Liam
I stormed into my apartment and slammed the door behind me. Fuck! That was too much. I’d been way too harsh, but I was completely livid. I knew Al was a creep. It’s why I tried to warn her off him in the first place, but I never expected him to pull some shit like that. I should’ve know telling a girl like Gwen not to do anything would immediately make her want to do it.
Goddamn it! I took a swing at the heavy bag and it swung back hard, the chains rattled as it rocked from the impact.
Why couldn’t she just listen to me? Now I was down a bartender and seriously pissed off. The worst part was the rage I felt when I saw his hands on her. The jealousy caught me off guard, and when I heard her tell him to let her go, I just lost it. Before I even knew what I was doing, Al was slammed against the wall, his shirt clenched in my fist and fear in his eyes.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. This wasn’t her fault. I knew that. No woman deserved to be treated like that. Just because she’d said yes last night didn’t mean she’d say yes again tonight.
I grabbed a beer from the fridge and chugged it, then slammed the bottle down hard on the counter top. I rested my hands on the edge and dropped my head with sigh. This chick had been nothing but a thorn in my side from day one, but the terrified look on her face when Al trapped her nearly tore me in half. I should’ve just kicked her out the first night her tight little ass walked into my bar. Maybe then I wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.
Regardless of how my body reacted to her, I knew that if I gave in to this lust, it would be a disaster of epic proportions—not only for me, but for my business as well.
I needed to lock that shit down. I’m a goddamn professional.
***
After a while, I calmed down enough to head back down stairs to close up by myself since what was left of my staff was long gone.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs I stopped dead in my tracks. The tables were clean chairs stacked neatly on top. The beat-up old bar top shined and the floor was swept and mopped to perfection.
Gwen pushed into the bar from the kitchen, nearly colliding with me.
“Oh, hey,” she said.
“You did all this?”
She shrugged.
“You didn’t have to stay,” I said.
“Not like I had anything better to do tonight. Besides, you threw your little tantrum before I could cash out for tonight and I really need the money.”
I nodded and headed for the register to cash her out and check the receipts since she’d already done everything else. I flipped the key in the register and hit the button to slide the cash drawer out. I went over her totals and counted out her tips. I was so focused on my task I almost didn’t hear her.
“I’m sorry, Liam,” she said, her voice barely audible.
I looked up at her. Her sea blue eyes were flooded with tears. Gwen was hell on heels, twenty-four hours a day, so the sight of her on a bar stool breaking down wasn’t something I’d ever expected to see.
Before I could think about it, I dropped the cash, made my way around the bar, and pulled her into my arms as her tears continued to fall.
I said nothing. I just let her cry while I held her. The sound of her sobs nearly broke me in two. I hated to see women cry, especially if I had a hand in it. While Gwen’s break down was probably a fucked up mix of the bullshit she was dealing with, I knew my harsh words earlier in the kitchen were a part of it.
She pulled away and looked up at me. Her make-up was streaked down her face, her nose was red and running, and her eyes were swollen from crying. She was a disaster, but completely and utterly gorgeous.
She took a deep breath and wiped the back of her hand across her cheek. She sighed when she spotted the blurred smear of make-up that came away with her tears.
“God,” she said. “I must look like complete shit.”
“Not complete shit.”
She playfully slapped at my arm and hopped down from the stool. “I’m just gonna…” She pointed down the hall toward the bathroom.
I picked up the cash and finished counting while she was gone. The bathroom door creaked open and I heard her stop beside me, but I didn’t look up right away as I was counting and didn’t want to lose my place. I finished and handed her the small stack of bills I owed her, then froze.
Her face was clean, not a stitch of make-up left, and the result was breathtaking. Her skin was bright with a pink tint that practically glowed. Long dark lashes framed what were possibly the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. Without all the shadows and shit she wore every day, her eyes seemed brighter.
“What?” she asked. I must have been staring.
“Nothing.” I shook my head and tried to clear it of—well, her.
Gwen rolled her eyes. “I know I look awful. No need to rub it in.”
I shook my head, and met her eyes. “No. You’re beautiful.” The words slipped from my lips before I realized what I said.
Gwen’s eyes widened and a shy smile spread across her face.
What was going on? I cleared my throat. “I mean, you look better without all that shit on your face.” I swallowed hard and went back to counting receipts.
Gwen laughed and shook her head with her tongue stuck in the side of her cheek. “Wow, Liam, you’re a real charmer.”
“That’s me,” I said, refusing to look at her out of fear that more stupidity would fall out of my mouth if I did.
“Whatever. I’m heading out. You good?”
“Yeah,” I said. “See you later.”
I could feel her as she watched me, but I refused to turn and look at her.
“Yeah. See ya.”
The bell on the door sounded when she opened it and again when it shut behind her. When the coast was clear I leaned my elbows on the edge of the bar, and exhaled. I dropped my head into my hands and raked my fingers over my face. What in God’s name had gotten into me?
I wasn’t attracted to Gwen. She was a pain in the ass, and an extra bitchy one, at that, but fuck—seeing her bare, without the mask she put on to keep out the rest of the world, was enlightening. For a second, I thought I caught a glimpse of the strong, yet broken girl underneath…and she was beautiful.