Page 5 of Kink in the Road
“You have nice eyes,” the out-of-towner informed me as we battled for supremacy across the pool table. “They’re like the blue of a sapphire.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, lining up my shot.
The hour had grown late, and the pub crowd had slowly thinned out until it was just me, Finn and Aiden, and a handful of tourists left. I knew I should have left earlier, but the thought of going home filled me with despair. I couldn’t say why I felt that way, just that this strange malaise had descended. A yawning, empty, hollow feeling had settled in my chest, and the idea of being alone with it felt almost dangerous.
The tourist, whose name I’d forgotten, shifted to behind me, leaning over my body. I stiffened, pressing myself into the table as he moved closer.
“Need a hand?” he asked, his breath hot against my ear.
“No.” I took the shot then stood, stepping away from him as unease slithered down my spine. “Your turn.”
He took an age to decide how he would play the shot, brushing past me multiple times before finally leaning over the table to attempt to sink the ball into the hole.
He failed.
Any enjoyment I might have had quickly evaporated as he became bolder, and sexually aggressive, his flirting taking on an almost possessive edge.
“Look,” I said as he crowded me into the table once more. “I’m not interested, okay?”
I might have been lonely, but I wasn’t desperate.
“Bullshit,” he smirked, reaching for my hip. “You’ve been flirting with me for the last hour.”
“No, I haven’t. I’ve been?—”
He stepped into me, his hand snaking up to grab the back of my head as his lips descended toward mine.
I struggled to twist away, pain shooting through my scalp where his hand fisted my hair. His lips glanced the corner of my mouth as I managed to turn my head. His alcohol-laden breath filled my nostrils as he slurred a chuckle.
“Playing hard to get, little girl.”
“Let me go,” I demanded, shoving at his chest. “I don’t want?—”
I fell forward as the guy abruptly released me. Stumbling, I nearly tripped only to have strong arms wrap around me, pulling me into a hard, warm chest.
I jerked up, twisting to find Aiden had me, but he wasn’t watching me—his hard gaze was trained on Finn and the tourist.
“The lady,” Finn barked, shaking the tourist by the cuff of his shirt, “said no.”
The man swung wildly, attempting to break Finn’s hold. Long used to drunken antics, Finn easily dodged the guy, tripping him up and forcing him to stumble toward the door. He glanced at me over his shoulder. “You want to press charges?”
I shook my head. “Just get him out of here.”
Finn did so, easily maneuvering the man until he could toss him outside. He pulled the heavy wood closed and turned the lock. It was only then that I clocked that I was the sole remaining patron of the pub.
“Where’d everyone go?” I asked, my mind racing as I tried to process the last few minutes.
“Home. It’s nearly midnight.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into Aiden. This moment wouldn’t last—soon I’d be cold and alone once more.
A warm hand touched my face, and I blinked my eyes open to find Finn staring at me.
“You okay?” he asked, his gaze searching.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
His jaw clenched, his blue eyes flashing with frozen fire. “Don’t fucking thank me. I should have punched the fucker in the face.”
