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A stranger’s face appears in front of me. He doesn’t look menacing at first sight, but I feel a darkness in his eyes. Even if I’m wrong, I don’t want to be with him to find out.
“I’m just in here.” I point to the hotel beside me. “And heading back inside.”
“You didn’t come from in there though. I was watching you.”
Eww, that I don’t like. I fold my arms protectively across my chest. “I don’t want to talk to you. I would very much appreciate it if you left me alone.”
He tosses his head back and emits a nasty sounding chilling laugh. “Yeah, right. That’s what they all say, but that isn’t always what they mean.”
I don’t even want toknowwhat that means. I edge my way towards the light of the hotel, needing that protection. At least inside there will be other people.
“I have to go now. I think you should leave as well, because this shit you’re pulling is creepy as fuck.” I’m in the safety zone now, I can scream and run if I need to, which bolsters my confidence. “No woman wants to meet a guy in the dead of night.”
With that I back all the way inside, and head towards the bar. I actually might need a drink after that shit show, and I don’t want to go back outside until I know I can make it alone.
“A G and T please,” I say to the bartender. I can almost feel the redness burning in my cheeks. “I don’t know if there is anything that you can do, but there’s a creepy guy loitering outside, trying to hit on anyone that goes by.”
The bartender’s expression darkens. He hands me the drink without charge and heads outside, hopefully to get rid of him for good. This helps the tight knot of panic loosen in my chest. I sip my drink with ease and finally take a look around…
Oh no.The good feeling sinks.
Oh God no.
Of all the places for me to take refuge, I have to end up here, in the same place where Elijah seems to be drinking alone for the night. I swallow hard as I stare at him, glad that he hasn’t noticed me yet. Trust me to find himhere. I’m not supposed to see him until I go home, but I can’t really avoid him now, can I? He’s bound to catch sight of me eventually.
Fuck. I grab my drink and slip over to a small table in the corner where I can sit in the darkness and observe him from afar. I don’t want to speak to him, but I kinda want to suss out what mood he’s in. Whether he’s still pissed off about my comments on the plane, or even if he’s worried about Olivia. He doesn’t know that she’s having the time of her life, does he?
I can’t see his whole face, but there is a definite vulnerability to his expression. His face is taut and concerned. Weirdly my heart feels strange as I watch him, like I want to be the one to go over to him, to comfort him somehow. I want to see if that odd heat still burns between us… although I don’t want to end up talking a load of rubbish again so maybe a safe distance between us is better.
My hand flies to my chest, my heart is pounding now, and not because I’m nervous abouthimoutside, but because I’m admiring Elijah way more than I should be. It might be the booze going to my head, but I even like the way his name feels on my tongue.
Elijah.
Emboldened, I make the decision that I need to stop sitting here like a weirdo, just watching him from afar. I sip some more gin, cheekily thinking that it’ll be funny to surprise him and that it might even burn away that strange tension between us so we can just be around one another. Maybe there are some even naughtier thoughts deep down in my brain, but I’m doing my best to ignore those.
Just as I rise to my feet, ignoring all my instincts screaming at me that this is a bad idea, I get horrible, crushing confirmation that I should have listened to my gut. The most stunning red-haired woman I have ever seen in my life returns to sit beside Elijah. She throws her arm over his shoulder, and laughs loudly at something he has said.
Of course Elijah Agnor isn’t spending the evening alone. A good-looking rich guy like him. Makes sense. I can’t believe I actually felt sorry for him before!
Now I need to sneak out of here as quickly as I can with my dignity intact.
I cannotlet him see me, no matter what.
ChapterNine
ELIJAH
“…so, that’s when I thought I might have to get away because…”
I don’t know what Lola is talking about. It isn’t like I’ve been listening to her for ages anyway, so the piercing scream from outside hits my ears quickly. I don’t even need to think about what I’m doing. I leap to my feet and race outside.
I think I even hear Lola calling out behind me, but I don’t care.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I growl as I spot a man, dressed in dark clothing grabbing onto the arm of a woman who is clearly trying to get away from him.
“Dear God, what the hell is wrong with you, you creepy fuck?”
I swing my fist back and connect it with the asshole's face, glad that I connect because I have had a couple to drink. Not many, but any booze can be an issue. He staggers backward, gripping onto his face as he mutters expletives under his breath. I’m panting, breathing desperately, needing a ton of air as I stare at him, because if I get any shit back from him I’ll go again.
