AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I…I…” Jesus, was she going to cry?
I think she was gonna fucking cry.
I glanced around. No one else in the entire theater did a single thing to step in and help her, either. I swear, it was like they didn’t even see the woman over in the corner about to have a panic attack as some dickless douchebag harassed her.
I wished they would though. So I wouldn’t have to. Because I desperately did not want to assist this woman.
Anyone else but her.
Except the jackass put a hand on her, grasping her shoulder. Her fear was so visceral she had to be a hot second from passing out.
And so, I snapped.
“God damn it.” Muttering out a disgusted sigh, I gathered my shit and rose, then stormed down the aisle toward them, beyond pissed I was being forced into this situation. Why hadn’t the idiot just left her the fuck alone?
I mean, seriously. What was the world coming to? Bella would kill me if she knew I was about to save her archrival’s ass.
What an ass, though.
Wait. Shit. No, I wasn’t thinking about her ass, anymore.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said, as I reached them, making my voice sound breathless as if I’d been rushing. “Damn boss wouldn’t let me leave any earlier. I got us the works, though.”
When both Yellow and her creepy admirer snapped startled gazes to me, I lifted my attention from the heaping pile of goodies in my arms and jumped as if surprised to see she had company.
“Um…hi?” I told the guy, sounding confused before I cocked my head curiously to the side. “What’s going on?”
He lifted his hands as if to prove he hadn’t been touching her, which honestly only made him look guiltier. “Nothing,” he answered with a defiant kind of tone, even as he backed off. “You here with her?”
I lifted my eyebrows and glanced at the snacks in my arms before returning his gaze. “What’s it look like to you?” Then I hitched my chin toward Yellow but kept my eyes on him. “There a problem here?”
“Nope.” He shook his head and turned sideways in order to step out of the row and into the aisle without brushing against me. “No problem at all.”
“Good,” I said, staring him down and turning with him as he stepped around me so we could keep eye contact. “Because it looked like you were backing her into that wall and touching her against her will.”
“Well, I wasn’t,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes before he started away to return to his own seat. “Get some glasses, man. And don’t leave your girl alone in a theater like that next time.”
“Yeah, thanks for the advice,” I snarled after him, glaring until he found his old spot. Then I slumped heavily into the seat next to where Yellow had been sitting and muttered, “Dipshit.”
Beside me, she slowly sank back into her chair, too.
I was too busy still glaring at her harasser to pay her much attention. But I did have the presence of mind to lean toward her and hiss, “What a fucking weirdo. He needs to take a class in learning how to read body language because you were throwing out some serious back-the-hell-off signals. Am I right?”
When I finally deigned to glance her way for a response, I’d completely forgotten all about the fact that she was breathtakingly gorgeous. Or maybe I just hadn’t realized she’d be so much prettier up close like this.
But damn. My heart gave a big ol’ kathump in my chest when our gazes clashed, and I went momentarily brain dead.
What’s worse, she was still shaking from her encounter with the harasser. Her lips trembled and her shoulders heaved and stuttered as she hiccupped out a frightened breath.
I’d been on track to dislike her because of that. Only someone weak and spineless would’ve handled the situation as poorly as she just had. She hadn’t stood up for herself at all.
Except…
Instead of downgrading her in my mind, all I could seem to think was: You’ll be alright now. I’m here. No one’s going to hurt you, not on my watch.
Stupid protective instincts. They made me want to pull her into my arms and hold her until she stopped shaking, then maybe kiss her temple and smooth the hair down her ponytail before I pressed my nose to the side of her throat to inhale that intoxicating scent of hers straight from the source.
She blinked big brown, trusting eyes at me and answered, “You’re definitely right.”
