Chapter Six

For the last three days, he has come into the bar. Every day he sits down in the same booth, orders the same drink, and proceeds not to drink it until it’s closing time. We haven’t spoken outside of basic pleasantries since that day, and honestly, I’m not sure why I’m not more bothered by his silence. I should be creeped out, right? The way he watches me and studies me. The way he is very clearly following my work schedule. I should be alarmed. This is the part where I call the cops and file a restraining order, right?

Instead, though, when he’s here, I feel…safe, I guess. As safe as one could be when they are practically alone, in a large city, working in a dive bar until the early hours of the morning. I’m filling up a couple of college guys’ shot glasses when he steps inside. I give him a head nod in greeting, and he does the same.

I pour his drink without hesitation and drop it off at his table.

“Thank you,” he says simply.

I nod my head in response as I turn and go about the rest of my shift. The night goes pretty easy, and I’m thankful because last night I had to clean someone’s puke off the bathroom floor. Ten out of ten, don’t recommend.

“Hey, sugar tits! Another round!” one of the rowdy college boys shouts through the bar. His dumb friends all laugh, like it was the funniest thing the pack of hyenas had ever heard, as I begin filling up their next round.

Gritting my teeth together, I slip past the center tables and come up to the guys. I set the class clown’s glass harder than the others as I lean down until I’m eye-to-eye with him.

“You pull any shit like that again, and you’re all out of here. Got that?”

His friends all nod, but he just rolls his eyes lazily.

“Ah shit, calm down, baby. I’m just messing around. Besides, what do you expect when a pretty little thing like you comes to work at a place like this?” he says as his hand reaches behind me, slapping my ass so hard the sting is instant.

Outrage and disgust fill me as I get ready to throttle his ass. Unfortunately, I’m too slow. A black blur comes out of nowhere, tackling the frat boy to the ground. I recognize my silent customer instantly.

His fists drive into the guy’s face in perfect synchronicity, throwing in an elbow to the nose for good measure before his hands are wrapped around his throat, squeezing so hard his knuckles are turning white.

Several of the guy’s buddies are yanking on him, trying to pull him off their quickly dying friend, but they all fail. My eyes begin flicking around the room nervously, not sure what to do to stop him before he literally kills the kid.

Crouching down so I’m in front of him, I shake his shoulders, trying to get him to let go or at least look away from him, anything.

“Let him go. Stop! Please,” I say, all of which seem to fall on deaf ears. The silent giant doesn’t relent. It’s like he’s not even here right now, like he can’t see anything except for the guy in front of him.

I hesitate for a moment before gently reaching my hand out to his face. It’s the equivalent of trying to pet a rabid wolf, but as soon as my fingertips touch his skin, something snaps. His head whips up so fast it actually startles me, sending my stomach plummeting to the floor as his deep brown eyes collide with mine. They are so dark, they’re practically black right now, and for a moment, a chill runs up my spine at the look in them. So vacant, so hollow. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

“Please,” I say again softly.

He blinks hard once before that empty look slowly recedes, allowing that rich brown color to return as he eases off the limp guy beneath him and goes to stand. The guy’s friends all rush around him, shaking him until he groggily wakes up.

The man doesn’t pay any attention to them, though. Instead, he gives me his hand as I stand up with him. When I go to pull my hand away, his grip tightens for a moment, his thumb running against the back of my knuckles as he looks down at me.

“Are you okay?”

I can’t help but let out a humorless laugh.

“Me?”

He nods seriously. “He touched you.”

Something about the simplicity of his words, the possessiveness, the protection. It gives me far more comfort and not enough fear. I should be running fast and wide from someone who is obviously so out of control. He’s dangerous, clearly, and he’s fixated on me for some reason. I should already be entering witness protection at this point. Instead, something in me is savoring the feeling of his large hand tenderly holding my own, the clean scent of his cologne swirling around the space between us, as the face that could rival a god stares down at me with concern.

“I’m fine, but you should probably get out of here. They look like the kind to call the cops,” I say as I nod down to the guys who are half-tending to their friend and half-watching him like he’s a crazed madman.

“I suppose you’re right. Look after yourself,” he says before dropping a hundred-dollar bill onto the table and releasing my hand at the last possible second as he makes a swift exit out of the bar.

“Hey! Wait! Where is he going? The cops are on their way!” one of the guys shouts out with the phone up to his ear.

“Why?” Marty asks from the bar top as he takes a sip of his beer. “Your friend had too much to drink, slipped, and busted his face to shit.”

“What?” another one of the guy’s snaps. “That’s not what happened! He was attacked.”

“Not what I saw,” another customer chimes in. “He sexually assaulted Blake here, and then when he tried to follow after her, he slipped and got all fucked up.”

A collective nod passes through the bar, apart from the group of guys. The reality of the situation around them begins to sink in as they panic. They should have gone downtown for their night out if they wanted justice and all that jazz. We don’t even have a working camera inside the bar. The people around here are kind of like Luxembourg, they govern themselves.

The cops showedup a few minutes later and took reports from the guys as well as a few of the customers and then me.

“Let’s cut the shit, lady,” the cop says to me. “There is no way he slipped and fell. He has bruising around his throat that are clearly fingerprints. Now, who did it, and where did they go?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, officer. I’ve given you the full story,” I draw out lazily.

Even if I wanted to help them find him, I wouldn’t, because this cop is a grade A asshole. He’s talked down to me ever since he’s gotten here and has either called me girl or lady. Neither name I will be responding to, so instead I just stand here and stare at him.

The cop curses, flipping his notebook shut before grabbing his partner and storming out of the bar. The “victim” and his friends left a while ago when their buddy was toted off in an ambulance. Once all the excitement was over, all of our customers left, until it was just me and the police. Now that they are gone, I can finally get to closing.

It doesn’t take long to get everything put away and shut down for the night. I’m sure I’ll be getting a phone call from Mark first thing in the morning when he hears about all of this. I’ll give him the same story I gave the cops just for cohesiveness, though knowing Mark, he’d probably want to high-five the guy for laying the little shit out.

As soon as I’m done for the night, I lock the back door, pull out my headphones, and begin to slip them on when I see a hooded figure leaning up against the wall. My stomach tightens in anticipation before I fully make out who it is. Letting out a soft, relaxed breath, I tuck my headphones back into my purse as I step up to him.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him.

Those brown eyes swing down to me as he straightens up to his full height. God, giant isn’t much of an exaggeration. I never thought I’d feel so dwarfed by anyone. Instinctually, I take a half-step back just for good measure, and based on the way his eyes track me, he doesn’t miss it. Goddammit, I hate how weak I can be sometimes.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay. Did the cops give you any trouble? They seemed to stick around for a while.”

I shake my head. “They were just assholes. I didn’t tell them anything, none of us did.”

“Wouldn’t matter if you did,” he says.

He’s got a point. Aside from the fact that he likes scotch and is available most nights, I know nothing about this guy. Not where he lives or his job. I don’t even know his name.

“Can I give you a ride home?” he asks.

I think about it for all of two seconds before I shake my head. “No need. I live just up the road.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment before he nods.

“Would you mind if I walked you? It will give me peace of mind that the guy or his friends aren’t going to jump you for tonight.”

“Are you going to start stalking me if you find out where I live?” I laugh teasingly.

He doesn’t laugh, though. Instead, he just shakes his head seriously, causing me to swallow down my laughter as I look him over. Am I stupid for talking to this virtual stranger in a dark alley? Yes. Am I even dumber for contemplating allowing him to walk me home and discover where I live? Absolutely. So, tell me why, when I look into his eyes, all rational logic flies out the window and I nod my head yes as I begin my walk home like normal, sans headphones.

I hear his steps behind me at a close yet respectful distance. Neither of us say anything until we get just outside my building, and I can’t take the silence any longer.

“Why did you do it?” I ask as I turn to face him.

He pauses his movements as he tilts his head slightly.

“Do what?”

“Attack that guy, beat his ass, whatever you want to call it.”

One of his eyebrows lifts in what looks like curiosity.

“He touched you. You think I was going to allow that?”

“Well, why wouldn’t you? We don’t know each other. You don’t owe me anything.”

He doesn’t say anything for a few moments, like he’s choosing his words wisely.

“We don’t know each other,” he agrees. “What I did probably came across as aggressive and out of line, and perhaps it was.” He pauses again, taking a half-step closer to me, lifting his bear paw of a hand up to my face before brushing a piece of hair away from my eye. “I do know that you’re special, and you deserve to be protected.”

“I can take care of myself,” I say as his fingers tangle in my hair.

“I know, I’ve seen you hold your own just fine. It doesn’t mean you should have to.”

Something in his words stirs a feeling inside of me. One that I haven’t felt in literally decades. It shakes at the countless locks and doors I have guarding that part of me. The part I vowed to never show again. Now, I’m not dumb enough to allow my guard to drop just like that for a perfect stranger just because he feels protective of me, but I can’t deny that his tone, his words, and the sincerity on his face are rattling the chains a bit.

Not knowing what to say, I swallow roughly at that before glancing from his lips to his eyes. The air between us is practically buzzing, my chest fluttering in anticipation of having this dark knight’s lips on mine. I flick my eyes up to see him watching me with a complicated expression. He doesn’t make a move, but he doesn’t pull away either, so I muster up all the courage I could possibly have and go for it.

Lifting up onto my tiptoes, I bring my hands up to his face, resting them on his cheeks as I drag him to me. He comes easily, but when our lips meet, he doesn’t kiss me back. A buzzing feeling practically rips through me from just a single brush of his lips to my own. It starts from my mouth and runs all the way down to my toes before settling between my thighs.

I’ve never felt such an exhilarating feeling in my life, and he’s not even kissing me back. At that thought, I go to pull away as the buzzing fades and embarrassment at literally throwing myself at this stranger takes up full residence inside me. I don’t get far though before his hand on my face wraps behind my neck and his other arm winds around my lower back, forcing my body flush against his as he deepens the kiss.

His lips smash against mine before his teeth sink into my bottom lip. I let out a soft moan as the pain quickly ebbs into pleasure. His tongue wraps around mine, like he’s trying to relish the taste of me. His hands grip me to the point of near pain, like he needs me to stay exactly where I am, right in his arms, or we will both snap in two. It’s all enough to fry my senses completely.

When he pulls away, his chest is heaving as he rests his forehead against my own. His eyes are clenched tight, and I furrow my brows as I run my hand through his dark locks. At that, his eyes fly open, completely focused on me before he whispers roughly, “I have to go.”

Disappointment fills me, but I nod softly. He takes me by surprise as he leans in for one more chaste kiss against my lips, as if he were savoring me one more time, before he leaves.

“I don’t even know your name,” I breathe out with half a chuckle.

He gives me the start of a smile, but his eyes are anything but happy as he looks down at me. “You don’t need to.”

He straightens up and takes a step away.

“Please,” I say simply, not knowing why I need the tangibility of a name at this moment but asking all the same.

He rolls his lips together as he watches me carefully.

“Dominic.”

I can’t help but smile at that. “Dom.”

Something flickers across his face at that as he gives a short nod.

“Goodnight, Blake.”