My hands shake digging in my purse as I grab my keys, the only weapon I have attached to them. I take deep breaths, trying to calm the nerves vibrating throughout my body.

“Why are you pointing that at me?” he asks, staring at my hand stretched out from my body and gripping the pepper spray like it’s my last lifeline. You never know, it might be. He stands a few feet away from me with his hands in the air. Surprisingly, my attacker ran to a waiting car when Kase was busy staring at me. It was his lucky day. 

I squeeze my purse to my thumping heart, not daring to take my eyes off him. He’s crazy if he expects me to put it away. He might be one of Max’s guys, but tonight he’s proven to be a little unstable.

“I just saved you.” 

“I’m not sure who’s worse. A robber or a stalker.” At least I hope it was a robber.

“Stalker?” His eyes widen as he crosses his arms. I glance around the dark parking lot he came from. “Okay, it looks bad. I wasn’t hiding, I was just waiting for you to come out.”

“You’re not making it sound any better.”

His head drops, and he stares at the asphalt, kicking a few rocks. He releases a heavy sigh and looks back up. “I was waiting out here to apologize for earlier. I saw the guy sneaking around, so I hid to see what he was up to. Had I known you were leaving early, I would’ve scared him off earlier.”

He sounds sincere, however, my lack of judgment in the past makes me question his sincerity. Our eyes lock in a game of chicken.

A car blares its horn as it passes, scaring the hell out of me.

“Fuck!” Kase yells, folding over at the waist with his hands digging into his thighs.

The smell tickles my nose and my eyes water. “Oh no! Oh my god, Kase, I’m so sorry.” My finger must’ve pressed the trigger when I jumped from the horn. He moans in agony while I fight with myself on what I should do. There shouldn’t be a question. Regardless of what happened tonight, I need to take him inside so he can wash his eyes out, but his words from earlier hit deeper than they should have. Get a grip, Ell and help the guy.

I throw the spray in my purse and run to his side. “Come on, I’ll take you inside.”

Unlocking the back door, I usher him in. When he coughs and wheezes, I panic, he’s going to die and it's my fault. “Should I call 911?”

“No. Just… need water,” his voice breaks. My hand rests on his tense back as I lead him to the sink in the stockroom and he shoves his whole head under the water. I stand back and watch him. Curse words fly out of his mouth in between coughs. I grimace and wrap my arms around my waist, mortified I caused this. He strips off his shirt in one quick tug and washes his arms off.

I’m a horrible human being. I maced the guy whose insides are on fire, and I’m standing here admiring his gorgeous body. A tribal tattoo on his left shoulder, usually hidden under his shirt, is on full display. His hands, full of soap, move hastily up and down each muscular arm. I turn away, the heat building deep in my belly catches me off guard. I need to shut down my gawking. The last thing I need right now is to be caught staring. Instead, I grab some clean towels from the cabinet and place them on the sink.

“Here,” I whisper. He reaches for them and dries off. “There’s a cot you can sit on.” He nods and walks over to the empty spot, sits and leans against the wall, still breathing heavy and coughing. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to spray it.”

He waves his hand in the air. “It’s okay. I’ve been through worse. I just need to let it wear off.” His voice is raspy from the chemicals and his blood-shot eyes catch mine. His eyes travel up my arm to my hand and he smirks. I stop my finger mid-twirl and release the hair wrapped around it. Damn habit. Most of the time I’m not even aware I’m doing it.

“You want something to drink?” I ask awkwardly, folding and unfolding my arms around me. He stays quiet but nods his head. “Okay, be right back.”

I deflate as soon as I’m out of the stockroom. Tori’s eyes widen when she sees me. She rushes over and grabs my chin, lifting it so she can see my neck. “Who the hell did that? Did Kase do that?” she snaps.

I step back and shake my head then run to the mirror behind the bar to see what she’s talking about. Bruises are already surfacing. Tears burn my eyes, memories forthcoming. Someone attacked me. God, I hope it wasn’t him. It can’t be. He couldn’t have found me. Taking a deep inhale, I push those thoughts back.

“Ell, what happened?”

I rehash everything that happened, including accidentally macing Kase. "We're getting cameras back there. Do you want me to call the police?"

"You know I can't. I promise I won’t go back there by myself again."

She nods in understanding. It's too dangerous. I can't have my name on record.

I reach into the fridge and grab a Shiner for him and an Ultra for me. Twisting the top off my beer, I take a quick swallow, propping my hip against the counter. What am I going to do about Kase?

My jealous admirer.

My stalker.

My hero.

All in one day.

The sound of coughing reminds me he’s still in the stockroom. “Sorry. I needed a second,” I say, handing him his beer. He chugs the entire beer in one gulp, handing the bottle right back. Okay then. His breathing has stabilized although his face and eyes are still tomato red. He rests against the wall again. “Do you want another one?” I hold up the empty beer bottle.

“Nah. I’m fine. Thanks. But we should call the cops.” His tone turns sharp, his eyes pinned on my neck.

Letting out an uneasy sigh, I shake my head. “It’ll be useless. There’s not a security camera back there, and I didn’t get a good look at the guy.” My words are rushed as I try to talk my way out of that phone call. I can’t have him call the cops.

His eyes narrow and I force my body from fidgeting. “I got a good look at him,” he says in a challenge, lifting a brow.

“Kase,” I sigh. “Please don’t. I want to forget about tonight. You taught the guy a lesson. I’m sure he won’t be back.” My eyes plead with him.

“If he’s stupid enough to come back, he’s not leaving next time.” There's not an ounce of threat in there. It’s a promise. His boyish looks are replaced with an icy stare. I nod in silent understanding, hoping he’ll let this go for now. Silence hangs between us until he finally nods once.

I grab a wooden chair and sit facing him, taking a quick drink. “Are your face and eyes still burning?” I crinkle my nose, still hating that I caused this.

“It’s getting better. I still can’t see far away, so unless you want to drive me home, we’re hanging out here.”

I tilt my head, surprised by the quick change in his voice. “Don’t you live right around here? I thought you lived in the same apartments as Cody?” His smirk confirms I’m right. Only because I feel horrible, I let it slide. “So, Cowboy, tell me what happened earlier because I’m confused.”

He sighs, looking down at his raw hands. I do a double take, having missed them. “Do you need ice?”

He shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck. “About earlier, I’m sorry. Something you said reminded me of someone and I was totally out of line asking you that.”

“Sister, girlfriend, wife?”

He barks out a deep laugh. “I’m doing something wrong if you think you remind me of a sister.” I shrug, not understanding how he sees me. Flirty, jealous, protective, angry… he’s been all over the place. “She was my girlfriend,” he finally answers. He’s harboring some deep-seated feelings toward this girlfriend.

“Was?”

“Was. Many, many years ago.”

“You have a lot of unresolved feelings if it was many, many years ago.” He slowly nods. “What happened?”

“She forgot about me.”

Ouch. I wonder if it had something to do with him being in the military.

“I have a hard time believing any woman could forget you.” The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them. My cheeks heat, I take a quick drink of beer, avoiding his sexy grin. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to him considering I offered for him to come over tonight.

“Ellie, go out with me.”

“Kase, I’m not sure that’s a good idea after what happened.” Despite his jealous outburst, there’s no denying the chemistry between us. Yet, there's a foreign wedge I don’t know if I can remove. And I wonder if he’s ready to do it himself.

“Let me make it up to you for being an asshole.”

“I wasn’t lying before, I have so much going—"

"It’s the least you could do,” he says, interrupting me.

My mouth drops open. “Really? You’re going to guilt me into going on a date with you?”

“If it works, hell yeah.” He crosses his feet on the cot and folds his hands in his lap. “Is it working?”

I twist my lips thinking what could it hurt going out with him one time. He did save me and then had to endure torture.

Yes, it’s working.

“One date. That’s it.”