Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Bear
“We need all hands-on deck for the sold-out concert tonight, got it fellas?” Sloane looked over his crew at Sunbreak Security as we all nodded in agreement.
Sloane ran a tight ship around here, but that’s what I liked best about my boss.
He didn’t take any shit and built the company from the ground up, starting with only a folding table and grit.
Now headquarters was in what we called The Beacon, a renovated lighthouse with a boathouse attached, a dive locker, a rooftop lookout, and a glassed-in ops loft.
I’d seen pictures of what it looked like before all of the renovations and honestly, I wouldn’t have believed it if not for seeing it. What Sloane accomplished was incredible.
The other boss and COO of the company, Rafi, ran the company alongside Sloane, and was the man who could fix any problem, and we sure did come to him for a lot of them.
“I’m going to pass around the assignment sheet of where you’ll be stationed for the night. Please sign off on it and pass it to your fellow guard. Any questions, see Rafi.”
After following orders, the meeting ended, and we scuttled off to our assignments.
I was just happy to be working outside.
After moving to Sunbreak Harbor from my small mountain town of Appleridge, it took me a while to adjust to the way of life and the weather.
I came with my now retired parents, as I had no siblings and didn’t want to stay behind in Appleridge without any family.
Besides, a change was something I needed. And a change Sunbreak Harbor sure was.
Not only was it hot and humid pretty much all year round, but it was also a faster pace of life, with more night life and events happening all year round. But the summer always had the most. I swore the entire town came outside in the heat and there was always some sort of event happening.
Having worked in security before, Sloane hired me after our first interview.
When we first moved here, I stayed with my parents but have since moved into my own seaside cottage a few streets over from them.
The sun set over the ocean, oranges and pinks filling the sky and bouncing off the water.
The air, still sticky and hot, washed over me as I steered my truck down the road to the Pavilion.
I parked in the security lot along with the rest of the crew and headed inside with my buddies and fellow guards, Dane and Hayden.
“The place is swarming with hotties already.” Dane quipped as we walked through the crowds and made our way towards the front of the stage. They assigned the three of us to the general admission area.
“Too bad you're both taken.” I snickered. “More for me.”
Hayden laughed. “Have your pick, buddy. I’ve only got eyes for Gia.”
“Someone is whipped.” Dane teased.
“And you’re not?” Hayden clapped back.
“Silver does not have me whipped.” Dane replied.
“Sure, buddy, whatever helps you sleep at night.” I patted Dane’s shoulder.
I loved that my friends finally found the girl to settle down with. It hadn’t happened for me yet nor did I expect it to. After a disastrous first love and heartbreak, love wasn’t on the top of my list. I wasn’t sure it ever would be.
We got into position as the seating areas began rapidly filling up with people. I scanned the crowds, my usual love for people watching in full force.
Considering I was six foot five, I had no trouble seeing over the top of the crowd, my eyes trained to pick up on anything amiss.
The opening band appeared on stage, and I moved down a little as an extra guard arrived for more protection. The crowd seemed to grow bigger by the second.
Loud music filled the Pavilion and my eyes scouted the area. Lots of people filtered past until bam!
My eyes landed on a woman.
But not just any woman.
The most beautiful one I’d ever seen.
And she was looking right at me.
Blonde hair fell down past her shoulders, half of it pulled back away from her face, a few tendrils stuck to her neck and forehead. Blue eyes as deep as the ocean locked on to mine and made me lose my train of thought, forget where I am.
I couldn’t help but drag my vision over her curvy body, her tight jean skirt sending signals to my very neglected cock. I shifted on both feet and prayed I didn’t get a hard-on like a teenage boy. Fuck, how old are you? Control yourself.
But around her, it felt as if that control was gone. Out the window. Forever vanished.
Because holy shit…
My insides tingled as I thought of her legs wrapped around my waist, my head between her thighs, the soft, smooth skin rubbing against my rough beard.
I offered her a flirty smile because I couldn’t fucking resist, and she smiled back. She bit her bottom lip gently as her body moved to the music, her eyes still locked on me.
She swayed to the beat, bumping the guy next to her, and making my blood boil. I wanted her skin on me, not anyone else.
Looking away in hopes of distracting myself, I couldn’t ignore the image of her sexy body dancing, still seeing her from the corner of my eye. And when I looked back, she still watched me closely, as if she were dancing only for me.
I cleared my throat and shifted again. When I made eye contact with Dane, he shot me a look that said, You good, dude?
Fuck, did he have to be so damn observant?
I nodded my head and broke eye contact quickly. I needed to keep focused.
Except I couldn’t stop sneaking glances at her.
The opening band finished their set, leaving a brief intermission as more people filled the Pavilion.
But the beautiful blonde didn’t move. She kept her eyes trained on me in between glances at her phone, her thumbs moving wildly over the screen.
Was she texting her friends about me?
Get a grip, Bear. She doesn’t know you.
Finally, the main band came onto the stage and the crowd went wild, including my eye candy.
She cheered and danced with the music and I enjoyed watching her.
The crowd became denser and thicker, and I moved further down to keep watch. The energy was rowdy and loud, people screaming and dancing, getting drunker as the show went on.
A mosh pit formed in the center of the standing room only, and my co-workers and I stepped forward. Mosh pits rarely ended well.
It spread quickly, sucking more and more people in. As it grew, we stepped closer and began moving people out of it, breaking up the now fighting happening in the middle.
From past events, I’d learned the crowd can go from zero to sixty in no time, and I braced myself as the crowd swelled, the mosh pit still growing.
I glanced over at the woman I couldn’t keep my eyes off of. She was being pulled in, people dancing and fighting all around her.
Without thinking, I vacated my spot, a huge fucking no-no. I was going to hear about it later.
But I couldn’t help myself.
I had to get her out of there.
I grabbed the radio on my waist and radioed in for backup. Then I backed away from my spot and darted over to the woman. I lifted her into my arms and over the barrier, another big no, but I had no choice.
In one quick swing, she was standing on the other side, out of the crowd, and most importantly, out of danger.
“Wait right here.” I growled.
Then I hurried back to my spot and took back over. As backup swarmed in and we broke the mosh pit up, the crowd calmed.
Except now I had another problem to deal with.
Figuring out why that damn woman wouldn’t leave my head.