Within a heartbeat, Eden was against my chest, and my arms wrapped tightly around her waist so her back was against with my chest. Resting my chin on the top of her head, I couldn’t help but notice how well her body molded against mine. She still hadn’t spoken, but her body roared every unspoken word. She was rigid in my arms, frozen in fear and what I was sure was confusion, and after I heard her inhale sharply, she was now holding her breath.
I leaned down until my mouth was beside her ear and whispered, “You’ve got to breathe.”
She simply nodded while she trembled like a leaf in a hurricane against me. Her hands clutched onto my bare forearms that rested over her stomach for dear life and her sharp nails dug into my flesh, sending a shot of pain up through my arms, but I didn’t say a thing.
Her body continued to tremble and my grip tightened, pulling her body closer to mine. She was completely breaking down in my arms, and I didn’t know what the fuck to do so I did what I hoped would calm her down. I attempted to provide her comfort and calm while the crowds around us continued with their night completely oblivious to what was happening.
“I need a drink.” I barely heard her voice.
“Come again?”
She turned her face until she was looking at me, her eyes cowering with panic. “I need a drink,” she repeated louder.
“Come on then.” I released my grip, and my hand fell to the small of her back as we moved towards the black leather couch.
She haltered and whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Two words that no woman should ever say when it came to what I just witnessed. She turned around slowly only for me to find her eyes brimming with tears ready to spill over her cheeks. She inhaled sharply at the look of sheer outrage that I knew graced my face.
“Look at me,” I demanded and painstakingly waited for her blue eyes to meet mine.
Finally she looked at me and I let out a breath. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You hear me. Nothing.”
“Who are you?” she asked meekly as her eyes danced over my face.
Who was I? How could I possibly answer that question?
“I am the guy who’s going to keep you the fuck away from assholes like Chris. That’s who I am.”
I missed his security the moment he left.
It confused the hell out of me.
I wrung my hands, and my eyes shifted around the bar as fear revisited me, I looked at everyone like they were a threat. This was the part that I hated; the paranoia, the never-ending fear, the crazy thoughts that swamped my mind.
“Can someone please tell me what just happened?” I asked, finally finding my voice as I shifted my gaze and watched the man with the super soft hands storm toward the bar. I could feel my body trembling against the black leather of the couch I sat on, and my heart was thumping erratically in my chest. If I didn’t get myself under control within the next couple of minutes I would collapse into a wave a panic and that was something I didn’t want anyone to witness.
“It seems that my brother is playing the knight in shining armor card tonight.”
A deep voice rumbled behind the couch and words laced with amusement and intrigue grabbed hold of my attention. I shifted on the couch and found the guy who held a strong resemblance to the guy who just minutes ago had screamed in my face and then saved me from the evil clutches of who I now knew as Chris.
“This is Josh. Josh, this is, uh…Kellie,” Tori introduced, her voice trembled as she spoke.
At the sound of my name, Josh’s eyes flashed quickly over to Ashlyn who looked on with a completely unreadable look on her face, before he found my eyes again. “Nice to meet you Kellie.”
I shook the hand he held out and then he and Ashlyn collapsed on the couch opposite me and fell into quiet conversation. I leaned back against the plush leather and took the opportunity to take in the guy who had offered me protection in a very confrontational way. He stood rigid at the bar; his shoulders slumped as he looked at his phone. He was a towering figure of strength and intimidation, a true vision that deserved respect. Tall, masculine with sensuality dripping off him, he oozed confidence.
“Are you okay?” Tori grabbed my hand as she took a seat beside me. When I turned toward her, I was greeted with worry that was etched on her face which offered me a unique kind of comfort.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted truthfully.
I was safe; I was away from the threat but my heart continued to beat furiously in my chest, and I felt myself jump every time someone would come too close to me. I hadn’t been in a situation like that since that fateful day. I was usually so careful. I usually had Colby with me. My inability to say a word as simple as no frustrated me, it was a hindrance, it was an open invitation for the wrong people, just as it had been tonight. But my fear of the consequence was so overwhelming that it overshadowed every other option.
“I am so sorry I wasn’t there.” Her voice wavered under her words.
“Stop! This isn’t your fault. Look at it this way, you got your wish. I’m now waiting for a drink that’s being bought by a handsome guy.” I nodded toward the bar and once again took in my rescuer.
“Do you know who he is?” she asked, as her eyes ran over his body.
“No clue.”
“Fuck he is hot though, and he can’t keep his eyes off you.”
I felt my cheeks flush at her words, and as if he was magnetic, I found myself drawn to look at him yet again. I inhaled sharply as I found his eyes fixed on me. He stood at the bar, leaning back against it with a beer bottle in his hand. He looked like he was contemplating something. Was he planning to escape? He had no reason to stick around but I knew I had to thank him and I had to do it a million times over.
When I couldn’t bear being under his gaze any longer I shifted on the couch and focused everywhere but him. I counted the number of lights that lit up the chandelier above, I scrutinized the lingerie the girls were wearing, and I mentally made a note of the lingerie I wanted to look at when I visited Victoria’s Secret; I was in the middle of determining whether the cute blonde was wearing violet or midnight blue panties when the couch beside me dipped and my senses were overcome by the familiar scent that I had breathed in as I had been crushed against the broad chest of who I knew as Crawford.
Sitting in the VIP section, I felt like I was dangling between crazy and euphoric, ready to either crash or soar. Beside me sat the girl in the red fucking jacket, the same girl who had just dealt with me screaming in her face. She was frozen stiff against me, her hands clasped tightly in her lap and her eyes fixated on the floor below. I refused to allow her out of my sight. It felt like she was now my responsibility, and I refused to let Chris get anywhere near her. He was the fucking the scum of the earth, a minuscule piece of dirt you’d find in the loneliest corners of life. He was a parasite, and no woman deserved to be around the likes of him.
It was official, my Friday night was completely fucked-up, and she was oblivious to exactly who I was.
“What’s your name?” I asked her, saying the first thing I could think of to break the tension. I shifted my gaze and concentrated entirely on her.
“Kellie.”
Kellie
“Your name is Kellie?” I repeated her answer all the while trying to cover the confusion tainting my voice.
Why was she lying about her name?