Chapter 3 Rick
RICK
TWO MONTHS AGO…
I walk into Grey’s and make my way to the bar. It’s packed tonight, which is not typical, and also not what I’m looking for when I’ve just got off work.
People say being your own boss is easy, but I’d guarantee none of those people have run their own landscaping and construction business.
I’m beat, and I need a beer. I find a stool and signal Brittany, the bartender. She gives me a nod and comes over with a full glass.
“You look worn to the nub,” she says, fluttering her eyes at me. Brittany’s had a crush on me since we first met. She’s nice enough but doesn’t do it for me.
We can be friends, sure, but nothing more. Something about her just doesn’t ignite that spark inside me. That spark I’ve been looking for that’s kept me an unmarried man at twenty-eight.
“Is that any way to talk to a man?” I ask, taking a sip.
“Oh, I can be nice…if you let me.” She leans in, showing her cleavage as if to test me again. I look away, and she sighs. “You seen Miss Victoria’s Secret yet?”
I frown. “Who?”
Brittany nods down the bar. I lean back, glance past two old guys, and my heart nearly stops. That’s when I see her.
Heavenly, stunning, gorgeous—none of these words even begin to describe her. She’s flawless, and I can’t wrap my mind around what in the hell she’s doing here.
“Is that…a wedding dress?” I say to no one in particular. I don’t know shit about wedding dresses, but I can tell the one she’s got on is expensive. Probably cost more than my truck outside.
“You noticed!” Brittany laughs. She’s mocking me. Insinuating that all I know about is dirt and gravel. She’s not far off.
Instantly, I hop off my stool and stride over to her.
Oscar, a regular at Grey’s and a real sleazeball, is coming onto her. My gut clenches along with my fist, but I push back the urge to lay him out.
“Look, all I’m saying is…give it a try. It might not be as unpleasant as you think—”
“Beat it, Oscar.” The anger in my voice is clear, drawing glances from a few others. I don’t know who this girl is, but she’s an angel, and Oscar has no right to even speak to her.
He looks at me through glassy eyes, then grabs his drink and walks over toward the pool tables.
I take his seat and stare at the hottest piece of ass I’ve ever seen. My vision literally blurs. The room spins, and I start to feel woozy.
My cock is rock hard in an instant, pulsing with desire. Every other person in the bar melts into the background as I lose myself in her innocent green eyes.
The dress shows off her shoulders, slim and delicate. Her collarbone is ornate and fragile. And the neckline is just low enough to hint at a perfect pair of young plump tits beneath.
I want her. I need her.
I should just snatch her up in my arms, drag her out, throw her in the back of my truck, take her home, and make her my own personal sex doll.
“You don’t belong here” are the first words out of my mouth. Her pupils dilate. Her lips part.
Slow down. Don’t scare her off.
“I’m—I’m sorry?”
“Gorgeous girl like you wearing a wedding dress that costs more than a car? What are you doing, running away from an arranged marriage or something?”
I’m joking of course, but the way she looks back at me in shock almost has me believing I might have just struck a nerve.
“How…how did you know?”
I catch a man to her left checking her out and give him a glare. He immediately turns away.
Yeah, that’s right, buddy.
“You’ve got a sense of humor,” I say to her. “I like that in a girl.”
“Oh, I’m not joking,” she replies, leaning in. Her perfume drifts into my nostrils, causing my cock to ache with need.
Christ, it’s like I’m falling under her spell. Like she’s some kind of sorceress or something.
“You’re not?”
“I literally was just married off by my father,” she says, her voice low. “A business transaction. Can you believe that?”
I can’t tell if she’s joking or not.
Her eyes are earnest, her lips a straight line without a hint of sarcasm written on her face. But she can’t be serious…
…can she?
“Well, if that’s the case, maybe I should just kidnap you and make you mine.” I grin. “We’d both be a lot happier than we are now.”
I see a hint of a smile as I take her hand. So soft compared to my rough, stoneworn palms.
A slight blush comes across her cheeks, sending blood rushing between my legs. I scoot closer, closing the distance between us.
There’s something so attractive—so feminine about her that it makes me want to just lift her up onto the bar right here and now and fuck her. No woman has ever made me this hot.
“Kidnap me?” she muses, biting her lower lip like she’s actually thinking about it. “You’re funny.”
“You think I’m kidding?” I ask. “I’m not. What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Ava. My name’s Ava.”
I nod, tasting her name as I repeat it. “Ava, my name’s Rick.”
I hear shouting from the door but ignore it. Nothing in the world matters right now but her.
We both just stare at each other like we’re trying to read each other’s minds. It’s hypnotizing. I came here for a beer and some relaxation, and now my whole world’s been turned upside down.
“And you’ve been married off, Ava?” I finally ask. She looks away, and I feel a draining sense of loss in my chest. Christ, what is this girl doing to me?
She nods, causing my body to flood with anger.
What kind of parents could do that to this sweet angel?
“My dad, he—”
“And what about your mom? She didn’t have anything to say about this?”
“My mom, right,” she scoffs as if my suggestion were ridiculous. “Let’s just say my mom cares more about her jewelry and what’s in her closet than my well-being.”
The clamor by the door rises. Ava looks past me in its direction, and her face suddenly goes pale as moonlight.
“Oh, no…”
“What is it?” I turn and see two men in suits, big, burly-looking bastards, marching toward us. Their eyes are fixed on her.
“My…husband’s men. They followed me!”
“I’ll handle them.” I’m on my feet in an instant, but she grabs my wrist and shakes her head.
“No, please. It will just cause more problems.”
I’m a man who acts. I don’t hold back. But I can see by the look in her eyes that the last thing she wants is me causing a scene. So I sit back down.
Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to defend her. Break the faces of these two stooges and take her somewhere safe.
But it’s not what she wants, and the last thing I want to do is make her life harder for her.
So I quickly pull out one of my business cards, scribble my personal cell number on the back, and hand it to her.
“If you need me. Call.”
Her eyes sparkle as the two men close in.
“There she is,” one of them barks.
“Thought you could run off on Mr. Cooper? Think again.” He glances at me and cracks his knuckles. “Who the fuck are you?”
Oh, if only he knew who he was messing with. I could drop this guy and his pal and not even break a sweat. But I told Ava I wouldn’t, so as hard as it is, I turn away and head for the door.
It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, going back out to my truck and driving home. All I can think about is her and whether she’s safe.
Who is this Mr. Cooper bastard pretending to be her husband?
I’m flooded with jealousy, even though I know she doesn’t love him, I still can’t get the idea out of my head that he might try and have his way with her.
It is their wedding night, after all…
“Stop it!” I shout, slamming my fist against the dash, shattering one of the blowers.
The drive home is like torture, and when I finally get back to my house, all I can do is pace around like a maniac. Clearing my mind is impossible. I’m plagued with terrible thoughts.
Finally, after two hours, I manage to calm down enough that I can lie down on the couch and stare up at the ceiling.
Where are you, sweetheart? Are you okay? Don’t let him touch you…
My phone buzzes on my chest, and my eyes snap open. I glance at the clock and realize I’ve fallen asleep. It’s nearly two in the morning.
Quickly, I check the alert and see a text from an unknown number, and my heart skips a beat.
I open it. There’s no name, but that doesn’t matter. I know instantly who it’s from.
So, about that kidnapping thing…