care of you because you’re here with me. You don’t need to worry anymore. Not about anything.”
“Okay,” I breathe. “Okay.”
I say the words, but they lack conviction. I am worried. I’ll probably always be worried. Not for any reason but my own selfish sense of security. I know that I can survive in the world on my own, but I also know exactly how hard it is.
He tilts his head to the side, his mouth slams down against mine and he gives me a hard kiss. It’s painful, but I love it. My belly dips and I have to press my thighs together. I want more, so much more from him. He’s still a stranger, but he’s my stranger.
A loud pounding on the door causes him to pull away from me. His hand drops from my wrist, and I want nothing more than to pull him close to me again and smother him, keep him right where he is, right here with me.
Turning around, I watch his back as he tugs the door open. I don’t see the person on the other side, but I know it’s a man, his voice is a deep timbre as it floats through the room. Unfortunately, I can’t understand what he’s saying, he’s murmuring the entire time.
“Fuck,” Mountain clips. “I’ll be right there.”
He closes the door, turning around, and his eyes drag over my body. “Go ahead down in the bar, I got some shit I need to take care of. Don’t go anywhere but the bar and this room,” he announces.
I open my mouth to ask him a question, but he’s already pulled the door open and stomped away, leaving me completely alone and staring after his retreating form. Clearing my throat, I stay exactly where I am, my feet practically frozen to the floor for much longer than I should.
Eventually, when it’s clear that Mountain is not coming back any time soon, I decide to venture to the bar. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to find. My feet move slowly, so freaking slow that I wonder if I’m ever going to actually make it to the bar area.
When I finally do, I hear the thump of the bass music, the low murmur of voices, and the sound of pool balls crashing into one another. Looking around, I’m not surprised to see people drinking, some drug use, and the woman who was sucking someone’s dick earlier, is now on all fours as he fucks her from behind.
I stand in the shadows for longer than I should, watching, taking them all in. Maybe it’s creepy, no, it definitely is creepy. It doesn’t matter though, Mountain has left me in a strange place full of well… strangers.
Chapter Thirteen
LEIGHTON
Slowly, one step at a time, I inch my way into the bar. Nobody pays me even a slightest bit of attention, that is until I reach the actual bar top. A guy behind the counter makes his way toward me with a kind smile.
“You want something to drink, babe?” he asks.
He’s wearing the same vest as everyone else, except his says the word prospect across the chest instead of a name, like Mountain’s. I am half tempted to ask him what his name patch, or lack thereof, means, but I decide against it. I’m not sure how much I actually care.
My eyes flick over the man behind the counter and to the bottles of liquor that are all lined up behind him. I wonder if they have anything other than beer and cheap hard liquor.
As spoiled as it sounds, I could really use some Clase Azul tequila. It’s my favorite and not just because it comes in a pretty white and blue ceramic bottle, it just tastes freaking delicious.
“Do you have any tequila that isn’t going to leave me with a gnarly hangover in the morning because it’s cheap?”
He blinks, his lips parting slightly. At the same time, a man next to me guffaws. “I like her,” he announces.
Turning to the side, I look at him. He’s grinning at me, his eyes dancing much the same way that Mountain’s do. He’s really looking at me though, not trying to figure me out necessarily, but instead, just taking me in. He’s big like Mountain, his beard thick and black, his gaze intense.
“I’m Leighton,” I say softly.
He dips his chin, his eyes never leaving mine. “Get Leighton here, some Patron. That’s as top-shelf as we get, babe. It’s going to have to do.”
Pressing my lips together, I