by K. C. Crowne
Suddenly, a white heat came over my mind. I wasn't scared any more, I was mad as hell. With all my strength I kneed him as hard as I could in the balls and he instantly crumpled and fell to the floor. But it did nothing to subdue him. If anything, it just made him madder.
“You bitch! You fucking bitch! You’re going to be sorry!”
He was on his feet in a split-second and lunging at me. I took off, running toward the crowd as fast as I could. As long as I could just be near people. If only people could see what was happening, then they could put a stop to him.
“Get back here!”
“Stay away from me!”
His hands were on the back of my shirt, yanking me toward him.
"Ruby!" I called through the crowd, but she was still singing along to the music, completely unaware of the drama unfolding just a few feet away.
I screamed for Alan, but he had his head down pouring a series of shots along the bar. My voice dissolved into the music as I called out and it seemed that although I was surrounded by people, no one was noticing what was going on. From the distance, it probably looked like little more than just a lover's tiff, just two people drunkenly arguing.
"You're coming with me," Billy said in my ear as he pulled me close to him.
I could smell the sweat on his skin, could smell the vodka on his breath.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!"
"You don't have a choice."
I tried to shake him off, tried to hit him to release his grip on me. But it was like his anger clouded his senses, and he couldn't feel a thing. Despite digging in my heels and struggling against his grasp, I could feel him drag me toward the door.
"Let go of my fucking arm! Billy, you're hurting me!"
"Hey! What's going on?"
A voice pierced the music, and before I knew it, there was a body coming between us.
"Get your fucking hands off of her."
I looked up and saw a light glowing around the head of my savior like a halo.
"Jared!"
"Is this guy giving you trouble?"
"Yes, he’s trying to make me leave with him."
"It's none of your fucking business," Billy raged. "I'm just taking my girlfriend home. She's had a bit too much to drink."
"I'm not your girlfriend anymore, you psychotic asshole!"
My eyes pleaded with Jared's and in that moment, as our gazes connected, I knew he understood and had my back.
"Look, just take your hands off her now," he said to Billy.
"Or what?"
"Or I’ll disconnect them from your arms."
"Is that a threat?"
"You're goddamn right that's a threat."
Only now did Billy let me go, but only to push himself into Jared in a pathetic display of machismo. Billy was a big guy, but he was no match for Jared. As he squared up to him, he was a full six inches shorter, and his muscles dwarfed in comparison to Jared's.
"Get your fucking nose out my business!" Billy yelled, shoving Jared in the chest.
Jared had remained calm until then, but as Billy made the first move, his feathers became officially ruffled.
"Wrong move asshole."
Like lightning, he threw a punch and his fist crunched into Billy's jaw in an uppercut that sent him staggering backward into the jukebox before sliding down onto his ass. The crowd parted as he fell, people gaping and gasping as he landed in a crumpled, unconscious heap.
Right then, I couldn't believe I'd been so afraid of the lifeless rag doll that lay in front of me.
"Are you okay?" Jared asked, laying a hand on my shoulder.
“I am now,” I breathed, feeling a sense of relief wash through me.
Jared squeezed my shoulder a little tighter and gave me a reassuring smile. Inside, a little explosion of warmth flooded my stomach. I was well and truly fucked.
Jared
After the commotion inside, the barman, Alan had emptied out the jukebox and handed at least twenty bucks to Megan as some sort of compensation.
"Keep meaning to get the machine fixed," he said. "And a new bouncer too. That asshole should never have let Billy in here."
"It's okay," she said, waving him back inside. "He'll know better than to come back now."
"Yeah, well you're lucky that tonight of all nights we had a hero at the bar," Alan replied, reaching out to shake my hand. "You really did us a service tonight."
"It was nothing. I couldn't have lived with myself if I didn't step in."
He shook my hand again, more vigorously this time, then ventured back inside the bar leaving the two of us shivering as the snow began to fall.
Her hand was shaking as she held her purse, but I wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from the shock of the fight.
“Thank you,” she said, her breath coming out in puffs on the frigid air. “I'm not a violent girl, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy you swing a punch at that piece of shit. He's had it coming.”
“He said he was your boyfriend?”
“As of two days ago he's my ex,” she explained.
“He been giving you a lot of trouble?”
She gave me a look that said, don't even go there.
“Do you want me to drive you and your friend home?” I asked. “It's getting late.”
“No, it's fine. We'll call a cab,” she said, shaking her head and stuffing her hands into to pockets.
“I insist,” I said. “I can't let you go home alone.”
“No, really we're fine.”
“I'm taking you home and that's that.”
She smiled and glanced away, her cheeks red and rosy from the cold. Even inside her oversized padded coat she somehow looked glamorous.
From the main door, the sound of giggling girls burst out of the bar as a group of college chicks drunkenly spilled out into the street. One of them was wearing a dress so small it looked like it she’d left half of it at home.
“Hey! It's Jared!” one of them yelled and waved over at me.
They all shrieked and cooed, and I cringed at them.
“Hey, wanna come party?” a petite blonde with her ass hanging out of her dress yelled.
“No, I'm fine,” I said, waving a hand dismissively.
“Aw, come on! Free drinks for the hero!”
“No. Really. You girls have a good night now.”
“Aaawww!” an obnoxious redhead whose fake tan had gone streaky down the backs of her legs moaned. “Don't be such a party pooper. Why won't you come with us?”
“Because I got a better offer,” I said and turned my back to them. “Jesus,” I said to Megan. “What a rough bunch.”
“Not your type?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What? Easy and orange? I think the fuck not.”
She laughed, her face lighting up as she did. It was the first time since I’d stepped in between her and her asshole ex that she'd relaxed, and her blue eyes shone in the dim light, the only hint of color in the dull darkness.
“Hey! I've been looking all over for you,” came a voice that pierced through the drunk girls' shrieking.
We looked over to see Megan's friend slipping out the bar while pulling on her leather jacket.
“Where did you go?” she asked. “I've been looking everywhere for you.”
“Sorry, I needed some fresh air,” Megan explained.
She wrapped herself up tighter inside her coat until all could see was her pink nose shining out from the fur of her hood. I had the strongest urge to lean in and tap it, but I didn't entirely trust her not to bite my hand off.
“Hi,” her friend said, standing between us. “I don't believe we were properly introduced. I'm Ruby.”
“Jared,” I said, shaking her icy hand.
“I know who you are. Everyone does.”
She giggled and twirled her hair nervously.
“So, it really is getting late,” Megan reminded us. “We should probably get going. I've got to be up for work in a few hours.”
“No worrie
s,” I said. “My truck's just around the corner. Are you far from here?”
“Not too far. Just a few blocks,” Ruby replied. “You coming in for a night cap?”
“He's not,” Megan chimed in. “He's just driving us home.”
Ruby looked mildly disappointed, but not as much as I felt. Leading them around to the truck, I unlocked the doors and cranked the heat up as I climbed in.
“Wow, this thing’s a beast!” Ruby said as she pulled herself up into the back seat.
“Well it takes a beast to climb Renfrew Peak,” I said, turning the keys in the ignition.
Beside me, Megan warmed her hands against the heater and shivered.
“So it's true?” she asked, her breath clouding in front of her face. “You really live up that mountain?”
“Only halfway up.”
“Seriously? That's still further than most people have been. I've always wanted to climb it.”
“You should. I can show you the track I take when I go out hunting,” I suggested.
“You hunt?” Ruby gasped from the back seat. “As in actually killing an animal?”
“Yeah, I even eat them too.”
“Eeew!” Ruby grimaced.
“That's actually pretty cool,” Megan said. “You're a real bonafide mountain man.”
She pointed out the window to a nearby turnoff and said, “Ruby's apartment is just right here by the way.”
I parked out front and looked up at the apartment building. This area was the nearest thing little Station Springs had to a hipster neighborhood. Which I suppose made sense as to why Ruby lived there. She looked like the kind of girl who brewed homemade kombucha and made organic hummus.
“Thanks,” Megan said as she looked into the back seat.
She was signaling something with her eyes to Ruby, and the next thing I heard was the click of the back door opening.
“Thanks for the ride,” Ruby said. “Catch you later.”
She slid out of the truck into the snow, then disappeared up the path toward the building. We watched her loiter around the hallway just inside the door, fumbling in her bag for her keys. Beside me, Megan made no attempt to leave just yet.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “Not just for the ride home, but for Billy too.”
“Hey, I was just being a gentleman.”
“I don't really care for chivalry,” she replied, pulling her hands away from the heater and thrusting them inside her sleeves. “I usually sort my own problems out.”
“Hey,” I said, reaching out to touch her arm. “There's no shame in needing help now and again.”
She looked down at her lap. I could tell she was really shaken up by what happened but didn't want to admit it.
“I should really get inside,” she sighed, reaching for the door handle. “I gotta catch some sleep before I go to work tomorrow.”
But I didn't want to let her just leave.
“Think we can maybe, you know, meet up sometime?” I asked. “No pressure. Just a coffee and a chat if you want.”
She tightened her hood around her head as she braced herself against the cold.
“But of course, you don't date patients,” I reminded myself.
“I suppose if we were to run into one another at the coffee shop one day, it wouldn’t be a date would it?”
I was so shocked at the suggestion that I couldn’t think of a quick enough response.
“See you around,” she said, and pushed open the door.
“Wait! Give me your phone.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I want you to call me if that asshole ever comes near you again, you got it? I wouldn't think twice about flattening him again.”
She handed it to me, and I quickly typed in my number.
“I think you have a knight in shining armor fantasy,” she said, returning her phone to her pocket with a cheeky grin. “Goodnight,” With that she leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.
She jumped out of the car, her white coat dissolving into the snow. I watched her as she jogged up the path to the main entrance of the apartment building. It amazed me that even after a few beers, she still managed to look graceful running through the snow while most girls looked like yetis.
As she reached Ruby in the doorway, she turned around and gave me a wave. I waved back and she disappeared out of view. As I turned back to the road, I could still feel the tingle of her kiss on my cheek. And as I looked in the rear-view mirror, I noticed my cheeks were red.
You've never blushed in your life before. What's got into you?
I turned the truck around and made my way toward Renfrew Peak. I felt like a schoolboy again with my first crush.
That girl was going to be the death of me.
Megan
After Jared had dropped us off at Ruby’s, we made a quick run to pick up the dogs at my house before going back.
"Come give Mommy kisses," Ruby said to her cats as they swarmed around our ankles as we entered her apartment. As soon as my boys strolled in behind me, Ruby was forgotten in a fit of hisses and barks.
I erupted into an explosion of sneezes and felt my eyes water already.
"Aw, fuck. I forgot to grab the Benadryl.”
"Take the spare bedroom," she said. "It's the only room the cats aren't allowed because it's where I grow my chives and wheatgrass. It gives them upset tummies and..."
I tuned her out. Right then I didn't give a shit about her cats' tummies. All I cared about was the way my lips had felt on Jared’s cheek.
What the hell were you thinking?
"You okay?" Ruby asked, waving a hand in front of my face. "You're all spaced out."
"Just had a crazy night. I need to get some sleep."
"Don't wanna stay up for one last drink?"
"No thanks. I'll catch you in the morning. I'll be up bright and early to make pancakes for breakfast."
"You better not skip on the chocolate sauce."
"When do I ever do that?" I laughed and opened the door to the spare bedroom, ushering my dogs in with me.
It was the only room in the apartment that wasn't covered in cat hair. It was, however, filled with plants with every surface covered in some sort of herb. I’d probably be up all night trying to keep the damn dogs from eating something they shouldn’t.
"Jesus Christ it's like the Little Shop of Horrors in here."
"You'll get used to the smell of the Rosemary beside the bed," she assured me, but I doubted it.
She hung up her coat and cranked the heating up to tropical temperatures, pressing her hands against the radiator.
"By the way, Megan?" she said, rubbing her hands together.
"Uhuh."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
She lowered her head and leaned against the wall. At her feet, her cats mewed and pressed their heads against her shins.
“I shouldn't have left you alone,” she said. “I should have known Billy would turn up again.”
"It's fine," I said. "There was no way you could have guessed he would have done that."
"Suppose not. But I still feel like shit.”
“Well, you shouldn't. You did nothing wrong. Anyway, I better get to sleep, otherwise I'll feel like death in the morning.”
She gave me a weak smile and said, “Me too. Although I need to feed these little fellas tuna before bed time.”
I gave her a quick hug goodnight while trying to get Rolo and Rueben to settle onto the floor next to the bed.
I closed the door and lay back on the bed.
"What a fucking night."
Looking over at the clock, I saw I could get four hours sleep if I was lucky, but I wasn't tired. As I peeled off my clothes and lay beneath the covers, all I could think of was Jared.
I never was into blood sports, and the idea of violence always repulsed me, but I had to admit that seeing Jared hit Billy gave me a little thrill of excitement that came from some primal, primitive part of my brain. He wa
s the first man to ever protect me like that. The first to want to fight for me.
Then there was the way he looked at me afterward, like he actually cared about me. Billy had never looked at me like that. Nobody had. I lay staring up at the ceiling thinking about the feel of his skin against my lips and how his eyes were dancing when I said goodbye.
There was a spark between us like nothing I had felt before. Like nothing I knew existed. I felt giddy with excitement when I thought of him.
What the hell is wrong with you? You're acting like you've just met a guy for the first time in your life!
But that was how it felt. I'd known Jared was attractive from the first moment I'd lay eyes on him, but now I could see beyond his looks to the protective, strong, and gallant man he really was. And the way he dismissed those young girls as though they were nothing...
Most guys would have reveled in their attention, would have been at their heels at the promise of a party, but he couldn't have looked less interested if he’d tried. Maybe I'd gotten him all wrong. Perhaps he wasn't the egocentric hotshot with a God’s gift complex I thought he was.
Closing my eyes, I tried to recall the feel of his stubble, tried to remember the way he tasted and the smell of his skin. I thought about where his lips could go and imagined them on my neck, dusting the tops of my collarbones, moving down toward my chest.
I imagined his hands drifting down to my waist to pull me on top of him. Imagined the feel of his hard, muscular body against mine. My hand was unstoppable as it slid down beneath the covers between my legs.
It had been so long since I'd had the urge to touch myself, but now it felt as though I couldn't hold back for a single second. When my fingers slid into my panties, I was wet and slick already, the nub of my clit burning hot and desperate to be rubbed.
Running the fingertip of my middle finger around it in a circular motion, I felt my breath quicken and felt the need to spread my legs further apart and rub harder.
"Oh God," I breathed quietly beneath the covers.
I kept Jared in my mind as I pressed my fingers more firmly against my clit, wishing it was his tongue. If only I hadn't kissed him then said goodbye. If only I had stayed and kissed him harder. On the mouth. Torn the clothes from his body and given him the night of his life.