Evade. Evade.
“I really did think I’d make it here on time. I’m really sorry I worried you, Sir.”
He stood stiffly, and for a moment she thought he was going to turn away from her. Then she heard him sigh.
“When you didn’t answer me, and I realized I had no idea where you were, I imagined all sorts of horrible things. I thought you might have had an accident or been hurt or that you were ill.”
Good one, Kinley.
She opened her mouth to tell him the full truth when he grabbed hold of her hand and turned, tugging her towards the club.
“I’ve got to lock my car,” she protested.
He stilled and held out his hand imperiously. She bit back her protest. He was in full Dom mode, and it wouldn’t do her well to argue about the small things. The things he liked to do for her that didn’t cost her anything and made her feel cared for, protected, and safe.
He quickly secured the doors of her old Honda, easily conquering the tricky lock, then pocketed her keys.
Okay, that wasn’t cool.
He took her hand again and drew her away.
“Um, Sloan?”
He grunted. It wasn’t a good sign when he reverted to noises instead of words.
She licked her dry lips as they entered the club. They walked past Tamati, the huge Maori bouncer had gorgeous, coffee-colored and a big swirling, green tattoo worked its way over his right arm, sneaking under the sleeve of his black, tight-fitting T-shirt.
The man was sex on a stick, and she’d have to be a saint not to notice. Still, probably best not to rouse Sloan’s ire with any obvious looks of admiration. It wasn’t that she was interested in Tamati. That man would gobble her up and look for more. The only man who truly stirred her was Sloan.
To the disappointment of all the single subs at the club, Tamati never played. Ever. She didn’t know if it was because he was a bouncer here and didn’t mix work with pleasure. Or because he had a sub back home, locked up in his dungeon, waiting to cater to his every dark, dangerous wish. She shivered. Yeah, she’d been listening to the other subs too much. All the unattached subs, male and female, had attempted to catch his attention in one way or another. None had succeeded.
Of course, that only served to make him more interesting and attractive. Kinley was too old to get silly over a man. Or to be taken by a man’s appearance. But he sure was pretty to look at.
“Evening, Kinley. Good to see you made it here safely. Everything okay? You need any help?”
Sloan stilled then turned to look down at her. Then he glared at Tamati. The other man just stared back, calmly.
Kinley gaped at Tamati. Couldn’t he see Sloan was on edge? Why was he goading him? Tamati had barely said more than a handful of words to her since he’d started working here three months ago and this was the moment he chose to speak up?
His dark-brown eyes focused on where Sloan held her in his grasp. Did he actually think Sloan might hurt her?
“She’s fine,” Sloan told him in a low, menacing voice.
“I asked her,” Tamati replied mildly.
Oh, no. No, no, no.
Never one to back down from a challenge, especially when he was already angry, Sloan took a step towards the other man.
Shit. What could she do? Would they get into an argument? Surely not. They were both rational men. Too smart to fight over . . . over nothing. Sloan’s hands were clenched into fists. Maybe if he’d been calm, he’d have been able to resist the challenge. Maybe if he hadn’t spent the last hour stressed and worried, he could have laughed it off and walked away.
But right now, he was looking for a way to relieve all that stress, and Tamati was providing him with an outlet. She looked at the other man, assessing his intent. Was that what he was doing? Did he think Sloan would unleash some of that anger on her, so he was redirecting it? But why would he care?
Maybe because he’s the bouncer, Kinley. Duh.
She needed to defuse this situation. Now.
“Just checking on Kinley. She looks a little stressed, and you seem more than a bit angry. Anger has no place in the club.”