Page 65 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
Mia shook her head as her pulse jumped. This was taking a bad turn. Another thing she hadn’t expected when she’d accepted the dare. Why had they picked her to start yelling stuff at? “Oh, no. I’m fine.”
The announcer lifted an eyebrow, and in an instant, it felt predatory. “You know, I wish I’d thought of that. Who else thinks we should add a little water to the mix?”
The entire place erupted with whoops, cheers, and fist pumping.
She shook her head again, this time more vehemently. “No, really, I don’t want to do that.”
“Aw, come on, sweetheart.” His thin lips stretched into a wider smile.
“No.”
He put his hand over the mic. “Sweetheart, I’ve got a crowd wanting to see you doused in water. Just play along, all right?”
“I—” Before she could finish her statement, a body curled around her, and then she was lifted off the ground by the waist. What felt like seconds later, her feet hit the sand as the man set her down and stepped back.
Her heart raced as she let her gaze roam over the tall, muscular man. With the little bit of light coming from the strip, if she had to guess, he was either a bouncer, a bodyguard, or a weight-lifting champion. Or maybe all three. He was huge. Not a vein-popper type, but if this guy wanted to throw down, you would know you’d been thrown…after you woke up in the hospital. If only she could make out his features, but there wasn’t near enough light for that.
He shook his head, and droplets of water hit her on the cheek. “I’m sorry.” He took a few more steps back. “Two guys were coming up behind you, about to throw water on you. You’d said no.” As he turned his back to her to shake out more water from his hair, she could see that the back of his shirt was soaked.
“You didn’t have to rush in to rescue me. It was just water.” He didn’t, but, man, did he leave her twitterpated.
He faced her, his eyebrows drawn and his gaze not quite meeting hers. “I know. I’m sorry. I hate those kinds of contests, and when you told them no, I rushed in without thinking. It was an automated response.”
In a way, it was pretty chivalrous and not something she’d experienced before. “Well, I could’ve handled myself, but thank you. Still, next time, the woman you think you’re rescuing may not be as forgiving as I am.” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Mia Milan.”
“Noah Wol—andry. Noah Wolandry.”
“Nice to meet you, Noah.” Mia took a second and readjusted the sarong tied at her waist. It had loosened as he carried her, and now she was glad she’d worn it. On stage, she’d felt exposed, and now, in front of this beast of a guy, she would’ve felt even more so if she was just wearing her swimsuit.
“I guess I’ll get out of your way.” He waved in the direction of the club. “If you want to go back, I’ll make sure to avoid it,” he said, not hiding the frustration in his voice. Still, it was deep and swirled around her like the aroma of coffee. Deep and rich.
Part of her wanted to go back just to see if he’d keep his word, but the other part of her wanted to keep him talking. That voice was ear candy. “As tempting as that is, I think I’ll pass.”
“What were you doing in a swimsuit contest anyway? You’re a grown woman. Not a college kid.”
She lifted a single eyebrow. “Oh, so I’m not young and attractive enough to be in a swimsuit competition?”
He blinked. “No. I mean, yes. I mean…” He took a deep breath and raked his hand through his hair. “Actually, you’re breathtaking, and anyone low enough to participate in judging a contest like that won’t have the class to appreciate just how beautiful you are.”
Her brain sputtered. Breathtaking and beautiful in the same sentence? That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. Her cheeks warmed almost uncomfortably. “Uh, well, thank you.”
“Sure. Um, I’ll go now.” He turned to leave.
She wasn’t ready for him to go. “Wait.”
“Yeah?”
“I was wondering if my knight in shining armor would like to take a walk on the beach with me.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “That is, if you don’t have a girlfriend or wife waiting for you somewhere.”
“There’s no one waiting for me. Is there someone waiting for you?”
Nope, and for once, she was glad she didn’t. “No.”
He sighed. “If you’re asking for my company, do you have mace or some sort of protection on you?”
Mia’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Why? After rescuing me, are you planning on attacking me?”
“No, but you should always be ready to defend yourself. What if I was just pretending to be nice just to get you to trust me?”
