If We Dare - J.H. Croix Page 0,1
leave before I kick your ass,” Walker said.
His low, fierce words sent a sizzling thrill through me. I was not the kind of girl who got all hot and bothered over men being tough. And yet, here I was, my body nearly vibrating at the force of Walker’s presence and my panties getting wet from the sound of his voice.
I stole another glance at him. I knew him because he worked with my older brother, and they were friends. To put it plainly, Walker was hot. His face looked as if it had been carved from marble. He had strong cheekbones and a straight nose paired with a square jaw. He even had a dimple in his chin. To make matters worse, his lips were bold and sensual.
I didn’t think I’d ever seen the guy crack a smile. His eyes were an icy silver. Ever since the first time I’d met Walker, we’d rubbed each other the wrong way. For God’s sake, the man was all about being tall, dark, and mysterious. It grated on me, and I didn’t know why.
Not that I minded that issue just about now. He leveled his cool gaze at the guy’s friends, adding, “Why don’t y’all get the hell out of here? Sound like a plan?”
Whether it was the tone of his voice, or the look in his eyes, or the fact that whatever he’d done to the guy with a flick of his wrist had brought the guy to his knees, they took notice. After a loaded moment, the man’s friends appeared to think Walker’s suggestion was a good plan and started to shuffle out.
“Are we clear?” Walker asked, staring down at my drunken assailant on his knees.
“If you’ll fucking let me go, I’ll get the hell out of here.”
Walker released the guy’s wrist. “Fair enough. If I ever see you getting pushy with any woman who doesn’t want it, I might not be so nice next time.”
At that, the man stood, stumbling on his way toward the door, which was blessedly close. Only then did Walker glance down at me. He eased his hold on me, releasing me from that convenient little spot tucked up against his hard body.
I jumped back and eyed him carefully. I wanted to tell him I didn’t need his help, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew the second I was lifted off the floor, I had no chance against the drunk man. I took a breath, willing my pulse to slow the hell down and every cell in my body to stop it with the happy dance.
“Thank you. I should’ve kicked him in the balls first,” I finally said.
Walker’s lips quirked in a smile, immediately sending my belly into a series of flips. “That might’ve done the trick.”
Megan jumped in. “Thank you so much. He was so drunk, and he just wouldn’t leave me alone.”
“I don’t know if you should be thanking me,” I said wryly.
“Well, thank you both. I’m going to take that as my cue to call it a night.” At that, she waved at us both and hurried through the crowd to sidle up to one of her friends.
That left me alone with Walker. I was acutely aware of my pulse, its thrumming beat careening through my body at a breakneck pace. “What did you do to his wrist?” I couldn’t help my curiosity.
He shrugged. “Just applied some well-placed pressure to a pressure point.”
“Well, um, thanks again. I’m not sure where Joe went—”
Walker chuckled at that. “Oh, he’s making out with some girl in the back.”
“What? You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I muttered.
“I’m definitely not kidding. You can see him,” he said, nudging his chin toward the swinging half door that led behind the bar to the kitchen and storage.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Walker was quite right. Joe was deep into making out with a woman against the wall in the hallway. I was actually relieved to have something else to be annoyed about. I didn’t know what to think about my body’s haywire reaction to getting up close and personal with Walker, so any distraction was welcome.
“I have to get back to work, so thanks again,” I said, giving him a nod. As if to remind me that while I might be trying to ignore it, my body knew what it wanted. My belly shimmied as I strode quickly past him and stepped behind the bar again.
Chapter Two
Walker
Jade Cole practically ran past me, and my eyes were like