“No, actually, I'm not fine. I saw someone I don’t want to see.”
“Man from your past, I take it?”
“Something like that,” I said, not wanting to go into detail. “How did you know?”
“You went pale. Before, you were almost on the brink of a smile, then your whole body tensed. Something obviously terrified you.”
My heart sank when I realized that my fear was obvious to a total stranger. Embarrassing even. A true sign of weakness. One thing I hated being, but worried I would never overcome.
I glanced at my hands in my lap.
“Hey,” he whispered and tapped his finger under my chin, making my gaze meet his. “No one can see you.” He flexed his shoulders just enough to reassure me that he did, in fact, provide the perfect barrier.
Every syllable that left his mouth was coated in power. The exact thing I lacked. From the way he sat, to how he moved, it was obvious this man was all things alpha and in control. And prey or not, I was caught. And I liked it.
I peeked around his shoulder. I didn’t see Brock, but the bar was dark and with the low lights and mass amounts of people, he could be lurking anywhere.
Or maybe he’d left.
I could only hope that was the case, because I still had an hour to kill.
“What’s your name?”
“Lana,” I said, finding it difficult to breathe with him so close. But for a totally different reason than fear.
“Thank you for—” I motioned at his chest, “being my wall.”
He smiled back and—wow! Talk about an earth-shattering sight. All those straight white teeth and the small crinkle by his eyes made his face light up.
“I’m happy to be your wall.” He leaned in a little. “Anytime.”
My legs instantly ached and my chest pounded with such a hot need it sent tingles along my breasts and straight to my nipples. Which was shocking. Mostly because I had never “needed” much before.
Not in this way.
My body was very aware of him. Right down to every last goose bump he brought to my skin.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Jack.”
I repeated his name and he glanced at my
mouth. Suddenly, it was hard to swallow. He was still, and a calming, controlled essence rolled off of him.
He glanced behind his shoulder real quick. “Would you like me to stay seated like this?”
“No, it’s fine.” I was about to tell him that I didn’t see Brock anymore, but that would start a conversation that I wasn’t interested in having—ever.
He adjusted slightly, but kept his full attention pointed in my direction. Such a thing was new, and I couldn’t help but fidget a little, swaying my shoulders, threading and unthreading my fingers.
“Am I bothering you?” he asked, glancing at my hands.
“No,” I shot out quickly, because he wasn’t. His stare on me was like an acute laser beam, but for some reason, I didn’t want it to go away. I wanted to be seen, by him at least. “I just don’t usually meet guys in bars. Much less…”
Much less what? The more I babbled, the more I realized I had no clue what I was doing. Dating was a bad idea for me, despite what Harper thought.
“Lana?”