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Cameron chuckled. “Awesome. I hope it goes well.” Cameron’s smile faded, and Antonio turned to follow his gaze to where David Sterling had just taken a seat at the other end of the bar. “I thought he would have left town by now.”
Antonio frowned. “Me too. I should go out there and find Mary Ellen. I don’t think she’d enjoy running into him.”
“Too late.” Cameron was looking at the entrance from the terrace where Mary Ellen was standing, frozen in place, staring at David.
Antonio’s fist clenched at his side as he watched David get up and go to her.
Cameron put a hand on his arm. “Don’t you think you should give them a minute?”
“No. If you were waiting for your date to meet you for dinner, would you sit and watch while some other guy made a move on her?” He didn’t wait for Cameron’s reply, but strode toward Mary Ellen, with just one thought running through his mind. That’s the asshole who hurt her. He’s not going to get chance to again.
“Mary Ellen.” David reached her moments before Antonio. “It’s so good to see you. I hoped I’d run into you before now.”
Mary Ellen’s face gave nothing away; she wore a polite mask. “It’s been a busy week.”
“Will you have dinner with me?”
Antonio held his breath, wondering how she would answer. She noticed him and met his gaze. The mask slipped, and she seemed to be pleading with him to save her. At least, that’s how he read it. He stepped forward and slid his arm around her waist. “Hey, bella. There you are.” He dropped a kiss on top of her head and hugged her into his side. “How was your day, honey?”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. She was either angry or shocked. He couldn’t tell which, and it was too late now. He couldn’t help it. He leaned down and dropped a kiss on her lips, before finally acknowledging David. “Hi. You must be Paul? Congratulations.”
David frowned, and Mary Ellen dug her elbow into his ribs. “No. This is David. David Sterling.”
Antonio held the guy’s gaze for a moment. He couldn’t tell the guy what he thought of him, but he tried to convey his feeling with the look he gave him. “You’re David? Wow.” He smiled. “I guess all I can say is thank you.”
“Thank you?” David looked puzzled, and so did Mary Ellen.
Antonio tightened his arm around Mary Ellen’s waist. “For setting her free so I could find her.”
David didn’t know what to say to that. He looked at Mary Ellen, then back at Antonio and nodded. “Yeah. It was good to see you again, Mary El.” He turned around and left.
Antonio kept his arm around Mary Ellen, wondering what kind of reaction he was going to get. She didn’t pull away from him as he looked down into her eyes. Her head was cocked to one side. She looked puzzled but not angry. Best of all, she still hadn’t moved away from him. She felt so good, tucked into his side with her full breast grazing his arm. He didn’t want to explain himself, so instead, he waited for her to speak first.
“Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”
He lifted a shoulder and gave her a sheepish grin. “I thought it might be better if he left.”
She nodded. “Yeah, but was it for your sake or mine?”
He smiled. “Honestly? Both.”
She chuckled and nodded. “You’re quite a character, aren’t you?”
He grinned. “I like to think so.”
She stepped away from him, and he immediately missed her warmth and wanted to pull her back into his arms. He might have, until he noticed Cameron approaching.
“I thought you’d gone home?” He tried for the offensive before Cam could ask what the hell was going on.
Cameron laughed. “What and miss this little show? No way.” He turned to Mary Ellen. “What’s going on?”
There was a touch of color in her cheeks as she shrugged, but she was smiling. “I have no idea. You’d better ask your cousin that one. I think he sees me as a damsel in distress and just came to my rescue.”
Cameron chuckled. “And you didn’t want to be rescued?”
Mary Ellen looked up at Antonio. “I did. I’m very grateful.”
Antonio breathed a sigh of relief.
