He grunted and nodded, his eyes shifting about at the onlookers.
Riya continued, not bothering to lower her voice. “I’m going to let you go, and you’re going to leave. Got it?”
The man grunted and nodded again, clearly humiliated by the fact that a woman had him pinned.
She released him. The man made eye contact with Dhillon, a sneer coming across his face. He opened his mouth as if to say something. Dhillon clenched his jaw and made to step into the man’s space, but before he could, Riya stepped forward, her hand fisted. She didn’t even need to say anything.
The man ran his gaze over her, flicking his eyes to Dhillon, a look of disgust coming over his face. “All yours,” he spit out before finally turning away, as if he couldn’t be bothered.
Dhillon watched the man retreat, his heart pounding, rage flowing through his body.
“You going to stand there all night?” Riya was seated back at the table, sipping her beer as if nothing had happened.
He stared at her.
“What?” Riya rolled her eyes. “We were having a decent evening. Don’t let that asshole ruin it.” She nodded at his beer.
Dhillon shook his head, his rage subsiding. He shifted his focus back to Riya and sat down. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He sipped his beer, unable to rip his gaze away from her. Everything she did amazed and impressed him. Well, almost everything.
Daniel stopped by, interrupting Dhillon’s reverie. “Everything okay?”
Riya nodded. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
Daniel grinned. “I don’t doubt it.” His grin faded, and his face darkened. “Phil won’t be letting that guy back in. And your tab is on the house today.”
“That’s not necessary.” Dhillon reached for his wallet.
Daniel held up his hands in surrender. “Phil insists.”
“Thanks, Daniel,” Riya answered. “We’re going to get going, anyway.”
“Excitement just follows you around, doesn’t it?” Dhillon chuckled at her as they walked to the car. He opened the passenger door for her.
“I’m still driving,” she said, leaving him standing there as she got into the driver’s side.
“What do you mean? We’re going home, right?”
“I mean I purposefully did not finish that second beer, because we’re not going home.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Come on, Dhillon-V. Get in the car.”
He did as he was told. “Riya. I have to work in the morning, and you’ve just been on for twenty-four hours.”
“Relax. You weren’t going to sleep well tonight anyway,” she said quietly. “Neither one of us would have.”
That was true. They both would have just tossed and turned. Her eyes were almost black in the streetlight, and her skin glowed. A playful smirk played at her luscious lips.
“You know we’re going to the lake. Fighting it will only delay the inevitable.” She was staring straight ahead at the road as she spoke. Her complete certainty was as attractive as her mouth.
He shook his head as his own smirk played on his face. “Yeah, well. God forbid Riya-D doesn’t get her way.”
She laughed, and it was a musical thing. Dhillon had forgotten how her laugh had used to make him feel. Light and happy and like anything was possible.
“You should sing more,” she said, as they hit the highway.
He shrugged. “I’m not an in-public person.”
“Could have fooled me—and everyone in that bar. I had to drag you off the stage.”
He shook his head at the absurdity of the statement.
