Page 79 of Dare to Fall

Unable to find words, I shook my head. My heartbeat thudded in my ears, and my palms grew sweaty, but there was no way in hell I was going to walk out of that club and let Connor know he’d gotten to me.

I couldn’t help but stare at all of them. Caroline with Brent’s arm draped over her shoulder. Paulina on the other side of Brent, staring longingly at him. And Connor, dressed in his typical polo and khaki pants, who stood out like a sore thumb against the edgier looks most people were wearing.

Nothing had changed. And yet, everything had changed.

My stomach did a flip as Connor’s steel-blue eyes met mine through the dancing lights and shadowy darkness. A look I’d never seen before passed over his face—a mixture of rage and sorrow. And as he rose from the table and started making his way through the crowd toward me, the incessant urge to run came over me for the first time since I saw him with his professor.

Anxiety fluttered in my chest as I wrapped my arm around Garth, leaning into him for support. As I peered up at his face, I knew things were about to escalate. A muscle ticked in his firmly set jaw. Those hazel eyes turned a dangerous gray and narrowed slightly as Connor made his approach. The slightest line formed between his brows as his brilliant mind raced with thoughts. I could see it all on the face of the man who had saved me. The man who unchained my wings and taught me how to fly.

I didn’t want this, the chaos and drama that was about to transpire.

But I sat there, frozen in place, just as I had for all those years when I should have stood up and defended myself.

Connor stopped right in front of our table, and I could tell by the glazed-over look in his eyes that he was at least half a bottle deep already.

“Well, look who it is,” he slurred and swayed a little bit. “My crazy ex-girlfriend who ruined my life.”

“You should get back to your own table, Connor.” Garth’s voice was edged like a razorblade.

“Oh! And it’s the guy she cheated on me with. How perfect is this shit?”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as anger boiled beneath my skin. Connor was dancing on a thin line as he started to make accusations thatIwas the one who had an affair. The courage that had been blocked by seeing his face for the first time in a month started to break through.

“The only person who cheated here was you, Connor. I gave you the freedom you wanted when I ended things, so just leave us alone.”

An imperceptible smirk tugged at the corners of Garth’s lips. It happened so quickly I wasn’t sure it happened at all as his face set back to a menacing glare toward Connor.

Connor wavered backward to the point I thought he might topple over. But as he regained his bearings, a look of disdain settled over his face.

“You ruined my life, Eva. My parents threatened to cut me off unless I break up with the only woman I’ve ever loved.Youdid that. You were so jealous of her that you decided to ruin both our lives. Guess what? You accomplished what you set out to do.” He placed his hands on the tabletop and leaned toward me. “You fucking slut.”

As fast as the words left Connor’s mouth, Garth’s fist flew through the air, landing with a firmsmackacross Connor’s face so hard he fell to the floor in a heap of drunken stupor. A few people from the crowd backed away as Connor rolled around on the floor, grunting and holding his hands to his face.

Garth stood over Connor and said, “If I ever hear that you even mutter Eva’s name again, I will ruin more than your shitty future.”

Two guys dressed in all black with the stature of linebackers walked up to our table just as Garth knelt down and picked Connor up by the collar of his shirt.

“Now go tell your friends to get the fuck out of here,” he said as he shoved Connor toward the table where all three of my old friends sat staring with their mouths agape.

“Can you make sure him and everyone at that table leave and don’t come back?” Garth asked the two bouncers.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Walker,” the larger one said before they both turned and headed toward Connor’s table.

“How did they know your name?” I asked.

Garth turned toward me, taking me into his arms and planting a kiss to the top of my head. “A lot of the venue owners downtown know one another. Since I bought my restaurant, I’ve come to know a lot of the other owners around town.

Something told me there was a little more to it than that, but now wasn’t the time or place to pry. So, I just rose up on my tiptoes and let the feel of his lips melt everything away.

“Thank you,” I said as I pulled back to get a good look at him.

“For what?”

“For protecting me. And for helping me to feel strong enough to protect myself.”

“I’ll always protect you, Eva. And I’ll always do my best to make you feel strong. But you don’t need anyone, beautiful. You’re more capable than you even know.” An indescribable look flashed across his face as he said those final words. Fear, maybe. I couldn’t be sure. It was there one second and gone the next.

“You’re wrong about one thing.”

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