Page 36 of Reckless

A rowdy bunch of guys are walking towards us. They’re not doing anything concerning, but there’s about six of them and they’re all laughing. They’re guys on a night out and I shouldn’t be concerned, but I’m so used to having bodyguards around me, shielding me when groups of people are around like this, it’s second nature to be wary.

Their attention goes to Krista the closer we get to passing them. It’s colder out now than it was earlier, and she isn’t wearing a coat. I didn’t bring one either, so can’t offer her anything to keep her warm. As the group gets closer, Krista moves her arm to hold her purse strap, using her forearm to cover her chest.

At first glance you’d think it is to make sure her purse isn’t snatched. I’ve been around Solene, who tells me the lengths women go to, to make sure they don’t get unwanted attention from men.

It irritated me when men bothered her, coming on too strong, but Sol knows how to handle herself. I know Krista can handle herself too, given how she was when we met. The idea of her feeling even the slightest bit uncomfortable pisses me off.

I’m also a guy, and I know exactly what they’re looking at, the closer they get. Before I think too much about it, I wind my arm around Krista’s waist, pulling her closer to me. She looks up at me with a question in her eyes, but stops when the men split their group to go around us.

I glare at one who is eyeballing Krista. He ducks his head and looks away. Once they’ve passed, I breathe a little easier.

“What was that?” Krista moves a little but doesn’t pull out of my grip, and I don’t let go either.

“What?”

“This,” she wriggles her upper body, so my arm falls away from her waist. “Were you protecting me, Jude? From those hooligans,” she laughs a little.

“I wasn’t sure if you had your mace,” I deadpan back at her.

Her laughter only gets louder.

She could have taken it the wrong way, got pissed at me for trying to control a situation she can deal with herself. Like with most things I’m learning about Krista, she doesn’t act like any other woman I’ve known.

Behind us, I can still hear those guys. They should have walked on by now. I glance over my shoulder and see they’re all standing on the sidewalk, looking back at us. My hackles go up and I move in front of Krista. She tries to look over my shoulder and sees the guys all talking and looking at us again.

“Jude. Your hat.”

I reach up and touch my hair. Shit. I left the hat on the seat beside me at the restaurant. These guys aren’t looking at us because they’re perverts watching Krista.

They’re looking because they recognize me.

Chapter 10

“Come on,” Krista pulls my arm, and we turn and head towards the parking lot. “Should we run?”

“No. Not yet, anyway.”

“O-kay. What does that mean?”

I risk a look over my shoulder. A couple of them have followed, the rest are yelling out at them and going the other way.

“We’ll draw attention if we run. Right now, they only think they recognize me. Where are your keys? Get them out ready.”

Krista takes them out of her purse and holds onto them, moving a little quicker but not running. She goes to look back, but I stop her by putting my arm around her shoulders this time, so her face turns into my chest rather than looking back at them.

“If we act normal, they’ll back off, think they’re seeing things.”

Looking both ways at the road, we cross the street when there is a break in traffic. I can see the RV from here. I’m so fucking irritated with myself for leaving that hat. Even if these guys do nothing, it’s a wake-up call that I’m not like everyone else. Thinking I could be, was crazy.

At the RV, Krista unlocks the door. I glance back and see two of the guys have stopped at the end of the block. One is shaking his head and laughing and slaps his friend on the back. Seeing us getting in an RV is making them think they’re wrong.

They turn and head back to their friends.

“Jude?”

My heart is pounding. I can’t believe I put Krista in a potentially threatening situation. If one of those guys had said my name, there is no way of knowing how many other people would have come over once they realized.

And with the press speculating I’ve disappeared, it’s more likely things could get out of hand.

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