Chapter 6
Harper
"No, it’s not." He tosses down a few bills. "You done?"
I take in his closed features. The, once again, inscrutable expression on his face and sigh. I shouldn’t have asked him the question. But I couldn’t help it. Not to mention, he told me to go ahead and ask.
There’s something tearing him apart from the inside. And I can’t stop until I find out everything about it.
I gulp down the rest of my daiquiri and slip off the barstool. My head spins. "Oops." I giggle and grab at the bar counter.
Instead, my fingers connect with warm skin and hard muscle.
I hold on to his arm, and shockwaves sizzle out from the point of contact.
The hair on the nape of my neck rises. He looks down from his height, and I tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
Those blue eyes of his turns heavier, almost ink-dark with emotion.
And I thought this man was emotionless. On the contrary, he’s hiding his feelings deep inside.
All it’d take is the right situation… Or the right person… The right woman to unlock whatever it is he prefers to hide.
I sway toward him. A flush stains his cheeks. He lowers his head toward me. Then a glass smashes somewhere in the bar. Both of us jump apart.
"We should get going." He clears his throat.
"Yeah." I swallow, then look away. I snatch my jacket from where it’s hanging under the bar counter.
That’s the second time this evening we almost kissed. I’d do anything to feel his lips on mine. Unbidden, my gaze falls on his mouth. When he sets his jaw, I raise my gaze to his eyes. Which are, once again, shuttered. He spins around on his heels and walks away. I follow him.
Halfway to the door, a man steps in front of me. He’s taller than James. And while he’s broader, his muscles seem to be the kind that come from pumping iron at the gym. No doubt, he has tasteless protein shakes for breakfast.
"Excuse me." I try to move around him, but he shifts with me. "Hey, pretty lady, can I buy you a drink?" He leers at me.
Oh, for heaven’s sake. Why are men so predictable? "No, thank you." Once more, I try to step past him. Once again, he plants his body in front of me.
"Really?" Anger bubbles low in my belly. "Let me pass."
"Not until you have a drink with me." He reaches out for me.
I step back and brace myself, preparing to knee him in the groin. But suddenly, he’s grabbed from behind and shoved to the side, and James stands in front of me.
The other man bellows and charges.
James holds his ground. When the man is close enough, he shoots out his fist, which connects with the man’s cheek. The man sways, then topples over.
"Oh, my god, you knocked him out!" I clap my hands together.
Around us, the people who had frozen burst into action. A couple of well-built men approach us. They are similar enough and dressed in clothes which mirror the man on the ground. Enough to indicate they are my antagonizer’s friends.
Without missing a beat, James strikes out again. He catches one of the men under his chin. The man crashes into the table nearby. The people at the table jump up.
He throws another punch which gets the other man in the nose. There’s a sound of something breaking.
I wince.
The man screams. Blood erupts from his face. He holds his broken nose and staggers back.
James locks his fingers around my wrist. The next moment, he’s dragging me in his wake.
He shoulders past a man, sidesteps another, punches a third, and glares at a fourth, who steps aside.
Adrenaline laces my blood. My pulse rate goes crazy.
I have an impression of fights breaking out around us. Of chairs crashing. Glasses falling to the floor. The scent of alcohol laces the air. It’s like I stepped into a scene from a movie. In fact, I’ve never felt this alive before.
Then we’re out the door. The cool air surrounds me. He hauls me to his car, opens the door to the passenger side, and all but throws me inside. Then he’s in the driver’s seat, pressing down on the accelerator as we drive off.
"Oh my god! Oh my god!" I turn to him. "That was so much fun!"
He shoots me a sideways glance, and whatever he sees on my face has his features softening. "It was, huh?" His lips twitch.
"You bet." I burst out laughing. "The way you took out those men. And did you see how it turned into a full-blown bar fight?" I squeeze my hands together.
"You’re one bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you?" He keeps his attention on the road.
"It certainly got the blood flowing." I take in his reddened knuckles. "And got you hurt."
"It’ll heal." His tone is dismissive.
"You could come home and let me take care of it." The words are out before I can stop myself. Ugh, that did sound like a blatant invitation, didn’t it?
He shoots me a glance that’s half amused, half heated. "Did you just invite me to your place?"
"And if I did?" I tip up my chin.
"You’re Phe’s friend—"
"And you’re her older brother. So what? I’m twenty-one. I’m an adult. I can decide for myself who I want to invite home."
He shakes his head. "Oh no, I’m not going to the home of my little sister’s best friend."
"Why? Don’t you trust yourself?" I flutter my eyelashes at him.
He flashes me another look, from under half-closed eyelashes. "It’s you I don’t trust."
I scoff. "Why? Do you think I’ll throw myself at you?"
"Wouldn’t you?"
"I—" I was going to say I wouldn’t. But that would be a lie. I’d totally climb this hunk of a man like a tree and cling to him like a koala bear.
"Exactly." He half smiles. When he looks at me again, there’s no gloating on his face. Instead, his eyes carry an expression I can only call regretful.
My heart lightens somewhat at that. He does want more, but for some reason, his sense of propriety will not let him take things further with me. He’s not only hotter than Hades but he also has a clear sense of right and wrong. Something which endears him even more to me.
The skin around his eyes crinkles. "Why don’t I take you to my favorite spot in London instead?"