Page 9 of Rescuing Royce

He leaned in close. Her prayer went unanswered. He was way too close for comfort. She automatically leaned back as another whiff of whiskey made her gag.

“Hey, I’m not gonna bite.” He growled. “Unless you want me to.”

Nope. She didn’t. She was saving that for someone else. Someone, not him. “I think you have me confused with someone else.” Amber stood up, intent on finding anyone she knew and maybe someone she didn’t.

Tyson jumped off his chair and leaned into her, and grabbed her arm.

“Ow! What are you doing, asshole? That hurts. Let me go.” She tried to shake his hold, but he didn’t budge.

“You think you’re too good for me? I’d have you begging for more after the first round. And then I’d?—”

“Hey, Amber, I heard you were here. The gang’s looking for you. They’re over in the VIP section.”

Maverick Jansen, the star pitcher of the Outlaws, stood behind Tyson. She offered him a smile of gratitude and nodded. Then she looked down at his hand wrapped around her arm and back up into Tyson’s face.

What she found made her break out in a cold sweat. For a split second, she saw evil, then he blinked, and the cruelty was gone.

“This guy bothering you?” Maverick stepped from behind the much shorter man and stood by her side.

She let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding as Tyson let go of her arm and offered it to Maverick. “Hey, man. Great game. Congratulations on the championship.”

Maverick didn’t acknowledge Tyson other than to cross his arms and glare at the now sweating man. “Amber, you okay?”

“Y-yes. He was just leaving. He thought I was someone else, isn’t that right?”

Still too close for her peace of mind, Amber shifted away from Tyson but not before his whispered words reached her.

“Saved by the bell. Catch you next time.Amber,” Tyson whispered and walked away.

Amber and Maverick watched the king of creeps disappear into the crowd. She turned to Maverick, “Thank you. He wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Maverick was looking at her arm.

She glanced down at the slowly darkening skin and rubbed. “Yeah, he was drunk. I’ve never seen him before, and he was convinced I was blowing him off. And I was, but...”

“No, buts. Some guys can’t handle no, even when it’s a polite no. Next time be more of a bitch. Dump your drink in his lap. Hell, anything to cause a scene, okay?”

Amber nodded, then looked behind Maverick and discovered Royce intently watching her. He stood behind the railing between the dance floor and the front entry. Her gaze traveled down his muscular arms and rested on his hands gripping the metal, his knuckles white.

She swore she could feel his anger across the room. He gave her a slight nod and pushed off the railing, and went in the direction of the now-vanished Tyson.

She let out a sigh as she watched his backside disappear into the crowd. That man exuded power and protection. What shewouldn’t give for a chance to wrap herself around all that muscle and hard angles.

She heard Maverick speaking, but what he was saying didn’t register. Still shook up from her encounter, she wanted what? She wasn’t sure now about approaching Royce tonight. Maybe she should leave and treat herself to half a pint of salted caramel ice cream and stream a movie and rethink how to hook up with Royce.

She looked back to where she last saw him and noticed he was now speaking to one of the security guards Reese had on staff. Amber took the opportunity to observe him unnoticed and took another moment to admire his strong jawline, broad shoulders, and toned body. She sighed and turned back to Maverick.

“Amber? You with me, hon?” Maverick turned around to where she was looking, then chuckled, “Now, that’s someone you need to stay away from. He’s a nice guy, but definitely not in your league.” He motioned to where the rest of his friends and his wife, Kelsey had gathered. “Why don’t you come hang with us? And we’ll see what we can do about finding someone in between creepy guy and commitment-phobia guy. What do you say?”

Boy, had she’d been that obvious? I guess staring at a man across the room wasn’t exactly subtle behavior, but still—ouch. “And what exactly does that mean? You think after what just happened, I’m not capable of choosing the right guy?”

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. It’s just he’s not known for anything long term. A bit like me, I guess, before I found Kelsey, but he’s not your type, Amber. You need someone like?—”

Oh no, he just didn’t. “Like who? The calm, boring type that a good girl like me deserves? Well, the hell with that. I’ve had my fill of those men, and no thank you.”Wow, Amber. Where’d that come from?

“Okay, let me rephrase. Royce is a great guy, but he’s got a broken heart list longer than mine ever was. You deserve someone, well you just deserve a guy who’ll last, ya know? So, what do you say? Come join us. I know Kelsey and the rest of the ladies want you too.”

Amber felt about two inches tall. She didn’t have a temper, but obviously, Maverick had hit a nerve. And she wanted nothing more than to catch up with everyone as she hadn’t seen them since Noel and TS’ baby shower for their son, Carson.

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