Chapter Five
I stared at the man, his face inches from mine. I could see the few crooked and yellowed teeth he had left and I could see the little brown spots along his face. They told the story of a life spent baking in the sun, though I could have guessed that just as easily by the leathery look of his skin.
God, I wanted to say something smart. I wanted to rip him a new one, but the fear in my belly was stronger than my desire to be a smartass. I hated the way I felt right now. I’d spent my life being a petulant teenager and living on adrenaline. I’d always thought of myself as invincible, but here I was, being held in the air by a man who was ready to kill me. I honestly didn’t see myself getting out of this in one piece.
He yanked me around and forced me to look out over the bar, which had devolved into a riot. A chair smashed through the window and a tall blonde man followed it.
“Look what you’ve done, bitch,” he snarled. “These men are going to tear each other apart and it’s your own damn fault.”
Suddenly I found my voice and began yanking at the man who had a hold of me. “Bullshit! I didn’t do anything! You shouldn’t have touched me!” I snapped.
The bearded man stared at me, his eyes wide. He was clearly surprised that I’d actually spoken up for myself. It took him a moment to recover, but when he did he drew his arm back, hand curling into a fist. Oh man, he was going to punch my lights out.
“You’re going to be sorry you said that,” he whispered.
I screamed and squeezed my eyes closed as I mentally prepared myself for the pain I knew was coming. My heart was slamming in my chest so hard that I was sure it would burst through my ribcage. At least that might scare him bad enough that he’d let me go.
My own scream echoed in my mind and it took me a moment to realize that the bar had gone completely silent. I was still conscious and the pain never came. My eyes flew open and I looked around the bar, surprised by the way the other men were staring in awe, their eyes following something, or rather, someone.
He moved through the crowd like a river. Men who were still mid-fight parted to let him pass, their gazes following with a sort of fearful awe. I didn’t know who he was, but it was clear to me that these men feared and respected him.
“I wasn’t doing’ anything wrong, Dylan! This bitch slapped me and caused this commotion,” he said, waving his arms around wildly as if to make a point.
Damian was tall and looked to be quite a bit younger than the men whose company he kept. His hair was thick and as black as the midnight sky. It was a bit long and swept back away from his tanned face, the ends barely brushing his shoulders. His hair was a stark contrast to his icy blue eyes which seemed to penetrate right through me and the man.
He cracked his neck a little and looked between us. “Put her down Snake!”
“Boss!” Snake nearly whined.
“I said put her down!” he roared, his voice echoing through the otherwise silent room.
Snake set me on my feet slowly, glaring at me as Dylan approached me. “Did you slap my friend here?”
“Y-Yeah,” I stuttered.
“Why?”
“Because that pig touched my ass! I was minding my own business looking for my friend and he just reached out and touched me!” I snapped, pleading my case.
Dylan’s eyes turned back to Snake. “Is this true?”
“Well, yeah, but look at her, Boss. She came in a biker bar dressed like that! What was I supposed to do?!”
“You know better than that, Snake,” Dylan said, sounding more like a disappointed parent than the leader of a biker gang. “You know you don’t touch a woman without her express permission.”
“Apologize to the young lady,” Dylan growled.
Snake babbled out a strangled apology and I huffed, turning my head away from him. “I forgive him,” I sighed, trying to sound almost bored.
My legs were shaking still and I was embarrassed about it. There was still quite a bit of adrenaline coursing through me and while I was still shaking rather badly I wanted to reclaim a little bit of my attitude.
Dylan smiled and released Snake, letting him slide to the floor as he approached me. “Now, as for you,” he growled, pointing a thick finger at me. “Listen, I don’t know you but you really shouldn’t get involved in a physical altercation in a bar filled with bikers. You can see from the looks of things, that shit hit the fan quick. You’re better off staying out of places like this.”
“Look - I appreciate you stepping in but that fucker’s behavior isn’t on me” I said, suddenly upset even though this man had saved me.
Dylan walked towards me, his eyes narrowed and his presence powerful. There was a darkness to him that scared me and excited me all at the same time. He stalked towards me and I backed myself into a wall without thinking, swallowing my fear. I didn’t want him to know I was startled by his embrace.
He leaned in close enough that I could feel his breath on me. On my throat then up to my chin and my lips. I could hear him breathing in my scent. He smirked and put his hands on the wall on either side of my waist, trapping me between himself and the wall.
“Sweetie. You really don’t want to get in my line of sight. I might just have to teach you a listen that you wont forget. I think that would be too much for you to handle.” he grinned, “Unless, ofcourse that’s what you want.” Finally pushing himself off the wall and stepping back to look me up and down.
My heart was in my throat and I wanted to say something clever, but the words wouldn’t come out. My mouth was as dry as a desert. I really fucking turned on and I could feel the wetness between my legs growing. Those steely eyes drew me in for some reason, and the fact that he was so damn powerful made me want him even more. What was wrong with me?
“I’m not going anywhere without my friend.” Right on cue, Gina threw her arms around me, gasping loudly in my ear. “Alex!” the voice whined, holding me tight.
I knew that voice better than I knew my own. “Gina?” I looked over my shoulder to see her reddened cheeks as she held me tight.
The girl was clearly drunk as she stumbled back, blinking against the florescent lights. “Where were you?!” she urged. “I was looking for you!”
I sighed and put an arm around her. “I’m fine, hun,” I assured. “We must have been walking circles around each other.”
She sniffled and nodded, burying her head in my chest. “I was scared.”
I rubbed her back gently and nodded. I wanted to be mad at her but I knew I couldn’t. She was too drunk to remember any kind of lecture I might have given her.
Dylan watched us, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “Maybe I’ll see you around town, hun?”
I glared at him, but didn’t say a word and grabbed Gina, pulling her arm over my shoulder and helping her out of the bar.