“I think I want to go home,” Jenna said, feeling a little ill.
Curt nodded and began to steer her through the crowd, which had mostly, gone back to ignoring them. She hated being the center of attention.
“Wait, I have to say good night to Mel.” She gave her friend a hug and reassured her that she’d be fine. The other woman said good night, and Jenna let Curt lead her away.
When they finally reached her car, he opened her door and helped her in before doing up her seatbelt. She was quiet as he drove her home, but when they entered her cottage, instead of going to bed like she knew she should, she grabbed a bottle of tequila from her liquor cabinet. “Want a shot?”
Curt hated tequila, but he nodded. He didn’t like the look on her face. She seemed shell-shocked, shaken. He guessed it could be just a reaction to what had happened, but it felt like more. She grabbed some salt and cut up some limes and then placed everything on the coffee table. She did the first shot with barely a grimace. He looked at her in surprise.
“This was my poison of choice during college. Medical school was intense, we needed a way of unwinding.”
“I can think of another way of unwinding,” he said, surprising himself. He didn’t usually flirt. Didn’t like to take part in anything that smacked of a game. He’d played too many of those with Amelia during their marriage. Bitterness filled him. So many years wasted with that viper.
“Yeah, well, we did plenty of that too.”
Did she? Jealousy twisted in his stomach, and he had to tamp it d
own. He did take the shot, though, then reached out to let her pour him another. He wondered how he could get her to open up about what was bothering her.
“I thought I was back there.”
“What? Where? Back in the bar?”
“No, when I was in Dirty Delights. When that guy wouldn’t let me go, I started to panic. I thought he was going to hurt me. Or hold me down while someone else harmed me, like they did—”
“When you were kidnapped. Jesus, Jenna—”
“I know it’s silly. I was safe. I was surrounded by people, my friends, you. Nothing bad was going to happen to me.”
She looked over at him, her eyes haunted.
“You fought back, darlin’. You got yourself free. Without help from anyone else.”
Huh, she had, hadn’t she?
“And even if you hadn’t, I wasn’t far away. Nothing would ever have harmed you while I was there.” Although, he was still pissed at how long it had taken him to get through the crowd to her. He should never have let her get so far away from him. When she’d taken off to the dance floor, he’d started to follow but he’d paused for a moment, captivated by her dancing. But he wouldn’t have forgiven himself if something had happened to her.
She smiled. “I know. My knight in shining armor.”
He snorted. “You are the only person who would ever call me that.”
“I thought I was getting stronger.”
“You are one of the strongest people I know.”
“I still sleep with the light on.”
“So do I.”
She rolled her eyes. “No, you don’t.”
“What happened to you was terrifying, traumatizing. You had every reason to hide from the world and feel sorry for yourself. Instead, you fought back. You moved here on your own, found yourself a job, you’ve been taking self-defense classes, made some good friends. I don’t think I know anyone stronger.”
She shook her head. “I moved here to get away from everything.”
“To get away from what?”
“My parents. You.”