Running Away (Finding Your Place Book 2)

by Rebecca Barber

  Mia: Not a lot. You?

  Derek: Heading to work.

  Mia: Have fun with that.

  The disappointment that flooded me was undeniable and slightly annoying. I shouldn’t feel disappointed. Derek and I had made no promises to each other. I did want to see him again, though. Preferably soon.

  Derek: Come say hi.

  The message knocked the wind out of me. It was like he took the words right out of my mouth.

  Mia: Aren’t you working?

  Derek: So?

  Derek: Just means, you know, you won’t have to wait in line outside.

  Mia: There is that.

  Derek: So, you’ll come?

  Mia: ???

  I hated clubs. I never went unless I was forced to, usually by Josie. I couldn’t go by myself. I might have found some balls lately, but I wasn’t there yet. Without giving myself time to talk myself out of it, I shot messages off to Josie, Kenzie, and Zoe. If I could get one to come, then I’d go. I needed a wingman, and any of them would do.

  Forcing open the sliding doors on my wardrobe, I groaned when it caught. Looking through the piles of clothes bursting on every shelf, I regret my choice. How could I go out? I had nothing to wear. A secret wave of hope flushed through me at my phone’s silence.

  “Thank god,” I huffed, throwing myself on my bed like a five-year-old who didn’t get her way.

  The words came out too soon.

  Kenzie: I’m in. I’ll drive. Pick you up in an hour.

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

  Kenzie knew me well. Too well. She’d managed to make sure I had no out even though I’d initiated it.

  Regretfully, I shuffled into the bathroom and slammed the door, harder than was probably necessary

  By the time I wobbled my way down the hall I could hear Kenz chatting happily with my mother. Never a good thing. Whenever those two got together, my life was inevitably scrutinized and assessed. They were both always on my side, always wanting nothing more than to see me happy, but I’d overheard enough conversations over the years to know they both worried that my whole life, hell, my whole world revolved around the gym.

  “Have you two figured out what my next move is?” I asked, stepping into view.

  Mum eyed me warily while Kenz’s eyes raked unashamedly up and down my body. I felt myself cringe under the scrutiny. I hated people looking at me. It was part of the reason I didn’t get dressed up. Part of the reason I didn’t go out.

  Shaking off the strange look that had covered her face, she said, “Yep.”

  “Care to enlighten me?”

  “Maybe. But let’s go. I’m guessing there’s a particular club you’d like to visit tonight?” Kenz winked at me and I poked my tongue out at her. She knew exactly where we were headed. There was no need to ask.

  “Not specifically,” I lied blatantly. Two could play at this game.

  “Fine. Be like that.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Mum kissed my cheek softly. “Have a good night, girls. Be safe.”

  “Always,” I promised as I wrapped my arm around her and hugged her tightly.

  Sliding into the front seat of Kenz’s car, I straightened my top and tugged it down, suddenly regretting my wardrobe choice. When I’d put it together I’d felt confident, sexy even. Now I couldn’t help but think I looked trashy and slutty.

  “Stop!”

  “Stop what?”

  “You look amazing, Mia. Derek’s a lucky guy.”

  By the time we pulled into a suspiciously empty parking spot just opposite the club, I thought I was going to be sick. I’d experienced butterflies in my stomach before, but this was beyond freaking ridiculous. Instead of being filled with nervous excitement, I was shivering with unadulterated terror. It was bullshit. I hated it.

  Glancing over, I could see two intimidating figures blocking the narrow door. Two hulking figures in black. I should have been wary, but their presence incited a sense of calm to wash over me. I hadn’t replied to Derek, to let him know I was coming. The truth was even now, sitting across from the club, I wasn’t sure I was going inside. I didn’t know if I could.

  “Mia, I know you’re not sure if you can do this, but you’ve come so far. It’s time to take the final steps. Derek’s a good guy. Take them with him.”

  I gave myself whiplash as I turned to look at her. Where the fuck had that come from? And more importantly, how could she possibly know if Derek was one of the good guys or one of the assholes? She barely knew him. Fuck, I barely knew him.

  “Don’t look at me like that. You know I’m right. When was the last time you were the one to suggest going out?”

  “Ummm…”

  “Exactly. He’s good for you. Just let it happen. Whatever it is, just let it.”

  “I-I-don’t…”

  Before I had a chance to object she was out of the car and standing at my door. Sucking in a deep breath, I counted to ten as I exhaled again before I mentally hitched up my big girl panties and climbed out. Without giving me a chance to chicken out, Kenz threaded my fingers through hers and led me across the street towards the door.

  I’d been expecting to see Derek standing there with a bored, intimidating, and serious expression on his face, but it wasn’t him. Instead it was two guys I’d never seen before and hoped I never did again. Their black polo shirts pulled across their massive barrel chests and clung to their biceps like a second skin. The one closest to me checked my ID and nodded me past. I caught a glimpse of a deep, dark tattoo winding its way down his arm, making him seem even scarier. Kenz dragged me inside. When a shot glass was placed into my trembling fingers, I determined to focus on the task at hand. I was here to have a good time with my friend. And if I was lucky, catch a glimpse of the man who haunted my dreams and invaded my fantasies.

  “Cheers!” Kenz squealed loudly, clinking her glass against mine, causing a few splashes of the clear liquid to overflow and trickle down between my fingers. Without thinking, I licked the sticky liquid from my drenched digits when I heard a groan so close to my ear. I felt the warmth against my neck.

  Closing my eyes, I tipped the glass up and poured the shot down my throat. It burnt the whole way down. It was the burn I needed. Breathing out, I turned to face the warm body pressed closely against my elbow. So very close.

  “You look good, Tinkerbell.”

  His voice was deep and raspy.

  His eyes were ablaze with something I hadn’t seen before.

  His shirt looked like it had been painted on. Painted by a very talented, very lucky artist.

  “Thanks,” I replied automatically, feeling my heart race inside my chest.

  “You never said you were coming.”

  “I never said I wasn’t, either.”

  “She got you there, Derek,” Kenz added, her voice reminding me she was there.

  Usually I wasn’t that bad of a friend. I hated those girls who ditched their friends the moment a guy glanced in their direction Those girls who found themselves with a boyfriend, suddenly forgetting about the women who picked them up after the last asshole left them in a pile, crying on the kitchen floor. There was something about Derek though, he made me forget myself.

  “She sure did,” he replied, his intense stare never breaking with mine.

  I don’t know if it was a minute, an hour, or a day that I stood there, my back pressed against the bar, my knees locked so I didn’t fall, lost in Derek’s presence. It was somewhere in that moment that I figured it out. It hit me like a freight train slamming into the side of my head. I wanted everything with him. Everything I’d been avoiding. Everything I’d been running from for so long. I realized I didn’t want to run anymore. For the first time in a long time, I just wanted to stand still. And I wanted to stand still with him.

  Dropping my gaze, I needed to break the connection. The truth was, I needed a moment to get myself together. Just a moment in time to take a breath. Squeezing my eyes shut, I sucked in as much air as I could and held the
breath. When I exhaled, I let myself look up and noticed a concerned look on Derek’s face. I watched as he reached out and wrapped his huge hand around my wrist, his thumb rubbing back and forth.

  “Don’t you have to work?” It came out in a rush, and I felt my cheeks burn with humiliation. I wish I’d had more to drink, then at least I could blame the booze for my embarrassment rather than just his presence alone.

  He quirked his lip. I hated that he was laughing at me, even if it was only on the inside. “I am working. Funny thing about my job, most people think it’s all about standing at the door looking scary and throwing drunks out. The part no one really understands, and probably the most important part, is making sure the patrons are having a good time. So, when I see two gorgeous women at the bar, I’m obliged to stop by and make sure they have everything they need to have a great night.”

  Then the shit head winked.

  I turned to look at Kenz, who couldn’t contain her amusement. Giggles burst from her lips as she flagged down the bartender and ordered more drinks. Thank fuck. If Derek was going to be looking like that, and be saying things like that, then I was going to need another shot. Or maybe more than one.

  “We do now.” Kenz laughed as she pressed another shot into my hand.

  This time I didn’t hesitate and I didn’t spill a drop. I tossed my head back and downed the shot, righting myself and wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.

  “You’re trouble,” Derek warned.

  “Maybe.”

  “Look, I’ve got to keep moving, but if you need anything, just flag down one of the guys and they’ll get me straight away.”

  Derek’s words wrapped around me like a warm hug, then so did his arms. Without warning or a chance to protest, I was crushed against his chest, and the scent I’d spent the last week wrapped in, the scent that was fading from my pillows and his jacket, which I may have worn whenever I was alone, was everywhere. “Have a good time, Tinkerbell. But remember, I’ll be watching.”

  His words boiled my blood and sent my body into overdrive. The only thing stopping me from climbing him like a monkey up a tree was the fact he was working. Glancing up at him through half closed eyes, I spotted the lust reflected there. Without another word, he placed a chaste kiss against my temple before vanishing around the corner into the sea of bodies writhing back and forth on the dance floor.

  “Fuck me! I think I need a cold shower,” Kenz exaggerated when I turned back to her.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Mia, I’ve known you a long time, and I know you’re not that stupid. That was fucking hot. Even my panties are a little damp just from the look on his face, so if yours aren’t, then we need to get you to a doctor.”

  “A doctor? Why?”

  “’Cause if you’re not all hot and bothered by that man, then there is something most certainly wrong with you.”

  I shook my head at Kenz’s crassness. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but for some reason I was. “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.” The words tasted like bile as they tumbled from my mouth. It was bullshit. I knew it. Kenz knew it. But Derek and I had been on one date. We’d chatted and flirted, but no promises had been made. Not even a second date committed to.

  “Fine then. You won’t mind if I make a move?” she asked as she pushed off the bar and headed in the same direction Derek had gone.

  “NO!”

  It was one of those moments that usually you only saw in movies. The pause between songs, when silence filled the bar. My protest came out embarrassingly loud and aggressive, causing everyone to spin in my direction to see what was going on.

  “Friends, my ass!” Kenz snickered before grabbing my hand. “Let’s dance.”

  Chapter 25

  Derek

  Pure. Fucking. Torture.

  I had never been more uncomfortable, more on edge, more desperate to slam the doors closed and kick everyone to the kerb than I was in that moment. I’d ducked into a dark corner near the bar where I could just watch everything completely unnoticed. The problem was there was only one thing I could watch. Only one thing I could see.

  A pixie with the most grabbable denim-clad ass I’d ever seen.

  She danced with wild abandon. Her arms were above her head, causing her tight black top to rise, exposing a sliver of skin my fingers itched to touch. Her hips bounced along with the beat and I was almost certain that if you watched my head, it was bouncing in time with her every movement. When she threw her head back and laughed, she looked even more beautiful.

  Dragging my eyes away, I scanned the club, relieved to see that everything was as it should be. It was a good thing. A very good thing. It meant I could focus on my stalking. For a few moments I watched, grinning like an idiot, and sipped my ice water, which should have been cooling my heated blood. It didn’t even make a dent. When a group of guys circled the girls, my hands clenched involuntarily.

  “You all right?” Mick asked, interrupting my possessive glare.

  “Yep.”

  “You know those two?”

  “Yeah.”

  “They’re cute.”

  “Yeah.”

  “They single?”

  I growled. I fucking growled. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t hold it in a second longer.

  Dragging my eyes from the scene in front of me, I noticed Mick for the first time. The asshole was leaning back against the bar, a wet cloth in his hands and a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. Smug bastard knew exactly what he was doing.

  “What time you finish tonight?”

  “Closing.”

  “You had a break?”

  “Nah, don’t need one.”

  “You sure? Pretty sure you look like you could do with a dance.”

  Mick winked at me, then looked at Mia and Kenz. The guys who’d moved towards them were closing in, their grabby hands outstretched. I knew what he was up to. Mick was doing his best to avoid me going all bullshit caveman and causing a scene. He’d only seen it once and made me promise he’d never witness it again.

  Gulping down the rest of my drink, I placed the glass on the edge of the bar and nodded in his direction before striding across the room, people parting like the Red Sea as I moved through them. When I made it to the girls, I shouldered one of the idiots out of my way and stepped directly behind Mia, my hands finding their place on her hips. She stilled beneath my grip, but the moment her eyes locked with mine, she relaxed and shuffled back until she was pressed tightly against me. Over her head, I saw the cheeky look Kenz shot us as I started moving in time with Mia.

  I didn’t dance. I was shit at it. I had two left feet and no rhythm. Usually my partners left with bruised toes thanks to my extreme clumsiness. But for some reason, dancing with Mia was as easy as breathing. With her back pressed against my chest, we ground together to the beat. When I eventually looked up again, I noticed smugly that her group of admirers had evaporated.

  “I’m going to run to the bathroom. You good here?” Kenz asked Mia.

  Mia looked torn. She wanted to go with her friend but the indecision in her eyes made my chest puff out.

  “I’ll-I’ll come,” she stuttered.

  Mia went to move from my grasp and reluctantly I let go. My fingers felt lonely without her warmth. With fascination, I watched as Kenz cupped Mia’s face in her hands and whispered into her ear. Even this close, I couldn’t hear their exchange, but I did feel the moment she groped around behind her, her tiny hands touching my thigh until she found my hands and pulled me forward, not letting go until my arms were wrapped tightly back around her waist. Without hesitation I stepped back into her space and settled my hands on her stomach, dropping my chin on her shoulder. Breathing her in, she smelt like heaven. It was like peaches and cream. My mouth watered. I couldn’t stop myself from pressing my starving lips against her neck. I glanced up and caught the wink Kenz shot my way as she moved away.

  It should have felt awkward, standing completely
still in the middle of the dance floor, people wriggling and worming around us. It didn’t. For a few long moments we stood like that and I couldn’t recall a more perfect moment. Catching Mick’s eye over the bar, I knew I was running out of time. Surely my break was almost over. I didn’t want it to end. Truthfully, I didn’t want to let go of Mia. I nodded my acknowledgement. I’d give myself five more minutes, then I’d get back to work. I had no intention of leaving Mia alone. When Kenz got back and I knew they were okay, I’d go back. I wasn’t moving a muscle before then.

  Turning in my arms, Mia looked up into my eyes. Everything else melted away. It was sappy and bullshit and all of the things that I’d made fun of others for, but I was completely fucked. This pixie had me by the short and curlys. I knew in that moment there was a conversation we needed to have. I wasn’t going to compete, and I sure as shit wasn’t going to share. Mia might not yet know it, but she was mine. There were no two ways about it. The only thing left to do was convince her.

  When she burrowed her head against my chest, it took every little bit of restraint and decency I possessed to not throw her over my shoulder, carry her out of here, and beat my chest as I went.

  “I need a drink.” Mia smiled up at me and it lit up my world. Fuck, I’d give her anything if she kept looking at me like that. It was damn addictive.

  Without a word, I led her to an empty corner booth and settled her in. Looking up, I caught Mick’s eye and made a few hand gestures. Without any fuss, two tall glasses of water and an amused Mick stood at our table.

  “Thanks, man.”

  I accepted the glasses and handed one to Mia, which she chugged greedily. My arm was still wrapped around her shoulder. At this rate, it might take the jaws of life to remove it.

  “How’d you score us a booth? I’ve been watching for one from the moment we came in but they’re always full.”