“You’ve got all your cronies here. I don’t think it would be a fair fight.”
Fight.
I kept telling myself that a fight was not a beating.
Adam is giving him a choice.
Adam spoke, “Tyler, they aren’t here to step in. They’re here as witnesses in case you try to make it into something it’s not. This will not end pleasantly for you, but I will defend myself. Go on home.”
My eyes danced to Adam, and he was completely confident and collected. He didn’t seem like he was looking for a fight, but he was willing to stand up for himself—or me, for that matter.
Tyler continued his path to Adam. “I’ll be telling her father all those dirty little rumors circulating about you and her at the club, motherfucker.”
The threats Tyler made didn’t bother me. He could tell my dad anything, and I couldn’t care less.
“Tyler, go.” Adam’s voice was laced with ice.
I shivered from the chilling essence it left within me.
Without notice, Tyler sucker-punched Adam in the jaw.
Adam took a few steps back, stunned. His hand came up and rubbed his jaw as he regained his balance. “That’s the only shot you’re going to get, asshole.”
Tyler started to throw another punch, but Adam blocked it and hit him square in the face. Blood erupted from Tyler’s nose as he sank to the concrete crying out in pain.
Adam turned and saw me standing there. He’d obviously expected me to have listened to his previous request to stay in the club. His face looked upset. He kept glancing back and forth between me and the douche bag laid out on the concrete.
Tyler cried out in pain, again, mumbling about how Adam would pay. My mind was prepared for the flight response to kick in, but it never came.
Adam came to me and yelled over his shoulder, “Get him a towel.” He turned to me and touched my shoulder. “I need to speak to you.” There was worry in his voice as he looked me over.
I nodded as Nora said, “Jude will be here in a minute.”
“Okay, Adam and I will be back in just a few,” I said.
I hoped whatever he needed to talk about didn’t have anything negative to do with us. Brandt was still out here, and he tossed a hand towel from his back pocket onto the pavement for Tyler.
Shit.
I hadn’t wanted Ainsley to see me dealing with a situation like this, especially with it only being a week since her mom had been admitted. Between this incident with Tyler and the pressure to make a decision regarding my parent’s party, I was tired of all this bullshit, and I wanted to lose myself in Ainsley and find our escaped reality. First, I needed to make sure Ainsley and I were okay. With Ainsley’s violent past, I wasn’t sure how she would feel about what I had just done. Ainsley still looked cautious.
Shit.
She glanced over at Tyler as the boys were asking if he wanted medical attention. They were standing around, watching him. I didn’t give a fuck if he lay there all night and cried like the pansy-ass he was. He should not have pushed me when it came to my girl. I wrapped my arm around her waist and brought her closer to me. I felt calmer having her in my arms.
“Let’s go inside and talk, baby. Then, we can come back to the bar to join Nora and Jude.”
“Sure.”
I wasn’t able to tell what she was thinking as we walked inside. She wasn’t showing her emotions, and her mask was in place.
Double shit.
The Thrillhammers were doing their thing as they sang “Wirehead.” I guided Ainsley back to my office on this side of the club. We were nearing capacity.
I opened the door. “After you.”
She nodded and walked inside. When the door closed, I walked up to her and brought her to me.
Her head tilted up to me. “What’s bothering you, Adam? Is it about you fighting with Tyler?”
“Yes, that’s always the last resort, Ainsley. I don’t want you to think I go around doing that. I would never hit you.”
Her fingers came up and grazed my cheek. “I know that. I’ll admit, conflict like that makes me nervous, but I watched you, and you were completely in control, Adam. He struck first, and you ended it. I’m not upset with you, and I don’t think you would do anything to me. You’re not my father.”
Hearing those words from her lips was how I had hoped she would feel. “I’m glad. I never would, Ainsley. I promise. You mean the world to me.”
“I know. I feel the same way.” Her sweet smile was a soothing balm to my self-inflicted torture. “Are you ready to head back out to the club?”
Part of me wanted to bend her over the desk, but I decided to wait until we got back to our room.
“Yes.” She gave me a sweet kiss. She started to speak, stopped, and then said, “Adam, thank you for standing up for me earlier.”
I leaned my forehead against hers. For me, touching her that way intensified the connection. My feelings were spiraling into what I now knew was uncharted territory for me. I thought I had loved Selena, but what I felt for Ainsley wasn’t even remotely the same. She was my everything. My heart wasn’t ready to make that type of declaration. Ainsley and I were good where we were at. She had a shitstorm she was dealing with, and all she needed was my support.
My thumb traced her lips. “Ainsley, I protect what is mine. And, baby, you’re at the top of what I consider mine.”
“I feel the same way, Adam.”
I kissed her again. “Let’s go see Nora and Jude. Then, I’m taking you back to our room where I’m going to make love to you all night long.”
“I like being in your arms. It’s safe.”
Her words continued to reach parts of my soul that had never been touched.
I grabbed her hand and began rubbing my thumb against hers. “I like you in my arms, too.” I couldn’t say anything else even though there was so much more I wanted to say.
We moved out into the club as The Thrillhammers were in full swing. Jude and Nora were dancing on the other side of the dance floor. Ainsley gave a smile toward them and then turned to me. We began moving to the song. Her body melded to mine. I put my leg in between hers and ran my hands up and down her body. Ainsley and I were sync’d as one, and I could feel myself getting worked up. She moved her hips and touched me as our bodies began to sweat from the hea
t.
The band continued singing “55-Gallon Drum.”
I was a rock I liked to roll
Full of myself, full of soul
Kept my lid tight, held down in school
No use for the law, even broke the golden rule
In a slick twelve gauge steel
Hard and cold and rolled like a wheel
When I was young and slow to learn
I took a few bullets but it helped me burn
I’m a fifty-five-gallon drum
Got a bellyful of fire and an iron lung
Yeah, I’m a fifty-five-gallon drum
I’m past my prime, but I just got rollin’
Glowing red, ashen white
Blind beacon in the night
So gather ’round I’m smoking hot
Take what you give, give you all I got
The song ended, and lust had become the dominant feature in Ainsley’s eyes as we stared at each other. They started the next song, “Ain’t That a Shame,” and I leaned into her ear.
“Let’s get a drink. I think Nora and Jude just went to the bar.”
She looked torn. I knew she wanted to go back to our room and be together. I had that intense need also. After what had gone down today, we needed alone time. Making love seared in our feelings, branding them into our very being.
“Baby, we’ll go back to the room soon. I have the same need. Trust me.”
We made our way to the bar where Nora was taking a shot.
Nora looked our way. “Hey, guys. Jude, this is Adam and my girl Ainsley. You guys, this is Jude.”
I cocked my eyebrow to Nora and mouthed my girl. She laughed as I extended my hand and I sized Jude up. He had a pierced lip with shaggy black hair. He seemed like an all right guy.
Jude greeted us, “Hey, mate. Nice to meet ya, Ainsley.”
Nora wagged her eyebrows up and down as he spoke with his Australian accent.
Girls and accents.
Ainsley extended her hand and smiled sweetly. “Nice to meet you too, Jude.”
He put his arm around Nora. I was glad to see that he only seemed to have eyes for Nora. He hadn’t given Ainsley a second look. That was going to make getting along with him a hundred times easier.
Jude brought his beer to his lips. “I like this band. They have a good sound.”