Page 18 of Broken Promises
Chapter 8
Hannah
Telling Rhys that I wouldn’t leave with him was extremely hard, but it was the right decision. His kiss was electric, and as much as I wanted to go with him, I had to establish boundaries. I wasn’t going to abandon my friend and I wasn’t going to jump whenever a man told me to. Granny raised me to be independent, so I chose to say no.
His offer to make sure I got home safely wasn’t outside of what I expected, but him being willing to wait while I enjoyed my evening said so much about his character. I’d had casual boyfriends since I was sixteen, but I’d never been in a real relationship, and something told me Rhys wasn’t looking for a fling.
I could’ve been wrong, but something about his words of deserving someone better hit me right in the heart. There was more to him than he let people see, but from the interactions we’d had over the last few months, and now finding out he’d been watching me and making sure I was protected, was causing me to fall faster than I should.
“Damn, that man is sexy as fuck,” Samuel said when he rejoined me at the end of the bar. “I thought you said you hadn’t met anyone since you moved here.”
Nick walked up and placed two bottles of water on the bar. “Hydrate, and I’ll get you another round.”
I took a large swallow of the icy water before replying to Samuel’s statement. “I met him about six months ago, when hehelped me and my Granny with some family business. To be honest, I didn’t think he was that into me.”
“Girl, that man wants to mount you like a stag and beat on his chest as he claims you in front of the world.” I shook my head as Samuel reached out and placed his well-manicured hand on my wrist. “I might not be into women, but I know the signs of primal need between two people. That man craves you in his soul, and like most alphas, he’s carrying some kind of internal struggle that he’s probably not going to talk about. But when I say he wants you, believe that, girl.”
I shrugged as I took another swallow of the water. “He and I need to talk and clear the air before anything can happen,” I absently explained before adding, “and he’s so much more than I will ever be. So, there’s that.”
“I have no idea what that means, but I will say this. Men are stupid and don’t know how to share their feelings, so don’t be too harsh with him.”
I gave him a confused look. “How could you possibly know all that just from the brief time he was here?”
He leaned closer and dropped the tone of his voice. “Because I saw that kiss and I know what I’m talking about, little lady.”
I chuckled at his attempt to sound butch and pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you for being so amazing.”
Nick approached at that exact moment as Samuel placed his hand on his cheek, tilted his head, and batted his eye at me. “She said I’m amazing.”
“Don’t give him a big head,” Nick joked and glanced at our half-empty bottles of water. Turning, he grabbed two shot glasses and a cold bottle of whiskey before pouring us each a shot. “One more after these, then I’m cutting you both off.”
Samuel pushed out of his stool and leaned over the bar. Nick kissed him softly and smiled before turning to help another person. Samuel returned to his seat and sighed deeply with asmile. I suddenly understood the look and felt my heart lift slightly. For months, I’d felt like I was walking under a thick cloud of despair, and for the first time since before I was kidnapped, I was happy.
Samuel and I took our shots, then he guided me back to the dance floor. We swayed, bounced, and rocked our way through at least five songs before he fanned himself and nodded toward the bar. I followed behind him, and when we approached, Nick placed two more bottles of water and our last two shots in front of us.
Lifting Samuel’s wrist, I noticed the time and looked back at him. “I’m gonna need to head home soon. It’s almost midnight.”
“Then let’s enjoy our last drink and we can call that sexy man of yours to come get you.”
I blushed with a smile as we lifted the two shots and clinked the glasses together. “Here’s to us and our fabulous selves.”
“To us,” I returned before we tilted the glasses and finished the fiery whiskey.
Nick approached us and asked, “Did you have a good time?”
“It was a blast. Thank you for having me,” I replied.
“Anytime, sweet thing. Next time, maybe that hot man of yours will join you.”
“Maybe,” I answered, still so confused and unsure.
I took my phone from my small crossbody purse and unlocked it before pulling up Rhys’s last message. I glanced at Samuel, who was watching me with a smile as I typed.
Me:I’m ready whenever you are.
Almost instantly, there was a response.
Rhys:I’ll be there in three minutes. Stay with Samuel.
