“But?” I said.
“But, and I say this not because there’s anything wrong with you, just an observation.”
“Yeah, yeah. Get to it, Mase.”
“You have dated a lot of guys, honey. And other than Brendon and Curt, they’ve never lasted more than two or three months.”
“Well, that’s because I loved Bren and Curt.”
“I know. I get it. But once you slept with them, you kind of went off them.”
“What?” I gasped. “I did not.”
“You waited to sleep with Curt for, what… nine months?”
I nodded.
“And your relationship lasted one year and two days, right?”
“Yes,” I grumbled.
“And with Brendon you ultimately waited a year, honey. That’s a long time for a guy to wait for something, especially when you’d already given him a little taste.”
“Well, I needed to know if I loved him.”
Macey squeezed my arm. “I’m not judging, honey. Just laying out the facts. You and Brendon lasted about two years, but in the end, you just weren’t ‘all that into him.’ That man moved mountains to make you happy, which I personally think was part of the problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“He got so wrapped up in everything Payton, he lost himself in the process. And that’s on him, by the way, not you.”
“So you’re saying I’m kind of a bitch?”
“No!” she rushed to say. “Not at all. Neither of them fought for you. When you dumped them, they just went away, even though I know for a fact they were devastated. But if they loved you as much as they claimed, why wouldn’t they fight? In the end, I just don’t think either of those guys were your soul mate.”
“And?”
“And I think Hawk might be.”
“Shut up!”
Macey smiled. “He’s known you for what, a week?”
“Yes.”
“And he’s figured you out, but not only that, he challenges you, which scares you.”
“No, he terrifies me,” I admitted.
“I know how you feel, honey. It was the same with me and Dallas. It’s frightening when someone knows you so well, they can ruin you.”
I chuckled. “Dallas would never ruin you.”
“I know, but we’ve known each other for a really long time… it’s far scarier when someone figures you out after a week. You don’t know Hawk well enough yet to know if you can trust him.”
“I can trust him,” I said. I knew that I could, without a doubt.
Macey grinned.
“Oh, shut up,” I grumbled.
“Just go with it,” she said. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“I can think of a lot of things.”
“If your heart gets broken, honey, you have a shit ton of people to put it back together. And if it doesn’t and you find the love of your life, then you’ve gained everything.”
She had a point.
“Ladies.”
I glanced up to see two men standing at our table. One blond, one dark-haired, both bearded and very Portland hipster.
“Would either of you like to dance?” the blond one asked.
“No thanks,” Macey said, and flashed her wedding finger.
“It’s just a dance,” he argued.
“No.”
“What about you?” he asked me.
“Not much of a dancer, but thanks anyway.”
“Come on,” the dark-haired man slurred. “One dance.”
Macey leveled both of them with a stare. “You sound drunk to me, and even if you weren’t, I don’t dance with anyone other than my husband, so I’d highly suggest you just walk away.”
The blond one scowled, but they did in fact walk away, and Macey and I went back to watching the other girls still out on the dance floor.
“I wish I liked to dance,” I admitted.
Macey giggled. “Me too.”
“I have to pee. I’ll be right back,” I said, and pushed my chair away.
“You need me to come with?”
“No, I’m good. Just watch the table and my purse.”
Macey nodded and I headed for the ladies room. I was washing my hands when the bathroom door opened and I glanced in the mirror to find dark-haired hipster guy stepping inside.
I grabbed towels from the dispenser. “You got the ladies’, buddy. Guys’ is next door.”
He closed the door and locked it. “I know what I got.”
I faced him after throwing the paper towels into the garbage can. “Are you serious right now?”
On one hand, I’d had very little to drink, was pretty damn good at defending myself, and fought dirty. My brother taught me a lot. On the other, I was wearing four-inch heels, a little black dress, and my purse with my pepper spray was back at the table with Macey.
This made me annoyed more than nervous, so I crossed my arms and leaned against the sink. “What’s your plan, big guy?”
“I’m gonna get what I didn’t get earlier,” he slurred.
“You want to dance,” I droned.
He sneered. “I did before, but now I want something different.”
The doorknob jiggled and then banging at the door had the guy a little startled. “Busy in here!” he bellowed.
“Payton?” Alex called.
I frowned. He wasn’t here… or at least, I didn’t think he was. I’d told him I’d text him when he could pick me up.
“Give me a sec,” I yelled back, and then focused on the drunk. “That’s my very protective boyfriend out there, so you have a choice to make. Either you head on out the door, or you’ll have to deal with me, then him.”
I realized fleetingly that I’d just referred to Alex as my boyfriend, but being a little busy at the present time, I decided to process that later.
Alex banged on the door again. “Payton, I’m gonna fuckin’ break down this door if you don’t open it.”
“I’m not really in a posi—”
I couldn’t get another word out as the guy lunged at me. I shifted, managing to shove him, but his elbow came up and whacked me in the cheek as he went down… and it hurt, damn it. Before I could make it to the door, it slammed open and Alex forced his way inside, Booker behind him. Alex came to me immediately and pulled my hand away from my cheek. His face contorted with rage. “What’d he do?”
“He hit me on his way to the ground,” I said, my eyes filling with tears from the pain.
“Okay, baby,” he said, and kissed my forehead. “I’ll take care of it.”
Booker had his knee on the jerk’s back and was shoving his head into the cold cement floor to keep him from moving. Drunk guy was squirming, but otherwise stuck where he was.
“Pay?” Macey peeked her head into the bathroom. “Ohmigod, what happened?”
“I’m okay,” I said.
“Go with Macey, baby,” Alex said, so I stepped around the man and into the hallway.
“Let me look,” Macey demanded and she felt around the cheekbone. “Sorry, honey,” she said when I grimaced. “I don’t think anything’s broken. Ice should help. I have an instant pack in my purse.”
“Of course you do.” I couldn’t help but smile. She was an amazing nurse and always carried a mini first-aid kit wherever she went. How she fit an icepack in her clutch, I have no idea. “Ow,” I breathed out. Smiling was apparently not the smart choice.
The pained squeal of my would-be attacker brought my attention back to the bathroom and I gasped. Alex had the man on the ground, his hand wrapped around the hipster’s neck.
“Alex, stop!” I demanded.
“Payton, get the fuck out of here,” Alex snapped.
Macey grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the door.
“He’s going to kill him,” I said, and tried to pull my hand away.
“He’s not going to kill him, honey,” Macey said. “But you probably don’t want to watch what he’s more than likely going to do
to him.”
“I had everything under control,” I argued.
“You can have that discussion later. Right now, Hawk needs to do what he needs to do.”
My face was hurting from moving my mouth so I nodded and walked back to the table with Macey. She grabbed her purse, pulled out the little square icepack and squeezed it to activate the cooling magic, then placed it over my cheek.
Dani, Kim, and Bailey were laughing as they walked back to the table, but their expressions grew serious when they saw me.
“What happened?” Bailey asked as she sat next to me.
I filled them in and Dani shook her head. “Austin said nothing about staying, but I’m not surprised. I’m going to find him.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Macey countered. “They’re in the middle of dealing with the asshole.”
Dani sighed with a frown, but took her seat next to Kim.
* * *
“You fuckin’ touched my woman,” Hawk snapped as he dragged the asshole from the bathroom floor and slammed him against the wall. “Now you’re gonna deal with me.”
“I didn’t mean to hit her, man, it was an accident.”
Hawk and Booker had stayed out of sight in order to keep an eye on Payton and Dani without them knowing they were there. Hawk had watched the hipster douchebags stop at Payton’s table and almost walked over then, but the men had walked away before he did, so he let things be.
He’d been watching Payton as she walked to the bathroom, thinking nothing of it until one the guys that had been harassing her at the table walked in behind her and closed the door. Hawk made his way to the door, found it locked, and knew something was off.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Hawk turned to the sound of the male voice and recognized the second of the table douchebags. “Your buddy attacked my woman.”
“What the fuck, Noah?”
“I didn’t attack her, Chris,” Noah squealed. “It was an accident.”
By now, the club manager had arrived, along with a couple of bouncers. Booker knew them, considering he ran Blush, so he dealt with them and the douchebag’s friend while Hawk took care of Noah.
“You’re fuckin’ hurtin’ me man,” Noah complained.
Hawk shoved him harder against the wall. “And what were you plannin’ on doin’ to my woman, asshole?”
“I just wanted to talk to her.”
“You’re a fuckin’ liar,” Hawk snapped.
Hawk forced himself not to kill the asshole, even though the second he’d seen Payton’s face, he wanted to. It wouldn’t work for him to go to jail.
“Mark’s guys wanna handle him,” Booker said after he’d stepped back into the bathroom.
“I wanna fuckin’ handle him,” Hawk snapped.
“Let Mark’s guys handle me,” Noah squeaked.
If Hawk hadn’t been so pissed, he probably would have laughed. After one more shove against the wall because he needed to inflict a little more pain, Hawk let Noah go. “Fuckin’ pussy. I ever see you near my woman again, I’ll fuckin’ kill you. Hear me?”
Noah nodded and Hawk released him. Mark ushered Noah out of the bathroom and Hawk dragged his hands down his face.
Booker frowned. “Let’s go outside, brother.”
Hawk studied him for a minute and then nodded. It wouldn’t be a good idea for Payton to see him like this, and the fresh air might calm him down. Booker led him out the back door and Hawk paced the alley. “Fuckin’ bastard.”
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out and read the screen.
*Headache from hell, would like to go now.*
Hawk frowned, his worry for her concerning. “Payton wants to go home.”
“I can take Macey if you need some time,” Booker offered.
“Payton’s stayin’ with her tonight, so I’ll take ’em.”
Booker nodded and headed toward the door.
Hawk followed. “Thanks for havin’ my back, brother.”
Booker gave him a chin lift and then they headed back to the table.
* * *
The ice was warming and my cheek was throbbing, and a splintering pain was shooting through my head. To say I felt somewhat wrecked and pathetic was an understatement.
“You ready, baby?”
I glanced up to find Hawk holding his hand out to me, his face impassive, but his eyes anxious. I nodded and let him pull me to my feet. He didn’t say anything as we headed to the truck, Macey following, but I could feel his edginess as he helped me into the truck and closed the door.
He drove us back to Macey’s, still saying nothing. Macey was also quiet, but probably because she was texting furiously behind me. I assumed she was filling Dallas in on the evening.
Alex drove into the garage and parked the truck. He glanced at me and then frowned.
“Why don’t you come up, Hawk?” Macey said.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yep. You guys need to talk.”
“Thanks, babe.” Hawk climbed out of the truck, helped Macey out, and then came to my side, pulling open the door.
I smiled, forcing myself not to grimace at the pain in my cheek. “Are you mad, Alex?”
He frowned. “Not at you.”
“I’m okay.”
“He fuckin’ hit you, Payton.”
I wanted to point out again that it had technically been an accident, but the fact he’d been in there for nefarious reasons to begin with, my argument didn’t really make sense. Instead, I stroked Alex’s cheek. “I know, but I’m okay.”
He shook his head and wrapped his arms around me so he could lift me out of the truck. I settled my hands on his shoulders as he lowered me to the ground and he stared at me for a few seconds before scowling and slamming the truck door shut.
We followed Macey upstairs and into the apartment. Macey closed and locked the door behind us and smiled at me. “I’m going to call Dallas. There’s beer in the fridge and you know where the wine is, Pay. Help yourself.”
“Thanks, Mase.”
She left the room and I set my purse on the kitchen island. “Beer?”
“Yeah, babe, thanks.”
I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and Alex took it from me before I could open it. He twisted off the cap and took a swig. I opened the freezer and grabbed an icepack, then found Macey’s stash of ibuprofen and took two.
Before I could lay the icepack against my cheek, Alex hissed, “Fuck me.”
“Is it really that bad?” I asked.
“Yeah, babe, it’s pretty bad.”
I stepped into the foyer and glanced in the mirror hanging on the wall. Yeah, that was gonna leave a mark. I sighed and settled the icepack against my cheek again. Alex was watching me as I walked back to the living room, his body locked, his expression one of concern… no, not concern. Rage.
I gave him a little smile and his expression softened as he held his arm out to me. I slid into his embrace and wrapped the arm I wasn’t using to hold the ice around his waist.
“I wanted to kill him.”
“I’m picking up on that,” I said.
He stroked my healthy cheek and then kissed me gently. I smiled against his lips. “As much as I want to stand here and keep doing this, my feet are killing me. I have to get these shoes off.”
Alex nodded and I flopped onto the sofa. As I leaned down to take care of the shoes, he knelt on the floor and did it for me, guiding my feet to his lap after he’d sat next to me. We sat in silence for several minutes as he massaged my feet. By the time the icepack had warmed, my eyes were drooping and I was biting back several yawns.
“I should probably go,” he said.
I nodded, but had to admit my heart was a little broken. I didn’t want him to leave.
“What time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?”
“I don’t have anything planned, but if it’s before ten, you may die.”
He chuckled. “Noted.”
I s
lid my feet from his lap and stood, dropping the icepack on the coffee table. Alex was quiet as I walked him to the door, but he kissed me so I didn’t much care.
“Club get together tomorrow night. Wanna come?” he asked after breaking the kiss.
I smiled. “With you?”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Yeah with me.”
“Possibly. I’d like to see how bad this looks before I venture into a social setting.” Rage crossed his face again and I laid a hand on his chest. “Sorry.”
“I might still kill him.”
“Not that I’m complaining, but what were you doing there to begin with?” I asked. “I thought you were leaving the club?”
“Never said that, babe.”
“You kind of implied it when you dropped us off and said to text you when we were ready and then you drove away,” I countered.
“Yeah. I parked. Then I came in, sat with Booker, and waited.” He slipped his hand to my neck and squeezed. “If I hadn’t been there…”
“I could have handled it.”
“He fuckin’ hit you, Payton!” he snapped.
“That part was an accident, honey. It happened when he was on his way to the ground. My brother and Dallas have taught me and Macey to defend ourselves, and the guy was so drunk, he could barely stand.”
He frowned. “Fucker.”
“Yes. Definitely.” I smiled. “But I really was okay. Not that I totally don’t appreciate you breaking in all bad ass and such.”
“Bad ass and such?” Now he smiled and I melted. A hard-won smile from Alex ‘Hawk’ James was better than anything on the planet… at least what I’d experienced so far.
I giggled. “You’re kind of sexy when you’re defending my honor.”
“There’s a spare bedroom here, right?”
“Yes.” I wanted nothing more, but I bit my lip and shook my head. “But, no.”
He chuckled. “Okay, baby. Reprieve for now. Get some sleep and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I grinned up at him. “Call me when you get home.”
“Greedy.”
I nodded and his mouth covered mine for the best goodnight kiss I’d ever received. I wished to God Macey wasn’t in the apartment right then, because I would have dragged him back to the spare room and showed him just how greedy I was.
Road to Redemption Page 7