Charlie kicked out and tried to buck him off. His face was a bloody mess. My defender wrapped his big hand around his throat and squeezed until I thought Charlie’s eyes were going to pop out of his head.
“If you ever think to come back here and put your hands on a woman that clearly does not want you, I will kill you myself.” He let go of his neck, and the man took an audible gasp of air. Charlie scrambled out from underneath my champion and half-ran, half-fell his way out of the alley.
I got my first real look at this man who just saved me from a certain tragedy and had to search for the right words. He stood and wiped his hand down the front of his jeans, glancing at his knuckles. Then he took a couple of big strides toward me, and I had to look up to make eye contact as he studied me for any damage.
“Are you okay? I’ve seen that guy prowling around the past couple of weeks and just knew he was going to start some trouble.” His eyes searched mine.
God, he was beautiful. The way his hair fell onto his forehead when he was looking down at me took my breath away. He was so much taller than me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be held against him.
He grinned slightly as he stared at me, clearly waiting for me to say something.
I stumbled to find the right words. “I, uh, well, now I regret calling you an asshole.”
It was his turn to look embarrassed as his cheeks flushed slightly and broke eye contact. “I need to apologize for my behavior inside. After you walked away, Joe confirmed your story. It was all a big misunderstanding. I’m sorry for being a dick.”
Well, thank you, Joe.He must have been the other bartender. I nodded. “Thanks for the apology.” Not sure what else to say, I fell silent.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet, the move making him appear even more handsome. He faced me again. “Look, I can’t leave you alone out here after what just happened. Do you want to come back in, and I can get you a drink? On the house, of course.” He gave me a sheepish smile, revealing his dimples. If I thought he was sexy before, it was nothing compared to how sexy he was when he smiled.
He was almost acting a little nervous now that we were alone. I really couldn’t imagine what would make him nervous. If I didn’t know any better, I would say this man was looking at me with a spark of attraction in his eyes.
It wasn’t like I was some great beauty. With my plain, dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes, I was as average as they came. If you put me beside Jill, it would be a landslide on who would win that particular beauty contest. The only thing I had going for me was a round ass and medium-to-large breasts. Although they sagged a little from having a child, they were still nice in the right bra. I always carried an extra twenty pounds that wouldn’t come off no matter what fad diet I tried.
“I was just getting ready to head home. I have an important interview in the morning. Thank you for the offer though,” I said with a small smile.
A look of disappointment crossed his face. “Okay, let me at least get you that cab,” he offered.
I stopped him as he reached for his cell phone. “Actually, I just live around the corner, so I’m just going to walk.”
His eyes lit up at that for some reason. “Well, let me walk you, just to make sure you don’t have any more problems tonight.”
“Oh, I couldn’t keep you. I don’t want you to get into trouble with your boss.”
He was full-on smiling now as if he found something funny. “I think I can get away for a few minutes.”
I didn’t know what it was about this man. I shouldn’t be as trusting as I was most of the time. Especially after my brief encounter with Charlie. But I couldn’t find a reason to tell him no. I nodded in agreement before I could talk some sense into myself.
I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Jill, telling her I was headed out and I would explain everything tomorrow. Then I put my phone back in my bag and walked with my Greek god. “My name is Kathrine, by the way. But everyone calls me Kate,” I said with a blushing smile.
He grinned, holding out his hand for me to shake. “Heath Gillup.”
I put my hand in his, shocked when he pulled it up and kissed the back of it. I felt a flush creep across my cheeks as I stared at my hand.
We walked in silence for a couple of minutes before he spoke. “So, are you new to town? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
I, for one, would remember meeting him, so I could say the same thing. “I just moved here about a month ago from my hometown in Georgia. I needed a fresh start.”
He looked at me with those endless green eyes like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. “So, Kate, are you running from something then?”
I liked the way my name rolled off his tongue. “I wouldn’t exactly say I’m running. I woke up one day and decided I wasn’t happy with the person I had become. I had poured my soul into raising my child and trying to keep my wayward husband happy, and I realized somewhere down the line I lost the girl I used to be. It was past time to go searching for her.” I didn’t know why I was telling this to a perfect stranger, but for some reason, Heath was very easy to talk to.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you definitely don’t look like someone’s mom, let alone someone’s wife,” he said.
I laughed out loud. “Believe me, Tom didn’t think I looked like a wife either. He started fucking his assistant years ago as a way out of our marriage.” I winced when I realized how bitter that sounded.
Heath shook his head and didn’t say anything else. Before I knew it, we had made it to my apartment complex. I dug through my bag to find the key for the front door. I swore and scolded myself for buying such a big bag. I was forever losing my keys in the endless thing.
I looked up to tell Heath that he could just head on back and he didn’t have to wait for me when I saw him pull a key out of his pocket and open the door. I was stunned. Only tenants of this building were supposed to have a key to open the front door. Suddenly, his smile from earlier made all the more sense. “You live in this building, don’t you?”