Chapter 4
Chapter Four
D raven wasn’t sure when he’d taken hold of Cashea’s wrist, but he told himself that it was so they didn’t separate while walking through the crowd. Her soft skin was a direct contrast to the calluses that plagued his hand. He had the urge to want to run his hands along her entire body to see if the rest of her was just as silky smooth.
The Hen House was overly crowded tonight. It was no wonder Ted and his men hadn’t seen Brett get handsy with Cashea. That shouldn’t have gone down, and he’d made sure that Ted knew his thoughts about it.
Draven’s anger rose again. He may not have been looking at her when she’d returned to the bar, but he’d certainly known the instant she had arrived. He’d purposely continued to watch the game, but he’d heard every word she had said to Danny.
It would appear someone slashed my tires.
Draven had to control himself from getting up and going to find that asshole. The buzz he’d had from his drinks instantly disappeared. He already knew who had done this to her, and the fact that he’d left her a little message had Draven seeing red.
I should have broken something on that fucker, he growled in his head. It would look as if he would have to go and teach good ol’ Brett some manners.
Draven was cut off by a guy trying to sweet talk some questionably young girl into something. Draven paused beside him, refusing to walk around him.
“Girl, my car is right out front,” he said. He paused his begging and turned to Draven with a scowl. The guy tipped back his head and met Draven’s glare. Whatever he was about to say froze on his lips.
“Move,” Draven growled.
The guy didn’t say a word but ushered the girl out of the way. Draven continued on with Cashea in tow. They arrived at the entrance to the bar. He pulled her in front of him and pushed open the door to the bar to allow her to exit first. She dipped down slightly and went under his arm. He followed behind her and took in Ted standing outside.
“Were you able to find a ride?” Ted asked her.
She hefted her ridiculously large bag up on her shoulder. It looked too heavy for her. He didn’t know what all she had in there.
“I’m her ride,” Draven snapped. He moved over to her and took her hand in his. This time his cock stiffened. He bit back a curse. He shouldn’t be having this type of reaction to her in front of another man. He glared at the bouncer and took a step closer to him. “How the hell did y’all allow that asshole to fuck with her car? What the fuck is the purpose of security here?”
“Whoa!” Ted held up his hands with his palms facing Draven. He took a step back from him. “Look, man, we can’t be everywhere at once. I feel bad for Cashea. I offered to call the police.”
“He did, but it’s pointless,” Cashea came to Ted’s defense. She rested her free hand on his arm.
The move instantly calmed down his anger. He blinked and looked at her. How the hell did she do that? He’d always had issues with anger and rage. He’d learned to utilize it when he was in the service, but never had anyone brought it under control with one touch.
“I just want to go home,” she said. “I’ll deal with it in the morning.”
“Yeah. I’ll put out a call and have an officer come out in the morning. I’ll have them call you, Cashea,” Ted replied. The bouncer focused on her.
Draven had yet to take his eyes off Ted. He didn’t care what excuses the security guard came up with. It was no reason people couldn’t come out and have a good time without being harassed or their vehicles damaged.
“See that you do.” Draven didn’t like the fact that Ted had Cashea’s phone number. He glanced down at her. “Show me your car.”
This time it was Cashea who led him. He reached over and took her damn bag from her. It was almost the same size as she was and just about as heavy.
“What the hell do you have in here?” he grumbled.
“Oh, I don’t know. Work clothes, my boots, my purse is stuffed in there, and some other things.” She giggled.
The sound of her laugh had his heart skipping a beat. Draven frowned and was unused to these feelings he was getting while around her. He also noticed that she still held his hand. She could have let it go. It was a creep move, but he found himself hoping she didn’t release him. Her hand felt damn good in his. She guided him to a small SUV parked not too far from his. He immediately saw the lean. He let go of her and walked to it.
He bent down and took in the deep gashes in her tires. The person had wanted to ensure that the tires wouldn’t be able to be fixed but needed to be replaced. Draven stood and combed his fingers through his hair.
Brett was going to pay for this.
“I can’t believe he did this. I mean, seriously. Women shoot down men all the time. Did he really need to do this?” Cashea sighed. She rested her hands on her waist. “This is going to cost me a fortune I can’t afford right now.”
“I’ll take care of him.” Draven wasn’t going to let this slide. He took her by the hand again—still unsure why—and led her over to his truck .
“Why don’t I like the way you said that?” she muttered.
He opened the passenger door and helped her in. He handed her the bag and shut the door. He walked around the back of his truck, his gaze going back to her little white SUV one more time, then he hopped inside his vehicle.
“Thanks for doing this. You don’t have to,” Cashea said. She reached for her safety belt and clicked in place.
Draven tried to not stare at her. She was fucking gorgeous with her light-brown skin, dark hair, and big brown eyes. Being inside the cab, he could smell her light perfume. His cock stiffened even more. He bit back a curse. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been with a woman. Since coming home, women had been far from his mind.
“Don’t worry about it.” He hit the button to switch the truck on, guiding it through the parking lot. He paused at the mouth of the street and glanced at her. “Where do you live?”
She gave him quick instructions on how to get to her home. He pulled out onto the street and headed in that direction. The area she’d told him was a quiet residential location on the outskirts of town. They drove in silence for a few moments. Cashea leaned forward and paused with her fingers on the radio.
“Do you mind?” she asked.
He shook his head. Music would help fill the silence. He certainly didn’t know what to say to her. Now that she was in his truck, he was having a hard time concentrating. She smiled at him and turned on the radio. A classic rock station was on. She hopped around stations until she came to one she wanted.
“Is this okay?”
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. She was just being friendly. Her smiles didn’t mean anything.
At least that was what he was trying to convince his damn cock.
“Yeah. It’s fine.” He calculated how much time it would take them to get to the area she lived in. They should be there in about fifteen minutes.
Fuck.
Was he an ass for not starting a conversation? He sure as hell didn’t know and normally he wouldn’t care. But there was something about having Cashea near him. He thought quick, and before he knew it, the only thing that came to mind spilled from his lips .
“You do know you shouldn’t get in the car with strangers, right?”
“Is that so?” Cashea’s husky laugh filled the air. She shifted toward him and cocked her head to the side and studied him. “This is no different than me getting in an Uber. I don’t know those people.”
He focused on the road ahead of them. She was right, of course. He hadn’t thought about it.
“At least they’ve had a background check.”
She giggled again, and the sound went straight to his dick. He bit back a curse and had to keep himself from adjusting his damn bulge.
“But you aren’t a stranger,” she replied softly.
“You don’t know nothing about me,” he said gruffly. He slowed the truck down and eased onto a highway. The dark sky was littered with bright sparkling stars. He breathed in the fresh air coming in through the windows. With all of his deployments, he had missed glancing up at the sky at home. It just wasn’t the same sky when he was in some damn bunker in a country that wanted him dead.
“I know plenty about you. Everyone talks about Draven Harvey.”
He eyed her. What the hell was she talking about? Who was everyone, and why was his name coming out of their mouths?
“Who?” His voice came out a bit too rough. He cleared his throat, not wanting to scare her. It was bad enough he had volunteered to take her home. He didn’t trust anyone else to get her home safely at this time of night. All type of crazies came out when it got dark.
“I’m just playing with you.” She grinned.
She reached up and tucked her dark hair behind her ear. The wind blowing in through their windows kept it flying around. Her perfume reached him again. He found himself breathing in the scent. It was soft and reminded him of her.
“You aren’t as scary as people make you out to be,” she said.
He glanced at her and decided to remain silent. She just didn’t know what he was capable of. The music changed to a slow song. Cashea snapped her fingers to the beat and sang along with it. Her husky voice was smooth as silk. He had to admit she did have a lovely voice. He wondered if she had ever tried to sing professionally. She was that good. He’d heard plenty of people who thought they could sing but couldn’t hold a note.
He allowed her voice to wash over him. Even back in the bar, it was hard to not turn around to pay her attention. She deserved it. But every time he stared at her, it made him want things that he didn’t deserve.
Cashea was a woman who deserved a man’s last name.
Draven swallowed hard.
Cashea was a woman who he shouldn’t even be thinking about touching. Hell, the things he wanted to do to her would probably have her running away. He glanced back over at her and found her swaying to the song as she sang. The wind had her skirt fluttering around, giving him a peek at her smooth thick thighs.
Fuck.
What he wouldn’t give to have those soft thighs pressed against the sides of his head.
His grip tightened on the steering wheel again. He loosened his hands, not wanting to tear the damn thing off. They came to a red light. He brought his truck to a stop. He tried to think of everything but her thighs, her voice, the way those thin straps of her dress could easily be pushed aside.
Fuck.
Did she even have a bra on? From what he could see, he didn’t think she did .
Now he was being a pervert. Draven swallowed hard and had to focus on the road once the light turned green.
“Are you happy to be back in town?” Her soft voice broke through his thoughts.
Draven turned to her and found her gaze on him. She slowly lowered her eyes and took him in before returning to his.
“Yeah.” It was the honest truth. He could have settled anywhere once he retired, but he knew Ironhaven was for him. His family was here. His father had started something that Draven felt was important. Hell, he was one of the soldiers who needed Silver Creek. Who would have known when he’d left for the Marines that one day he would be someone needing help with being out of the service.
His father had been in the Navy, and it was his idea to buy the ranch and make it into what it had grown into. He was one honorable man, and Draven hoped to be half the man he was.
“I’m happy for you then,” she said.
Another song came on, and they fell into a comfortable silence until she needed to give him the correct directions to her house. He pulled onto a quiet street. Draven recognized it. One of his buddies from high school used to live on the next street over.
He drove into her driveway and parked the truck.
“I really appreciate you bringing me home,” Cashea said. She reached down for her heavy bag and brought it up onto her lap. She motioned to her house. “Want to come in for a nightcap?”
His gaze flicked to hers. He ran a hand along his face and stared at her. His brain was screaming no, while his cock was hollering yes.
“Cashea…”
“Just one drink. At least let me thank you properly. If not a drink, then maybe something else. I made a cake yesterday. Let me give you a piece. I made it from scratch.” She tilted her head to the side to study him.
Even in the low light, Draven saw there was more than drinks and cake being offered. Her lips were curled up into a sexy grin.
Should he take her up on it? He couldn’t offer much but one hell of a night.
His gaze fell to her shoulder where one of those damn straps slipped off to the side.
“Sure. Cake sounds good.”
“Great!” Her grin widened.
He cut the engine and slipped out of the truck. He walked around the front of the vehicle and came to her door. He opened it and helped her down. Her body brushed his on the way down. She was trapped between him and the truck. He softly shut the door, not wanting it to slam. She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. He stood about six three while the top of her head barely came to his mid chest.
“Do you like chocolate?” Cashea asked. There was an upward tilt to the way she asked her question.
Her husky voice sent a electric bolt of lightning through Draven. He didn’t step back away from her. He knew he should have, but he liked the feeling of her soft body pressed against his. His life for the past few years had been filled with the harshness of reality most civilians would never know about. He needed to touch her. Feel her. His eyes were drawn to her full lips.
He swallowed hard from the images of them wrapped around his cock. Fuck. She’d asked him a question. Her head was tilted to her side as she waited for his answer. Did he like chocolate? The image of her thighs floated back to the forefront of his mind.
“I do.”
Cashea’s lips curled up into her sexy grin. She took his hand in hers and guided him toward her house. The sway of her hips was mesmerizing. She looked over her shoulder at him as if to make sure he hadn’t disappeared.
Draven wasn’t going anywhere but wherever she was leading him.