Page 46 of Keep Me Safe

The following day, I don’t see much of Kira, which is

probably for the best. I can’t seem to control my actions when it comes to her.

Tonight, she’s somewhere with Jared, so I have the house to myself, which gives me plenty of time to sit with my thoughts. I can’t believe I kissed her last night. Not even twenty minutes after she told me what was likely the most significant trauma ofher life, I was pulling her on top of me. What does that say about me?

If Jared hadn’t come home, would I have stopped?

I need a drink.

Grabbing my phone, I dial Keith’s number.

“Hello?” he answers.

“Do you have the girls tonight?”

“Nah, they’re with their mom. Why, what’s up?”

“Wanna go to Dillinger’s and grab some beers?”

“Meet you there in fifteen,” he chuckles before hanging up.

I throw on a clean T-shirt, grabbing my wallet and keys. I need to get out of this house and get my mind off of her.

I pull up to the pub, seeing Keith’s car already there. I walk inside and see him sitting at the bar, a tall beer in hand.

“Damn, you’re quick,” I say, sitting down beside him.

“What can I say? I missed you,” he says with a chuckle.

“Or maybe you missed the cold beer.”

“The world may never know.”

I flag down the bartender and order a tall kölsch, glancing around the bar as I wait. It’s busy for Thursday night. Nearly all of the tables are full. “Any Way You Want It” by Journey blares through the speakers, barely audible over the shouts and laughter.

A hand taps my shoulder, and I turn to look at Keith.

“I think you’ve got an admirer,” he says, gesturing over my shoulder. I follow his gaze to a brunette across the bar. She looks to be about thirty, and she’s pretty. Keeping her eyes on mine, she saunters up to the bar, an added sway in her hips. She’swearing a tight red dress that hugs her curves with bright red lips to match. She leans on the bar next to me, a smirk on her face.

“Hey, handsome, you gonna buy me a drink?”

I let out a laugh and look over at her. She’s the kind of woman I should want. She’s beautiful andmy age. I don’t want to be rude, so I oblige.

“What would you like?” I ask her.

“I wouldlovea vodka cranberry,” she says, sitting beside me.

“I’ll be right back,” Keith says.

Great, he’s leaving me alone with her. He probably thinks he’s doing me a favor. The bartender hands over her drink, and she brings it to her lips, taking a sip.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Noah, yours?” I ask, but I don’t hear the answer as the door to the bar swings open and Kira steps through it, followed by Jared and his friends. She looks up at me, and our gazes meet. She’s wearing a dress similar to the one she wore the other day, but this one is solid black. It fits her in all the right places. My mind flashes back to her on top of me, my hands up her skirt.

Fuck, I can’t think about that.

Kira’s eyes shoot to the woman next to me, then to her hand on my thigh. When she looks back up at me, there’s a flash of hurt in her eyes, but it quickly hardens into anger. She drops her gaze, moving to follow the boys to a booth in the corner.

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