s dragging me in his wake.
He shoulders past a man, sidesteps another, punches a third, and glares at a fourth, who steps aside.
Adrenaline laces my blood. My pulse rate goes crazy.
I have an impression of fights breaking out around us. Of chairs crashing. Glasses falling to the floor. The scent of alcohol laces the air. It’s like I stepped into a scene from a movie. In fact, I’ve never felt this alive before.
Then we’re out the door. The cool air surrounds me. He hauls me to his car, opens the door to the passenger side, and all but throws me inside. Then he’s in the driver’s seat, pressing down on the accelerator as we drive off.
"Oh my god! Oh my god!" I turn to him. "That was so much fun!"
He shoots me a sideways glance, and whatever he sees on my face has his features softening. "It was, huh?" His lips twitch.
"You bet." I burst out laughing. "The way you took out those men. And did you see how it turned into a full-blown bar fight?" I squeeze my hands together.
"You’re one bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you?" He keeps his attention on the road.
"It certainly got the blood flowing." I take in his reddened knuckles. "And got you hurt."
"It’ll heal." His tone is dismissive.
