Savannah
Jaxson stalked out the front doors, his power and energy trailing in his wake. The crowd surged around him like a wave.
“He’s trouble,” I whispered to my wolf as I did my best to ignore the women who’d inserted themselves into his path, hungrily watching him like they wanted a taste.
Could I really blame them?
Just watching him clear the bar so he could get my attention had set my mind in a muddle. I shouldn’t have flirted. Not until I got my shit straightened out, which seemed every day less and less likely to happen.
I sighed in exasperation and took another drink order. What was it about him that short-circuited all my neurons?
Even if I couldn’t keep my thoughts straight, at least I was making a killing on tips. It had only been a few hours, but I’d already earned four times what I’d make at the Tap House in a night.
If I could work here a few times a week…
“Hey, sweet thing.” A guy in his thirties slinked up to the bar, followed by two other men. His signature smelled like sickly sweet chewing tobacco and licorice. “Give me a few vodka shots, would ya?”
I surreptitiously scanned his ink and froze. Among the slew of designs, was a wolf skull with two arrows through it, but no sign of a two-headed wolf.
My breath slipped out as my shoulders relaxed. I set three shot glasses down for him and his buddies, and filled them to the rim with well vodka, because I could tell that was the kind of guys they were—bottom-shelf.
“Ten bucks,” I said, turning.
But the man grabbed my wrist and leaned forward, holding up a fifty-dollar bill in his other hand. “How about a fifty for a little taste of heaven?”
I yanked my hand out of his iron grip, my wrist stinging, and took his money and made change at the register. I slammed the bills down in front of him. “Not interested. And if you ever touch me again, I swear to God, you’ll regret it.”
He watched me closely, his jaw twitching, and then he chuckled and left ten bucks on the bar. “We’ll see about that.”
He slithered into the crowd with his sidekicks, and I couldn’t help but feel sick to my stomach.
“You okay?” Sam asked, grabbing a couple of martini glasses from behind me.
I left the tip on the counter. “Fine. Just some assholes getting a little handsy.”
“Seriously? Who?” Sam scanned the faces who filled in around the bar, looking like she wanted to fight.
I smiled and squeezed her arm. “Don’t worry, I handled it.”
The work was a whirlwind, and the hours zoomed by. I had to pass off most of the fancy cocktails to Sam and the others, but after I’d learned where everything was, I hustled fast enough to keep up with shots and server tickets.
Jaxson mostly roamed the edges of the unruly crowd like a pacing lion. Whenever I found him, his eyes were on me. It made my neck and thighs flush with heat every time, so I just tried to keep my own eyes on the bar.
As the night wore on, my tender feet began screaming in protest. I brushed a sweaty strand of hair behind my ear. It was getting hot with the mass of bodies crowded into the space tonight. I needed to sit down, even if it was for two minutes just to pee.
I caught Sam’s attention. “Hey, can you handle the bar for a minute? I’ve got to use the ladies’ room.”
“Of course. Take five, I’ve got this.” Sam shot me a smile and took another round of orders.
I slipped into the crowd and made my way to the bathroom. The music was no less pervasive in there, and the bass settled in my bones. I splashed some cool water on my face and neck and stared at myself in the mirror.
My skin was flushed with heat, and a dozen strands of hair had fallen out of my braid. I examined my clothes and admired the effect of the tight top pulled over my chest. I might look as disheveled as if I’d run a marathon, but at least my girls were still doing work.
There was a red speck on my shoulder. Shit. My cut. I dabbed it with a little water, and when that did absolutely nothing, I just pulled my braid over my shoulder and hoped no one would notice.
My phone read a quarter past one in the morning. No wonder my feet were killing me. Rinsing my hands again, I rushed back toward the bar.
People were jumping around, and someone bumped into me, knocking me into another. A pair of hands skimmed over me and gripped my waist, steadying me as I lost my balance. “Easy there, sweet thing.”
His hot breath dampened my neck, and that tobacco licorice stench made me gag. I tried to shove him off, but he didn’t let go. “You smell…fuck. You smell real good.”
He pulled me closer, sniffing.
“Get off of me, asshole!” I elbowed him in the ribs and spun around to knee him in the balls, but he moved aside and grabbed my throat.
His eyes flashed amber, but before I could react, a shape moved between us, and I heard the man’s wrist snap as his hand was yanked from my neck.
The air burst from my throat, and I stumbled backward into the crowd as two shapes dropped to the ground.
The revelers parted, revealing Jaxson crouched over my assailant. His fist rose and fell like a hammer, pummeling the man’s face into a bloody mess. I’d never seen him like this. His eyes burned with golden light, and his body rippled with fury.
Oh, my God, he’s going to kill the guy.
“Jaxson! Stop.” I stepped forward and gasped as blood colored his fist.
Three bouncers pushed through the crowd, and it took two of them to pull Jaxson off the unconscious man. Shouting, the guy’s friends picked him up, and the third bouncer escorted them to the door.
Jaxson jerked out of the bouncers’ grips and turned toward me, his expression dark and furious. Shivers raked my skin, and a heady mixture of fear and arousal swept over me as his wolves pulled him away.
I couldn’t discern my thundering heart from the drumming of the music, and I suddenly felt overheated and overwhelmed. A loud whistle cut through the commotion, and I turned toward the bar. Sam waved at me, a concerned look cutting her face.
Jostled left and right, I made it to the bar, and Sam slid me a shot of whiskey. I grimaced as it burned my throat. She poured a few more drinks and glanced at me. “You okay?”
I took another shot and nodded, my hand shaking.