My own touch isn’t enough.
“Need some help?”
My body jolts and my eyes shoot open. I nearly trip over a crate of lemons as I try to regain my composure.
How long has he been there watching me?
“You aren’t allowed back here.” My voice cracks on the last word.
He saunters towards me, a grin playing on those luscious lips.
“Do you want me to leave?” He moves with power, confidence, like he owns the place…like he owns me. “Say the word and I’ll walk away.”
I swallow hard, knowing what he’s offering, and knowing I’m in no position to handle it. But then, it’s only sex, and it’s been so long.
“If someone found you here, I’d lose my job.”
“No one’s coming back.” The certainty in his tone makes me wonder if he made sure of it. He leans into me, and the scruff on his cheek rubs against my jaw. “Tell me you don’t want me.”
“I...I don’t…”
His hands wrap around my waist, pulling me towards him, his hard erection presses into my belly. Even through the thick material, I can tell he’s big – huge.
My body molds to his and a chill races down my spine. A wave of arousal soaks my panties and I clench my thighs. I need this. Crave it.
I could let him take me. Here. Now. I’ve never done anything so brazen. No one-night stands. No sex with random strangers. But there’s something about him that has my defenses shattered.
Shouting from the other side of the doorway breaks the spell.
“I have to go.” I move past him quickly, pushing through the door, and ignoring look the raised-brow look Brit gives me.
“Get off me.” I know that voice.
Jax. All two-hundred and twenty pounds of muscle and tattoos pushes past the two, much smaller and seemingly terrified bouncers.
Shit, shit, shit.
This can’t be happening.
I think about ducking behind the bar, but his eyes lock on me, and I know there’s nowhere to hide.
He storms towards me, eyes glassed over and wild.
A coldness settles in the pit of my stomach. This is the danger I’m used to.
Damn him to hell. I need this job.
“Where is he?” Jax growls, pupils small pinpricks from whatever he’s using.
I move around the bar quickly, hoping to make as little a scene as possible, but already there are a handful of curious faces watching us.
“You can’t be here.” I clench my jaw, and try to pull him in the direction of the back, but he doesn’t budge.
“The little bastard stole from me. I want my money.” His hands wrap around my upper arm in a bruising grip. He leans down so that his hot breath warms my cheek, and growls, “And the drugs.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’ve got witnesses that saw your brother leaving my apartment this afternoon.”
Damn it, Drew. I love my brother, would do anything for him, but messing with Jax isn’t just stupid, it’s deadly.
“Whatever he took, I’ll pay you back.”
His mouth twists into a scowl.
“Damn right you will.” Blond hair hangs in greasy dreadlocks around his face. His eyes are sunken in, and there are lines around his eyes and mouth that make him look older than twenty-seven.
Drugs and alcohol destroyed the man I once cared about. Made him into the monster that stands before me now. I could forgive him if he hadn’t dragged Drew into his own personal hell.
“I had more than ten thousand dollars in that bag. Either the kid gets it back to me tonight–” He trails his finger down my throat. “Or it’ll be on both your heads. Understand?”
I don’t see Henry approach, but I can feel him. And I can tell Jax does too, because his grip tightens on my arm and his focus is momentarily redirected.
Even from a few feet away I can see the tension in Henry’s body. He’s taken off his jacket, and rolled his sleeves above his forearms. Everything about his stance says that he’s ready to fight.
Is he freaking kidding?
“Let go of the lady.” Henry’s voice is deep, commanding, and for a split second, Jax’s grip loosens.
“Lady?” Jax laughs, squeezing tighter. “She ain’t no lady, buddy.” He lowers his head and rasps into my ear, “Are you, darling?”
“Please. Just leave.” Despite the fear raging inside me, I’m able to keep some semblance of control to my voice, that is until I see Henry move towards us. He’s decided to play the white knight, which is a pretty stupid move, considering Jax outweighs him by a good thirty pounds. “Shit.”
Jax is eyeing him now. I’ve seen the look a hundred times. He’s ready and willing for a fight. And with whatever shit that’s he’s high on, there’s no saying how far he’ll take it.
“Walk away,” I warn. My words directed at Henry. “I can handle this.”
“You heard her, asshole.”
Instead of running, or at least backing down like any sane person would do, Henry rolls his neck, a slight grin curving his lips. “I heard her ask you to leave.”
“You know this clown?” Jax sneers.
“No.”
“Yes. And I suggest you take your hands off of her. Now.”
New fear builds inside me when Jax releases me.
A growl that sounds more animal than human rumbles in Jax’s throat, and I see the moment he decides to charge. He moves quickly. One large meaty arm snaps back preparing to strike. He’s going to kill him.
I cringe and close my eyes, unable to watch the train wreck that’s about to happen. I just pray Jax doesn’t do too much damage to the guy’s face. It’s a good face. A really good face.
Bar stools crash, people scream and there’s a series of grunts, followed by shouting and chaos.
My eyes are only closed for a few seconds, but when I open them, Jax is on the floor, barely conscious.
Holy shit.
The minute Henry’s eyes lock with mine, his lips twitch up in an arrogant grin.
Even though I try, I can’t look away. I’ve never been so annoyed, and so fricking turned on at the same time before.
My manager is screaming orders, and the two bouncers who were all but useless are trying to pick Jax up and maneuver him through the back entrance. If Jax was pissed before, he’s going to be hell bent on destroying me now.
I’m sure Tall, Dark, and Sexy had every intention on protecting me, but he’s just gone and made things a hell of a lot worse.
“You okay?” My unwanted hero strolls towards me, and I can tell by the look in his eyes that he expects me to fall to his feet and thank him. Not going to happen.
“I told you to walk away.”
Dark eyes lock on me, and I shudder at what I see in his gaze.
Irritation.
Concern.
Lust.
Yeah, this guy is definitely trouble.
“You should have minded your own business.”
“And let him hurt you?”
“He wouldn’t have hurt me.” Even to my own ears, the lie is unconvincing.
“He already did.” His knuckles caress the bare skin of my arm, where bruises are already forming.
For a moment I let my guard drop. Despite the warning bells going off in my head, there’s something about this guy that makes me feel safe, protected. A fool’s fantasy. No one can protect me, but me.
He’s a stranger. And there’s nothing safe about him. I shake my head and take a small step back, so that he’s no longer touching me, and swallow past the lump that’s suddenly formed in my throat.
“I can take care of myself,” I mumble.
“Not as well as I can take care of you.” The innuendo in his words isn’t lost on me. He leans down, not breaking eye contact. His voice is low and full of promise when he asks, “How long has it been since someone has taken care of you, Keeley?”
I shiver, every nerve in my body firing at once.
; “I have a perfectly good vibrator that works just fine.” Shit. Did I just say that?
His head tilts back and he laughs. Without warning, a muscular arm wraps around my waist, and his other hand snakes behind my neck, fingers twisting in my hair with just enough force to pull my head back so that I’m looking at him.
“Trust me, sweetheart. A vibrator is no match for the real thing.”
My body buzzes with anticipation, and I know he’s right.
“Come back to my place and I’ll show you.”
Yes. “No.”
There’s humor in his eyes. And I can tell he’s not about to back down. His type never does.
I need to get away from him before I do something stupid. I push against his chest, and with some hesitation, he releases me. The second our contact breaks, I regret pushing him away.
“You want me to thank you?” I glare up at him. “I’m probably going to lose my job because of you.”
As if on cue, my manager approaches. His eyes are bulging, cheeks bright red, and his forehead is shiny with sweat. I know before he says the words that my prediction is about to come true.
“You’re done.” He points a stubby finger at me. “Get your things and leave.”
I don’t even try arguing. What’s the point?
Instead, I turn all my pent up emotions on the dark-eyed devil in front of me, and with all the animosity I can muster, I bite out one single word, “Thanks.”
Chapter 2
Henry
A firm hand smacks my shoulder as the raven-haired little minx turns on her heels and stalks off.
“Nice left hook you got there.” Asher Harrison, my business colleague and soon to be brother-in-law, gives a few air punches in my direction. He’s been drinking steadily for the past four hours and he’s starting to get sloppy. “I used to box in college. We should jump in the ring sometime.”
I’ve never liked the man, but for Becca I’ve been trying to put my distaste behind me. That’s why I’m here tonight, at his so-called Bachelor party. Trying to be civil. It isn’t easy. The more time I spend with the guy, the more I get a gut-wrenching feeling that the bastard is nothing but trouble.
Speaking of trouble, I scan the club, searching for Keeley, but she’s disappeared.
Damn it.
Lush lips. Blue eyes rimmed with thick dark lashes. A sexy mass of black hair begging for a man’s fingers to tangle in.
Keeley. Even her name makes my cock hard.
The woman is gorgeous. But it’s more than that. Something I can’t put my finger on. The moment those irresistible eyes locked on me, I had the overwhelming urge to hunt, possess, and ultimately to make her mine.
She made it clear she isn’t interested. But I felt the way she trembled under my touch, saw her eyes widen in anticipation. She wants me, she just doesn’t know it yet.
I chuckle under my breath.
Challenge accepted.
There’s still a chance I can catch her before she leaves.
I feel like shit that she lost her job, but there was no way in hell I was letting that prick hurt her.
I’ve seen firsthand what low-level scum like that bastard are capable of.
The room suddenly feels smaller as unwanted memories and regrets tighten my chest.
Abby.
It hits me suddenly. Like a fucking sledgehammer across the head. That’s who Keeley reminds me of. Shit. I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes, seeing the two women in my head. Abby was blonde, with a slighter, more fragile build. But the similarities are there, in the delicate bone structure, the large, almost haunting blue eyes.
No wonder I reacted so possessively.
“I have to be in the office early tomorrow.” I grab my jacket from the barstool, needing to clear my head.
“Don’t go.” Asher’s arm flings over my shoulder, causing the amber liquid to slosh over the rim of his glass. “We’re heading to The Doll House. Come with us.”
If I weren’t repulsed by his suggestion, I’d probably laugh. It’s the same strip club Keeley mentioned earlier. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the female form. Hell, I fucking worship it. But I’m not into paying someone to take their clothes off.
I peel Asher’s arm off my shoulder. “I’ll pass.”
“Your loss, man.”
Leaving Asher with the group of clowns he came with, I stop the pretty, redheaded waitress that told me Keeley’s name.
“She’s gone. Left a few minutes ago.” The woman gives me a wicked smile. “But I get off in twenty minutes if you want to wait.”
Any other night I’d probably take her up on her offer, but not tonight. Not when both Abby and Keeley’s faces keep flashing across my vision like a fucking kaleidoscope.
I exit the club and wait for the valet to return my car, grateful for the cool sting of air as it hits my lungs. I can’t help but shake the feeling that I know her, and it’s more than just the similarities between her and Abby.
“Call me back as soon as you get this.” A woman’s panicked voice carries from the shadows about twenty feet away.
I blink, letting my eyes adjust.
Huddled in the corner, nearly hidden behind the large trash canister, her face glows from the soft light of her phone. Her shoulders sag, and she swipes at her cheeks almost angrily. Jeans and an old sweatshirt have replaced the silver sequenced dress, and a pair of Nikes for the stilettos, but even in the darkness I can tell it’s her.
What the hell is she doing out here alone?
“Sir.” The valet is standing beside me, hand outstretched. My Audi R8 humming like a beautiful symphony behind him.
I place a twenty in the valet’s hand, and tell him to wait, knowing something is wrong even before I see the shadow that stalks towards her.
Fuck.
Fury boils in my veins when the hooded figure reaches out and grabs her shoulder.
It takes me mere seconds to reach them. This time I don’t wait. I just react. I shove him against the wall, momentarily stunned when I realize it isn’t the same man that threatened her in the club.
The kid’s hand goes up in surrender, and in the dim light I can see that he’s scarred shitless.
“Let him go.” Keeley smacks at my arm, shouting obscenities that would make an Irishman blush.
“He attacked you.”
“I was just coming out to give her, her tip money, man,” the kid says, braces flashing in the dim light.
I drop my hands and take a step back.
“What’s wrong with you?” Keeley shouts, shoving at my chest.
“Sorry. I thought…” I run my hands through my hair and exhale heavily.
Keeley glares at me, then takes the small roll of bills from the man’s hand. “Thanks, James.”
“You going to be okay?” James gives me a sideways glance, and I can see in his eyes that he’s praying she says yes.
Keeley sighs, shoving the money into the side pocket of her black backpack. “I’ll be fine.”
He nods, then scurries back in the direction he came from.
She turns on me, blue eyes blazing with anger. “You’re stalking me now?”
“I thought you were in trouble.”
“You thought wrong.” She pushes past me.
I can’t explain the tension in my body as I watch her walk away.
“Stop.” The command comes out more like a growl than a word.
She goes still, but I can see from the strain in her shoulders that she’s fighting whether to run or stay.
I move towards her, and a small shiver goes through her body when I turn her to look at me.
She feels it too. The unmistakable energy between us.
When she looks up at me with those big blue eyes, I know I’m screwed. My fingers itch to touch her, to fuck away the pain I see etched in that beautiful face.
I know I shouldn’t give a damn, but I can’t help the overpowering need to protect her.
“I have to go. I have to get home.
” Her voice cracks at the end, betraying her distress.
“I’ll drive you.” I nudge her chin up with a finger, forcing her to look at me, my mouth a breath away from her lips. I could kiss her, and I know she’d respond, but I also know she’d run afterwards.
She chews on her bottom lip, studying me, waging an internal battle I can’t decipher.
Her long dark hair has been pulled up into some kind of knot on the top of her head. My fingers glide over her cheek, then down her neck, toying with a silky strand of hair that’s come loose from her bun.
Her cell buzzes and her gaze drops, brows furrowing as she reads the new text message.
“Everything all right?”
“Yes.” She looks up at me, giving me those big blue eyes. Eyes that are now filled with uncertainty. “Fine.”
I can tell she’s lying.
A barrage of emotions hit me. I want to curse her for affecting me like this. But I can’t help the voice that screams inside my head.
I need to keep her safe.
“Come on. I’ll take you home.”
She has no reason to trust me, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to leave her out here alone. She’s coming with me whether she likes it or not.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she nods.
Some of the tension leaves my body.
I guide her by the elbow to the passenger side door, opening it for her.
She seems suddenly subdued, almost fearful, and it worries me. Something in the text has set her off.
The logical part of my brain reminds me that I barely know her, that she isn’t my responsibility. But the Neanderthal part beats its chest, ready to fight anyone who dares threaten her.
I curse under my breath, knowing which one has already won.
Chapter 3
Keeley
My head is spinning and I’m trembling uncontrollably as I get into the car.
Drew’s text was clear. Don’t go home. Don’t try to find me…I’m sorry.
Anger overrides the fear I know I should be feeling. Anger at Drew, at Jax, even at the stranger who’s done nothing but try to protect me tonight.
What is it with men being self-centered, narcissistic assholes?
I blink back tears and clench my teeth. I won’t cry.
Melting Steel: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 2