People turn to stare, but no one is able to slow the man down as he ploughs through the crowd. I pick up my pace and lunge at him in an effort to grab hold. And I succeed. My hand connects with his forearm, and I grip him hard. Wrenching with as much force as I can muster, I manage to slow him down enough to come face-to-face with him again.
He snarls down into my face. “Bitch, I recommend you back the hell off. None of this is your concern.”
A deep voice cuts through the air. “No, but it’s my concern.” That voice whooshes through me, because not only is it commanding, it’s angry. And so controlled that it actually frightens me.
Luke.
I look around at the same time as he moves to put space between the asshole and me. Our eyes connect and his flash a warning.
“Move back,” he orders and I flinch at his tone. If I thought I’d met bossy Luke before, I was wrong. This is bossy Luke.
I do as he says and then watch as he manhandles the asshole all the way to the front door. His movements are effortless, and I’m stunned at the dominance he wields. I’m also struck by the realisation that under that cool exterior of his, lies a man who is very capable of protecting his own. I’ve never seen such control on a person. Luke is angry, and while that is obvious, he is clearly reining that anger in.
After he rids his bar of trash, organises a cab for the woman, and has a short conversation with his security guy, he turns and stalks my way. His gaze does not let mine go. When he reaches me, he grips my hand and leads me to his back office. He’s walking so fast that I almost stumble in my haste to keep up with him.
He closes the door behind us once we reach his destination
and then watches me for a moment, his breathing hard. “I told you to stay away from those guys, Callie,” he clips, his eyes still flashing anger.
I take a deep breath, annoyed at the way he’s speaking to me. “I did, but he came into the bathroom where I was talking to that woman. I could hardly ignore the situation. She was scared out of her wits.”
“You could have come and gotten me to help.”
“There wasn’t time, Luke.”
“There was plenty of time.” He doesn’t give me an inch, and it pisses me off even more.
“Will you listen to yourself? You’re being ridiculous now. No harm was done, and we all survived, so this conversation is pointless.”
His eyes flare. “This conversation is not pointless. While you’re in my bar, it’s my responsibility to keep you safe. I knew those guys were a problem, that’s why I told you to steer clear.” Now, he’s just being obstinate.
“I understand that. Can you understand where I’m coming from? I didn’t go looking to get involved in their drama. I was just reacting to what was in front of me.”
He stares at me for a long beat. And then he shoves his fingers through his hair and mutters something under his breath. His control snaps a little when he says, “Jesus, why do you have to argue with me over this? I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe.”
“And I’m just trying to point out that you’re taking it too far. I appreciate your concern and that you look out for me, but there’s no need to go all dictatorial on me.”
He holds my gaze as he blows out a long breath, his fight gone. “Maybe I just want the opportunity to take care of you from here on out,” he says, his voice gruff.
Oh. My.
My annoyance with him suddenly turns into something else completely. I’ve never had a man say anything like that to me before, and it makes my heart all mushy.
Moving into my space, he slides his hand around my waist. His eyes search mine before he says, “I need to know you’re okay, Callie. For me to do that, I’m going to need you to let me take charge sometimes. Are you good with that?”
His face is so close—so close I could stand on my tiptoes and kiss him—and that proximity is fucking with my mind. I can’t think straight when he does this. While my inner feminist wants to tell him there’s no way in hell I’m conceding control ever, my inner princess wants nothing more than to be swept off her feet by a knight in shining armour. I mean, what woman doesn’t want that at some point in her life?
He only said sometimes.
You could totally take charge all the other times.
Yeah, like Luke’s really going to let that happen.
My princess wins.
She and I are going to be having words later.
I nod. “I’m good with that.”