Page 14 of Follow the Rhythm
Kieran just raised his eyebrows. That seemed to be his signature conversational move. I huffed, but it was hard to stay mad at someone giving the emotional output of a brick wall.
“Iamfine, though,” I said.
“So you keep saying,” he replied. “I told your friend I’d bring you around the front. This alley is blocked off.”
I peered down into the darkness. “I’ll take your word for it. Lead the way.”
Kieran gestured for me to go in through the door first. His scent had thickened and hit me almost as strongly as Charlie’s had. I shivered a little as I passed him.
“Cold?” Those pretty eyes missed nothing.
“I’m fine.” I had to take three steps for every one of his.
“Yes, of course you are,” he said. He wasn’t smiling, but I felt like there was a smirk hidden somewhere in his tone.
We went the full length of the hallway, then turned right down another, darker corridor. Kieran pushed open another door that led out onto the street, about fifty feet from the club’s front door. If anyone recognized him, they didn’t approach.
“Thanks for the escort,” I said ironically. “I think I can take it from here.”
“I’ll wait until Austin comes out,” Kieran said, unconcerned.
“You think someone is going to what, attack me in front of a crowd?” I flung my hand back at the groups of people waiting for rideshares behind me.
“I think you’re a beautiful woman, alone, surrounded by drunk idiots. Add in the fact that you smell like…” He broke off and looked away from me for a moment. When he looked back, his eyes were darker, and they lingered on my neck for a moment. I instinctively reached up to hide Charlie’s marks. “You can just pretend I’m not here.”
“Yeah, right,” I muttered. “I’m not sure if you know this, but you’re kind of hard to ignore.”
One side of his mouth tipped up.
“Just because you’re so abnormally large,” I said quickly, gesturing vaguely at him.
“Maybe you’re just very small,” he said, his eyes gleaming.
“It’s rude to comment on a woman’s body.” I crossed my arms. Kieran’s eyes flicked to my chest and back up. He didn’t reply.
“Jess,” Austin’s voice called, and I turned, relieved. They jogged the distance between us. “Sorry, the line to cash out was insane.”
“No problem.” I turned back to Kieran. “Am I sufficiently protected now?”
Kieran didn’t answer. A black sedan pulled up to the curb, and he gestured towards it. “It’s a private car. It’ll take you home so you don’t have to wait for a ride.”
“Perfect. Thanks, man,” Austin said and clapped him on the shoulder.
I looked from Kieran to the car and back again. He remained impassive.
“Fine. Thank you,” I said and flung myself in the backseat before he could reply. I squished myself into the far corner of the seat and crossed my legs and arms as tightly as I could.
Austin joined me and gave the driver my address. “What the fuck was that?” they asked as we pulled away.
“What?”
“‘What?’ You ran out of there like you were about to puke or something. And then I find youflirting? I thought there was something wrong,” Austin said.
I sighed. “It’s fine. I just got overwhelmed. And I was not flirting with him. He was being an overbearing douche.”
“It smelled like something was going on.” They sniffed at me exaggeratedly. “Ew, keep it in your pants, Moretti.”
I flipped them off and checked my phone, mostly to not have to think about Ellis forgetting I existed. I could examine that heartache on my own time.
