Chapter 7 Sergei #2
An hour later, I wondered if I would need to demonstrate to Rosa and Natalie how well I could step into a self-proclaimed role of being this stupid bar’s bouncer. The men Rosa scolded were acting up even more. Drunker. Bolder. Cockier.
I just barely refrained from beating the shit out of them when they appraised Natalie’s body, detailing how they’d gang rape her. My blood pressure skyrocketed and I vibrated with the need to inflict pain on them for even thinking such things about this sweet innocent.
But I didn’t do a damn thing, other than stay put and reassure her that I was here if she needed my help.
I witnessed her start to find a little bit of backbone.
Her quiet rebukes grew louder and firmer.
She told them to shut up and leave her alone, perhaps emboldened with me there and watching over her.
Over and over, she shot them down and told them to fuck off. Ignoring them wasn’t productive, but in the end, Rosa and Peter kicked them out for causing the start of a little brawl.
They’re going to be waiting right outside.
I could tell. Even if they didn’t say it, promising that they wouldn’t let Natalie slip away after her shift was done, I could predict that they were the stupid kind of fuckers who never knew when to quit. They were too determined, drunk, and dumb to rethink waiting for her to ambush her.
That was why when Natalie wrapped up for the night and began to put her coat on, I stepped up to the bar.
“How come you’re still here?” she asked, looking so tired and dead on her feet.
I wished I could carry her and massage the aches from her soles. To tuck her in and enjoy the pride of caring for her.
“Because those guys will probably be waiting to bother you right outside that door.” I jerked my thumb to indicate it.
She winced. “You think?”
I shook my head. “I know.”
“Should I…” She bit her lip, looking more scared. “Should I call the cops or something?”
Cops? I couldn’t help but let out a single, gruff laugh. “No.”
She didn’t need any fucking cops while I was around. George and the new soldiers we were training weren’t too far away if I needed help. As intoxicated as those men were, though, they wouldn’t be able to fight worth a damn.
“I’ll see you home,” I offered. Extending my hand to her, I waited for her to swallow down the fear that rose up.
“O… kay,” she replied quietly, as if trusting me outside of this bar was a huge leap of faith. Maybe it was for her. That only put more pressure on me to make sure she wasn’t bothered at all.
We exited, holding hands. Just as I predicted, the stupid drunks were hanging around at the closest corner, waiting for her.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, tucking her against my side. Meeting the gaze of the first man who sneered at me, I kissed the top of her head. At the same time, I moved my jacket open enough that they’d see the gun in my holster.
“The hell?” one complained.
Natalie trembled, almost tripping over her own feet at the man complaining that she was taken.
“You got a problem?” I growled as we moved past them.
A couple of them looked like they wanted to jump me, but the other one shook his head, warning them to forget about it. Maybe he recognized me as a member of the Orlov Family. Perhaps he realized I was someone they wouldn’t survive messing with.
Whatever the reason, I was pleased when they all backed up.
“They’re not following, are they?” Natalie asked once we walked a block away.
“Just in case they are”—I guided her toward the exterior wall of a building until her back was flush with the brick surface—“we can give them a show to dissuade them from interfering.”
Before she could do anything more than gasp in surprise and gaze up at me, I lowered my head to steal a kiss.
Then another. One more. And another. Her soft lips parted beneath mine instantly, submitting to the hunger I was losing a war with.
Her hands clutched my suit jacket as she clung to me.
But it was the soft whimper of need she gave me that had me growling and angling my head to deepen the kiss.
It was the urgency and impatience that she showed me when she reached up to loop her arm around my neck that tempted me to take her here and now.
Time ceased mattering. The city still moving around us faded away.
Treasuring her sweet submission and her cautious surrender, I kissed her until my dick ached and my lungs screamed for air.
“A show?” she asked, still clutching my jacket as I rested my brow against hers. “You call… that a show?” She panted as she sagged against me.
I almost smiled, addicted to this reward of making her relaxed enough that she’d be playful.
“That was just a preview,” I replied.
Stepping back was the most heroic and difficult decision I’d made in a long while. Heroic because I was saving her from the feral need that would rule me if I kissed her again. And difficult because I was desperate for more.
It was impossible to miss how bewildered she was, and as we both glanced in the direction of the bar, we saw that the men were already long gone.
Hell, maybe it wasn’t a “show” for anyone but ourselves. That was fine by me.
I was also fine with her holding my hand again as I walked her further in the direction of her apartment.
“This is far enough,” she said, blushing as she looked up at me.
I cupped her face and kissed her forehead, aware that she was maintaining distance from me.
I wished she’d let me see her all the way home so I could know she was safe, but I was proud of her for not being too trusting.
I wanted her to trust me, but she really didn’t know me yet.
I wasn’t ready to let her know who I really was. Her insistence on privacy was wise.
“Have a good night, Natalie,” I said before releasing her and stepping back.
She smiled, dazzling me with her sweetness. Her delicate goodness. With a little wave, she turned and kept walking.
I hung back, waiting until she wouldn’t realize I was tailing her. Then, because I’d be damned if anything happened to this woman who’d become a ray of brightness in my dark life, I stalked her home and made sure she safely entered an apartment building without anyone bothering her.
Good night.
Staying put on the opposite side of the street, I waited for a few more moments to scope out the area. Just in case anyone was lurking with the intention of hurting her. Someone had to have made her scared of the world. But were they still around? Were they still a threat?
I left when nothing looked suspicious. As I headed home, I wondered how far I would let this game go on. How long it would be before I might need to step in and really protect her from whatever demons she had that still kept her so skittish and nervous.