Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
It’s a cute blonde with big blue eyes, someone I’d have typically said was just my type, but tonight she leaves me cold. We’re not supposed to hook up with women while we’re on tour, but I know that’s not the reason for my lack of interest.
“Sorry,” I tell her, smiling but shaking my head.
She instantly releases me, her friendly expression changing to one filled with disdain. “Your loss,” she says, turning away.
“What the fuck?” Jordan sounds disgusted, and at first I think he’s surprised that I rejected the blonde, but then I realize he’s looking in the other direction. Colin’s looking too, mouth hanging open, and it takes me several long seconds to find the subject of their focus.
A tall man shifts to the side, and Brittany’s red hair stands out in the crowd. I think I must be imagining her, but a few more moments of observation confirm that it’s really her. And the tall guy standing next to her is sliding his hand over her shoulder, getting much too close to her chest.
What the fuck?
“Told you the boss lady was down to fuck,” Colin says. “Guess she had an itch and came out to find someone else to scratch it.”
Of course, Brittany can do and be with whoever she wants, but the sight of her with the stranger hits me like a sucker punch. I understand that being with us puts her job in danger, but did she have to run out and find somebody else immediately?
The guy she’s with has a meaty-looking face and slicked-back hair that must have required half a tube of hair gel. Is this the type of guy she’s into?
Jordan makes a disgusted sound. “I guess there are two sets of rules. We’re not supposed to go to a bar, but it’s okay for her?”
“In case you didn’t notice, we’re also at a bar, breaking the same rules she is,” Zane says. He’s the usual voice of reason, but he doesn’t look pleased about seeing Brittany with someone else either.
I have no business watching her, but I can’t look away. And it’s a good thing, because the more I watch, the more I notice that Brittany doesn’t seem all that into the guy. Much the opposite, actually.
When meat-face leans in, she shrinks back. He says something to her, and she shakes her head with an unmistakable firmness. The guy doesn’t back off, though. When he moves in closer, I go on alert. When Brittany gives him a shove, I push through the crowd with a single-minded vision, and I’m at her side in a flash.
The stranger’s hand is clamped around Brittany’s upper arm, and she’s telling him to let go, but I see it all through a red haze.
“Let her go. Now.” I give the asshole a firm shove, breaking his hold on her. Brittany isn’t just irritated by the guy; there’s genuine fear in her eyes, and a rage builds inside me that takes me by surprise.
“What the fuck are you doing?” the stranger says, pushing his chest out and getting in my face.
Jordan and Zane appear beside me. I didn’t need backup, but the realization that he’s up against more than one of us is enough to instantly change the stranger’s attitude. He puts his hands up and takes a step backward.
We’ve effectively formed a wall between him and Brittany. “Get the fuck out of here right now, or you’re going to wish you had,” I tell him. When I step toward him, backing up my threat, one of the other guys puts a hand on my shoulder.
“He’s leaving,” Zane says. He’s right, and I need to just let him go, even though I’d much rather put a dent in his ugly face.
As soon as the stranger disappears into the crowd, I spin around to check on Brittany. Colin has her in his arms, and I feel sick when I see the fear that still twists her features.
“It’s okay. He’s gone,” I tell her, sliding an arm around her trembling body. She’s so different right now than the Brittany I’ve come to know — so vulnerable and afraid — that it’s alarming.
“He got aggressive so fast,” she says, her voice shaky. “He was going to drag me out of here.”
Jordan takes one of her hands and covers it with his. “No way you’d have let that happen. You’d have pitched a fit and caused a scene, and the guy wouldn’t have made it two feet with you.”
She glares up at him, at first taking his words as an insult, but then she sees the admiration on his face.
“You’re a badass, Brittany. All we did is save you the trouble of having to deal with him,” he says.
“Normally, I am,” she says, still sounding shook, “and I’m typically a good judge of character, but I guess I’m off tonight. What are you all doing here, anyway?”