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They squeezed into a spot at the bar, and Darryl ordered them drinks. She selected a mojito to start off with, and he had a beer. Darryl pulled her after him toward a spot by the wall, and she settled in front of him to sway her hips to the music. Although early, the place creaked with wall-to-wall people. Several sets of male eyes drifted over Shae’s figure in appreciation, but they frowned when they spotted Darryl.
“Damn, you are killing me with that dress, girl,” he shouted into her ear.
“Thanks.” She turned her back on him and took a sip of her drink.
He moved up close and danced with her. Song after song, they swayed to the music, and she lost herself in the beat and in a couple more drinks. Darryl kept a possessive palm at her waist or splayed over her stomach. No one dared come close, but she didn’t mind.
“It’s getting late. Let me take you home, and we can continue this,” he suggested.
“No, I don’t think so,” she shouted back and wiggled for the first time from his hold. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.”
She weaved through the crowd, leaving him standing there. When she was closed off in the small room with other women standing at the sinks and peering in the mirror, she checked her purse for her cell phone. There were no messages. Maybe she should let Darryl take her to get something to eat. They could talk a bit more and get to know each other. He wouldn’t like it that she opted for food instead of sex, but he could get over it.
An hour later, they found a table at a nearby spot. She crossed her legs beneath the table and smiled at Darryl. “You sure you don’t mind coming here, right?”
“No, I don’t mind.” The tightness around his mouth said otherwise, but he hadn’t pushed. She gave him credit. He picked up the after-midnight menu and perused it. “So what do you want to eat? I’ll pay for it.”
“Thanks. I think I can handle mine.” She studied his handsome face, the brown, intense eyes, and the strong jawline. His nostrils flared a little, and he blew out a strong breath. She had the impression of patience about to snap, but somehow felt it had nothing to do with her spreading her legs. Then again, maybe it did. Most guys were led around by their dicks. Darryl had made it plain he wanted her for himself. His declaration made it seem like he wanted something more long term, though, which was why she hadn’t told him to go fuck himself. He wasn’t all bad.
By the time Shae tucked into her steak and mixed vegetables, conversation between them flowed. “So what do you do?” she asked him.
He shrugged. She noted how rare he liked his meat and cringed. “A little this and that.”
A hustler, she surmised.
“I have a big family to look out for. Everybody turns to me to make sure they eat, but I can handle it. Been doing it for a long time.”
“I hear that.” She settled back in her seat and saw how his gaze dropped to her breasts. He made no effort of hiding where his attention had wandered. “I have a pretty big family, but while we’re close, it’s not on any one of us to take care of the rest.”
“I know.”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
“I mean, I know everybody has family, and yours is probably not like mine,” he rushed to say.
Shae stared at him. What he’d said sounded like a cover, but why should it? She was being paranoid and pushed the suspicion out of her head.
“So are you native to Los Angeles?”
He rolled his shoulders as if in relief and continued to eat. “No, I’m from Chicago originally. We came here looking to spread out a little. I had a bit of trouble at the start, but I’ve made it mine.”
Shae laughed. “Man, your ego is huge, isn’t it?”
He splayed his hands, and she shook her head. Conversation continued to flow between them without a hitch, and when they finished eating, Shae paid for her part of the check, and they left. She had been glad to see Darryl kept his head while drinking, so he had no problem driving her back to her place. When he pulled up to her rental, she thanked him and hopped out to jog up the steps. The slam of the door behind her made her turn.
“I said thanks, Darryl. I’ll call you tomorrow. Definitely, this time.”
His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he ascended the stairs, his face hidden in the shadows of the night. He didn’t speak.
Shae took a defensive stance. “I know you’re not going to be stupid.”
“I’m a lot of things, baby, but stupid’s not one of them.”
“Why do I hear a threat in there?”
He advanced on her. She held up a hand to ward him off, but in a move that took her unaware by its sheer speed, he had her against the door with his big body grinding against hers. He breathed deep at her neck as if he took in her essence. One hand held her wrist in a viselike grip at her side, and the other might as well be useless the way he pinned her in place.
“You’ve got three seconds to get the fuck off me,” she growled.
