6. Griffin
SIX
I’ve been playingeye-tag with Eliana all night. She’s wearing a tight black dress that shows off her curves and sexy legs, attracting the attention of every man in this bar. I can’t keep my eyes off her and I’m having trouble keeping my horny daydreams under control. I think about wrapping my hand in her long brown hair as I take her from behind, only stopping after she’s shaking. For the third time tonight I readjust my jeans, my dick getting hard at the sight of her.
I think back to our moment in the bathroom earlier today, the way she softly inhaled when I touched her skin. She was so reactive to everything I did, her face and neck flushing when I ran my fingers over her scar. I wanted to ask her what it was from, but when I saw the discomfort in her eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to do it, so I left instead. I know what it’s like to not want to answer questions about an injury.
Plus, it was the right thing to do. The smart thing to do. I need to keep my distance and focus on getting my team to first place and getting back to my former skill level. Having her there on the beach, laughing with Gabriel and watching me struggle to get up on my board during practice was distracting and humiliating. The only thing I seem to be able to focus on, since seeing her picture, is her.
“Stare any harder and you might burn a hole right through her dress,” Koa mumbles as he brushes past me, positioning himself to take a shot on the pool table. A game I’m currently losing.
“I’m surprised Maliah’s still fully clothed, with the way you’ve been staring at her.” I retort.
“Shut up,” Koa says, striking the ball with so much force that it jumps up into the air before landing back down on the table with a loud thud that causes Maliah to whip her head over in our direction.
All three of us give her an innocent smile before she rolls her eyes and returns her attention to the lifeguard beside her.
“Anyway, I’m not staring,” I say defensively, leaning on the edge of the pool table as I cross my arms and watch Zale get in position. “I haven’t been here in months, it’s only natural that I would be looking around to see what’s changed.”
“You are most definitely staring,” Zale teases, before striking the ball. “But so is she.”
I look over my shoulder and see that she is, in fact, staring at me. My mouth dries up under her gaze, along with any sort of rebuttal I was planning to give Zale. I watch as the bartender approaches her and says something with apologetic expression, pulling her attention away from me.
“She’s annoying,” I say, as Zale sinks his last ball, winning the game.
Koa groans in defeat as he pulls out the rack and starts to place the balls from the pockets inside of it.
“No, you’re the annoying one. She’s beautiful.” Zale says, breathlessly.
A pang of jealousy reverberates through my chest. “Yeah? What about Kairi?” I ask.
He scoffs. “What about her?”
“I thought you two had a thing going on?”
“Kairi and I are just friends. I’ve known her since we were in diapers.” he says, eyes still focused on Eliana’s butt.
“Right,” I place my cue stick on top of the table. “I didn’t know you fuck all of your friends.”
His cheeks turn pink as he finally looks away from Eliana and pins me with a warning glare.
“We’re just friends,” he repeats, firmly this time. “I haven’t had sex with her in months.”
“Good, because we can’t afford any distractions for the rest of the season,” I say, the words coming out sharper than I intend for them to sound.
Koa studies me, but he doesn’t say anything. As our table grows quiet, Koa continuing to retrieve the balls, I overhear the group of guys standing by the dart board next to us. There’s three of them; a short one with greasy blonde curls, an even shorter bald guy with square glasses, and a large round guy who looks completely wasted.
“She’s definitely a virgin,” the blond one says, his eyes fixed on Eliana. “I bet she’d feel fucking amazing.”
He readjusts his pants while biting down on his bottom lip and I feel my blood begin to boil.
“There’s only one way to find out,” his short, balding friend says beside him, nudging his shoulder playfully.
“If she’s still a virgin at her age, then there’s no way she’s that easy,” the round one says, eyeing Eliana.
“She’s probably a tourist looking for a good time. But just in case, we have ways to make her easy,” the blond guy says, pulling out a small pouch of white powder and pouring it into a beer bottle. “Wish me luck, boys.”
He picks up the bottle and makes his way toward her with the ugliest, most conniving smirk plastered on his face. I don’t think twice before I stalk after him.
“Fin!” I hear Zale call from behind me, but I don’t turn back.
I watch as the blond bastard offers Eliana the beer bottle with a flirty grin, but before I can reach them, I see her push the bottle back towards him.
“Not a fan of beer?” he asks nervously.
“Oh, no, I love beer,” she says giving him a flirty smile. “Just not roofied beer.”
She nods toward the rim coated in the white powder. The dumbass is so drunk he didn’t even notice that he had done a shit job of pouring the powder into the bottle. He frowns down at the bottle and then looks back up at her before he grabs hold of her wrist with clenched teeth. I’m by her side in less than a second, grabbing his wrist and pinning him with a dark glare.
“You have two seconds to let her go,” I growl, “before I break your neck.”
He releases her wrist instantly and I shove his arm into his chest.
“Is she yours?” he asks, his brows pulling together in confusion.
“Yeah, and if you touch her again, I promise you’ll regret it.”
I shove him back a step and watch as he stumbles drunkenly. I snatch the bottle from his hand, examining the remnants of white powder on the rim that she was pointing at.
“Hey man, what the fuck?” he shouts, clearly drunk, from the way he slurs his words.
“Drink it,” I demand, handing the bottle back to him.
“No way, man,” he shakes his head so hard that I’m almost certain the grease from his hair sprays around the room. “The drink is for her.”
I glance at Eliana. She has a cool and emotionless look on her face as she stares back at him, but I notice a subtle tremor in her hands. The bastard is scaring her, and it bothers me more than it should. I take a step to the side so that I’m shielding her from his gaze.
I shove the bottle into his hand. “One last chance, man. Drink it.”
I barely let him shake his head again before my fist connects with his cheekbone. The bottle falling to the ground and the glass shattering. I watch as the beer spills out around him.
Zale and Koa run over, just as the ugly bastard’s friends rush over, too. They hurry to help him sit up as blood trickles down his face from a cut on his cheek. He meets my gaze with a glare, but I return it right back.
“Jason, bud, are you alright?” the short bald one asks him.
Jason turns a deep red color as he rips his eyes from mine and shoves his friends away. I watch as he wipes the blood from his cheek and stares down at his bloody hand angrily.
“Hey, man, are you looking for a fight?” the bald one shouts at me.
“I think I should be asking you that,” I say gesturing to the bottle, “do you guys regularly drug women so that you can get laid?”
“They tried to drug her?” Koa asks, his hands curling into fists as he takes a step towards Jason and his friend, who cowers.
As quiet as Koa is, he can be a scary motherfucker when he’s angry. And right now, he’s angry. I hear glasses clatter in the distance and watch as Maliah runs over from her booth and stands in between Koa and baldy, pushing her hands into Koa’s chest. He pins her with a cold stare, his nostrils flaring.
“Move,” he says, looking back at baldy over her shoulder, who is currently trying to help Jason stand up.
“No,” she says, straightening her back and lifting her chin.
She’s the only person I’ve ever met that has the courage to say no to Koa when he gets like this. She’s also the only person I’ve ever met that he’ll listen to. He looks down at her with an angry and hurt expression.
“That could’ve been you,” he says, through clenched teeth.
“But it wasn’t, and no one got hurt,” she says calmly, using her palms on his chest to slowly walk him backwards, away from the scene.
Kairi runs over and stands on the opposite side of Eliana. “Are you okay?” she asks quietly, wrapping her arms around Eliana’s shoulder protectively.
“I’m fine,” she says quietly, watching as Jason stands up, blood flowing from the cut again.
Zale snickers beside me. “Looks like you’re going to need stitches for that cut, bud.”
“You think this is funny, bud?” the round guy from the group asks, approaching Zale while cracking his knuckles.
Zale, being the hot head that he is pulls his arm back before throwing it forward with all his strength, punching the guy’s nose and probably breaking it from the nasty cracking sound that reverberates around the room. He falls to the ground, and I quickly pull Zale away as he goes to lunge at him just as the bartender walks over.
“Alright, boys, time to go.” the bartender says, her brows pinched in annoyance as she rounds up a few older men nearby and they start dragging the bleeding and balding guys out of the bar.
She pins me with a disappointed look before returning behind the bar and pulling out her cellphone.
“We better get out of here,” Kairi whispers, rubbing her hands up and down Eliana’s arms. “She’s Coach’s cousin and I’m almost certain she’s calling him right now.”
Eliana doesn’t say anything as her gaze focuses on the shattered bottle by her feet. Goosebumps crawl up her arms and I’m sure the adrenaline rush must be fading out of her system right now.
“You guys can go,” I say, clearing my throat. “I’ll drive her back after I settle our tab.”
Kairi scowls at me but doesn’t argue as she gives Eliana a quick hug, whispering something into her ear. When Eliana nods, Kairi squeezes her one more time before releasing her and walking over to Zale’s side.
“We’re not driving off until I see her physically get in your car, Fin.” Maliah says in a cool tone as she comes up behind us with a pissed of Koa in tow.
“What, do you think I’d just leave her here after all of that?”
“You haven’t exactly given her the warmest welcome,” she confirms.
“What the fuck, Mal?” Her words sting. “You should know me better than that.”
Guilt flashes in Maliah’s eyes but she quickly covers it up with an eye roll before following Kairi and Zale out of the bar, Koa following closely behind with his hands still bawled into fists. I turn to look at Eliana who is profusely apologizing to the bartender as she pays. I notice her hands still have a slight tremor as she takes the card and the receipt from the pissed off bartender. She slides them into her back pocket and turns to look at me.
“You okay?” I ask, eyeing her.
She nods, looking around self-consciously at all the eyes focused on her from strangers at the bar. She pulls her sleeves over her hands, a giveaway that she’s extremely uncomfortable, so I do the sensible thing and take her hand into mine, intertwining our fingers.
“What are you doing?” She asks, taken aback.
I don’t answer as I begin walking toward the exit, pulling her close behind me. I glare at anyone who is still staring at us and making her uncomfortable until they look away.
The cool night air blows around her hair as we exit the bar and walk to the parking lot. My jeep is parked next to the team van where the others are seated and watching us. I clench my jaw as my eyes connect with Maliah, her eyes narrowed as she watches us.
I let go of Eliana’s hand and slow my pace so that I’m walking beside her. “Did you get anything to eat?”
I know the answer, but I don’t want to make it too obvious that I’ve been watching her the whole night.
“I ordered fish tacos, but they ran out of fish. I didn’t get a chance to order anything else before that guy came over.”
“We can get food along the way.” She stops walking and looks up at me with a frown.
“Why are you being nice to me?” she asks.
“I’m not.” I cross my arms.
“You are. You got all defensive over me at the bar, now you’re taking me to get food because I didn’t eat.”
Her words piss me off because it seems that everyone around me expects the absolute worst. It bothers me more than I let on. Sure, I’ve been a bit dickish to her, but that doesn’t mean I hate her. I wasn’t raised to just sit back and do nothing when someone is in danger.
I clench my jaw again. “Despite what everyone thinks, Eliana, I’m not a complete asshole. I’m not just going to stand by and watch you get drugged or starve.”
“Right,” she says, furrowing her brows as she studies me. “Well, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I walk ahead of her and toward my car, needing to cool off.