Safe (Conquering)

by Ryan Michele

  “Stop.” Lauryn’s smile returned. “Maybe I should just oust you for the fun of it, bitch.”

  “Ohhhh … bringing out the big girl words.”

  My smile grew. My respect level for Lainey grew leaps and bounds in this moment. She could see that Lauryn was bringing herself down and pulled her right back out of it. That’s the sign of a good friend.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  “You and Lainey remind me of me and my best friend Macy. I miss her.”

  “If you were so close, why did you leave her?”

  Lainey’s question caught me off guard. I couldn’t really answer her the way I wanted to. I couldn’t tell her about the asshole I had to get away from.

  “I just did. I need to go to the bathroom,” I said, standing up from the table.

  “I’ll go with you,” Lauryn said from her seat.

  “No. Stay here. I’ll be right back.” I needed a few minutes to get myself together.

  Making my way back to the table was not an easy task.

  More people must have showed up because I could barely get through the crowd, not to mention all the looks I received.

  A loud commotion to my left caught my attention. A lady in her mid-to-late sixties fell to the ground. My instinct had me rushing over to her. “Are you okay?” Several bystanders next to me asked the same question.

  “Oh yes. I just slipped. Help me up, dear.” She reached out for my hand, even though several were extended to her.

  I, of course, took it and helped her to her feet.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Oh yes. You get to be my age, and you become a bit clumsy. Thank you.” She smiled warmly at me. “What’s your name?”

  “Sadie, ma’am.”

  “Sadie … oh. You’re staying with Jim and Maggie.”

  “Yes ma’am. I’m their niece.” I smiled.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I wish it was under circumstances other than me falling on my behind, but it was nice anyway. Oh, and I’m Milly.”

  “Hi Milly. Nice to meet you, and no worries. I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ve gotta go as long as you’re good.”

  “Oh yes. Have fun.” Milly patted me on the back, and I made my way to the table.

  After making my way back from the bathroom, my jaw dropped to the ground. Men. Lots of men. Lots of really hot men sitting at the table where I was currently headed. All eyes were focused on me.

  Shit.

  “You’re back. Sit,” Lauryn said. I took the seat next her. I looked around the table and had to pick my mouth up off the floor. Six very handsome men had their eyes pinned to me. I felt the blush creep up my cheeks.

  “Hey guys. Be nice. This is Sadie.” I didn’t miss the warning tone in Lauryn’s introduction.

  I waved my hand flippantly. My eyes immediately found Landon. I felt something in my stomach ignite, but pushed it way down. Part of me was nervous to see them again because of the way I ran out this morning, but their smiles were helping with that.

  Before anyone could speak, Lauryn continued and gave all the introductions. I had met Renzo, Lukas, and Landon that morning. The new ones were Matt, JT, and Ryan. They were in the band with Landon, and each one was hot in their own way.

  I wasn’t really sure what they fed these boys down here in Georgia, but damn, they were very easy on the eyes.

  “Hey, I’m Matt.” His deep brown eyes flared as he spoke. “I play the drums.” His long blonde hair, broad shoulders, and the most adorable dimple on his right cheek would cause any woman’s heart to skip a beat.

  “Hi Matt.”

  Matt shoved the guy next to him in the arm. “This is my little brother, JT. He’s on bass.”

  “I’m only a year younger, and hi,” he said, tipping his hat. I couldn’t see his hair, but I could see his arms. Holy crap. His arms were the size of tanks, super muscular, a barbwire tattoo wrapping around one of them. His hat covered the top of his face, but I could see the light stubble forming on his chin.

  “I’m Ryan.” My eyes turned to the last man. He was different than the rest. He had a bit of an edge to him. The others came across as good ol’ boys. Ryan didn’t. His black leather jacket hung on him like a glove, his broad shoulders looking as if they were going to bust through it at any minute. His ink black hair hung low and off to the right side trying to hide his green eyes.

  Don’t get me wrong, he was very attractive. The problem was he screamed ‘trouble.’ The good thing with these types of men, though, was at least I knew to stay away. Unlike Rob, who came off good and ended up trouble.

  “Nice to meet you, Sadie. You save a dance for me?” Ryan asked.

  “No thanks.” I smiled back. To hell if I was going anywhere near that one.

  Snickering ripped through everyone’s mouth at the table.

  “Aww … don’t take it hard, Ryan. Sadie just has better taste,” Lauryn smarted off.

  “Ha. Ha. She hasn’t been here long enough to know better,” Ryan came back.

  I rolled my eyes. This guy was a piece of work. His ego was working overtime. My eyes fell back on Landon as if he was some sort of magnet. He was staring at me, smirking. I wanted to go hide. I didn’t know why; I just did.

  Suddenly over the speaker came a call for Sapphire to come up on stage.

  “Sapphire?” I asked.

  Landon smirked. “Enjoy the show, Sadie.”

  “Wait!” I yelled, stopping him in his tracks, making him look at me. “What do you sing?”

  “Country, covers mostly. It’s just for fun.” Turning, he made his way to the stage. Watching him take the stage, I was breathless. I didn’t want to be, but my body had other ideas.

  “Ready for the show?” Renzo asked, smiling.

  “Sure.”

  “You gonna dance with me?” Renzo said, beaming.

  I looked at Lauryn. Her scowl affirmed the answer I was going to give anyway. “No thanks.” I don’t know what it was, but I didn’t want to get in the middle of this Renzo-Lauryn thing they have going on, and I need to ask her more about it.

  “Why not?” Renzo’s voice sounded perplexed.

  “I don’t want to,” I snapped. I didn’t want to be rude, but was he that blind that he had no clue my cousin wanted him.

  “Leave her alone, Renzo.” Lainey’s voice was stern.

  “I’m just asking her a question.”

  “Don’t,” was all Lainey said.

  “Hello, Lady!” Landon’s voice boomed through the crowd and was met with loud cheers.

  My eyes swept him from head to toe. Landon was heart-stopping handsome. His jeans, hung low on his hips, navy blue button down shirt, rolled at the elbows and cowboy boots made my mouth water. Add in his unruly hair, and I could see why all the women here would want him.

  All the women, but me. He was a no go. Well, all men were a no go. I couldn’t handle another Rob. Sighing at the thought, Landon’s voice began.

  “We’ve got a great set for ya tonight. Enjoy.”

  Landon turned his back, walking to the middle of the stage. The guys nodded. Returning to the microphone, he began to sing. Well shit, now I knew why he had girls falling at his feet. His voice was milk chocolate, smooth and velvety with that Southern twang.

  I was lost in the words that came out of his mouth. I knew most of the songs they played and sang right along—quietly, of course. When Landon’s eyes met mine, I froze in my seat. It was almost as if he was singing to me and no one else was around. Surely that can’t be right. I’ve only met the guy twice.

  I’d always loved getting up on stage. The roar of the crowd was an addictive drug. Our little band started back in high school. We did it just for fun. We still played covers mostly, and I loved it. It was my escape from reality, getting lost in the rhythm and words of the songs.

  Tonight, my eyes seemed to want to be focused on the little auburn-haired woman sitting at the table below me. When I first saw her tonight, she was bent down on
the ground. I thought she had fallen or something, but when I stood up to get a better view, I knew she didn’t. She was helping Ms. Milly from one of her stumbles. We here in town were used to them. Ms. Milly had the clumsiest legs, but the best heart. We all helped her out.

  Seeing Sadie help Ms. Milly up was as cute as she was beautiful. I loved when a woman wasn’t above helping another human being. Watching Sadie have no reservations of helping a stranger up to her feet, I couldn’t help but gain a little soft spot for her.

  God, just the sight of Sadie had my heart beating faster. No other woman had ever made me feel this way, and I’d be damned if I let anyone see how much she affected me.

  Sadie was stunning in her short white shorts, tightass shirt, and boots. I knew every man in this bar saw it, too. And to hell if that didn’t make me want to kick all their asses. Not that she was mine. She would never be mine. I couldn’t do that.

  During our set, I couldn’t help but stare at her. I tried tearing my eyes away, but they always found her again. Seeing her singing to every one of the songs was hot.

  I really wanted to jump off the stage, pull her close to me, and just dance as I sang only to her. I wanted to feel her little body against mine. I knew I couldn’t keep looking at her, but when I saw several different guys coming up to her, I almost lost it.

  My blood began boiling in my veins. I knew they were asking her to dance, and I wanted to rip their heads off. The only thing that calmed me was watching Sadie tell each of them no. Each and every guy left with his tail between his legs, and damn it if that didn’t make me happy as a pig in shit.

  But that didn’t stop the guys from coming. They were flocking to her, causing her beautiful smile to fade. I could see from the stage Lauryn and Lainey were trying to help brush off the guys, but they didn’t seem to be getting the hint.

  Grabbing my beer from the floor, I took a sip, clearing my thoughts. “Everybody having fun tonight?” I looked around to all the whoops and hollers. “Well, as most of you have already seen, we have a newbie in town who’s joined us tonight.” I stared down at Sadie.

  Her eyes widened and mouth gaped open. I could see that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, but it was already in motion. “Sadie, can you stand up?” Sadie’s eyes narrowed at me, but she reluctantly stood and gave a small wave.

  I smirked, which seemed to tick her off more. The hollers from the guys were deafening, and I wanted to slug each one.

  “Now, I know you guys out there want to dance here with Sadie, I mean who wouldn’t, right.” I paused for the hollers to die down.

  “Well, she has promised me her first dance. So, all you guys stop bothering her, and let her enjoy the show. She isn’t breaking her promise.”

  Sadie’s face grew red. I didn’t know if she was pissed or embarrassed. I was hoping for the latter. I just wanted to help her out of this, or she would be hounded all night.

  And I would love to feel her body pressed against mine. It was a bit selfish, but also beneficial to her, too. Right?

  “All right, let’s finish this show so I can get my dance.” I winked as Sadie sat.

  The rest of the set went by in a blur. The main thing I noticed was not one man went up to Sadie after my little speech. Damn right! Hopping off the stage, I headed straight for Sadie. I leaned into her ear and whispered, “You owe me a dance.”

  “I don’t owe you anything.”

  “Come on. You don’t wanna disappoint all the guys here who think they have a shot?”

  “No guys have a shot. None.” She glared at me.

  I couldn’t help but smile. She was too damn cute when she was pissed off.

  “It’s just a dance. No big deal. Come on.” I knew I was egging her on, but couldn’t stop. I hadn’t had this much fun with a woman in a long time. Women were always too easy, and it drove me nuts. Sadie saying no … well, it was entertaining.

  I saw Lauryn lean into Sadie and whisper something in her ear. Sadie glared at her and rolled her eyes.

  “Fine. One dance.”

  I held out my hand. She slid her delicate hand in mine. Pulling her to the dance floor, I could feel the eyes on us. Every guy there wanted to be me at the moment … tough shit for them.

  The music was slow, and I wrapped my arms around Sadie’s waist. Looking in her beautiful blue-grey eyes, I could see some indecision there. I’m not repulsive; I knew that. Sadie wrapped her arms around my neck. I pulled her closer to me, thinking she would resist, but she didn’t.

  “I won’t bite. I promise,” I said in her ear.

  “I won’t let you.”

  Her response made me smile. “Come on. Just have fun.”

  It took most of the song before she finally took my advice. Her body pulled closer to mine, and she rested her head on my shoulder. Having her wrapped around me was intoxicating. I inhaled her sweet smell of strawberries and vanilla. I kept inhaling not knowing if I would ever be this close to her again. I wanted this smell etched in my brain. I guess I liked torture.

  “You know as soon as we’re done, the guys will be all over you again,” I whispered in her ear.

  “No they won’t. I’m getting ready to leave.”

  “Why are you leaving so early?” It stunned me. I thought for sure she would stay a while.

  “I don’t like all the attention. It’s just best I go.” Her head still resting on my shoulder made each puff of breath she sent out of her mouth send sparks throughout my body.

  I needed to turn my body down, but it had a mind of its own.

  “I’ll tell you what. You stay. Stay by me, and I’ll keep them away.”

  Sadie pulled away from me, looking me in the eye. “Why would you do that?”

  Silly girl. “Because you are new, and you deserve to have fun. And I get the most beautiful woman here on my arm for the night. It’s a win all around.”

  “Thanks, but it’ll just be better if I go.”

  “Please stay.” Okay, yes, I was fucking begging. Damn it, I never beg, and here I was practically on my knees asking her to stay with me. I wish I could read Sadie’s mind. I would love to know the thoughts that were swimming around in there.

  She seemed to be thinking it over for a minute. “Only for a little bit, then I gotta go.”

  The smile spread across my face, and I felt as if I won a prize. “Great.”

  The song unfortunately ended, and Sadie stepped away from me. Sure enough, guys began to make their way toward us on the dance floor. I grabbed Sadie’s hand. “Come to the table with me and don’t let go of my hand.”

  “Why?” she asked, but she didn’t let go.

  “Why come to the table, or why hold my hand?”

  I was learning quickly that she was fun to tease.

  She glared at me. “Hold your hand.”

  “Because they’ll think you’re with me and stay away. They know better.”

  “What does that mean? They know better?”

  “They just do. Can we talk about this later before they all try and snatch you away?”

  “Ha. Ha. Let’s go.” Sadie kept ahold of my hand as we made our way to our table.

  Everyone was staring at us, except for Renzo who was smiling. I wanted to punch that smug look off his face.

  “Lauryn, can you move over one?” I asked.

  “Why?” Lauryn asked perplexed.

  “So I can sit by Sadie.” Duh woman … move it!

  Lauryn turned to look at Sadie. “You want him to sit by you?”

  “Yeah, for a few minutes then we gotta head out.”

  “I’m not leaving yet,” Lauryn growled.

  “I didn’t say right this minute.”

  “Fine. Whatever.” Lauryn moved down a seat.

  The conversation at the table could have been how everyone was abducted by aliens and wanted to take over the world. I had no idea. My eyes were on her. She was a true beauty, and the more she talked the more I wanted to know.

  I learned that she loved cheese fries smoth
ered in bacon. She was the same age as Lauryn, and she was waiting for her aunt to get back to start working at the boutique she owned.

  I didn’t talk much except for the occasional grunting and shaking my head at the men that had the balls to try to come up to Sadie. They retreated quickly.

  She mesmerized me. The more she talked, laughed, joked, and kept pulling me closer to her, the more I needed a break.

  “I’ll be right back,” I told Sadie in her ear. She just nodded.

  What in the hell had gotten into me? I needed to get away for a few minutes to clear my head. I couldn’t feel this pull toward her. I hadn’t felt this way for a long time, but that ended so badly, and I hadn’t ever been the same since. I came to the realization that I couldn’t give women what they wanted, so that was why I stuck to sex only.

  Heading back to the table, I was abruptly stopped by an arm on mine. Looking down, I saw Meg. Damn.

  “Hey Landon. Great show,” she purred.

  “Hey Meg.”

  “You wanna head out to your truck for a bit?”

  There was a time when I would say, “hell yeah,” but not when the smell of vanilla was pulling me. “No thanks. I gotta go.”

  Turning toward our table, my eyes locked with Sadie’s. Her eyes were vacant, like she had disappeared somewhere else. “Hey, you okay?” I asked, sitting next to her. She shook her head. I didn’t know if she was telling me no or shaking herself out of thoughts. I got my answer soon enough.

  “I’m fine. About ready to head out.”

  “What’s wrong?” Surely she wasn’t pissed about Meg.

  “Really nothing. Just …” She blew out a breath. “Several guys coming up to me … No big deal. I handled all of them. I’m just getting tired. Anyway, you have things to get to. You don’t need to be babysitting me.” Sadie tipped her head in the direction behind me. I knew she was talking about Meg.

  This was nuts. “Meg is an old friend—”

  Sadie cut me off before continuing. “You owe me nothing. Please don’t think you need to justify anything to me. Really, I’m just tired.”

  “I wish you’d let me explain.” Damn it, I was doing that begging thing again. If I could, I’d kick my own ass.

  “It’s fine.” Sadie nudged Lauryn. “You ready to go?”