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“You’ve got nothing to be afraid of here. I told you that. No hiding.”
I batted him away with a scowl, but Clink didn’t move from my bubble, and I didn’t actually want him to. I didn’t know why I felt safer with him around. I’d seen the violence he could dish out earlier. But when he dropped a hand on my knee, I didn’t push him away.
“He’s right. Anyone has a problem with you, they can come talk to me,” Bear growled.
Chase raised his beer. “Same.”
Anyone close enough to hear Clink’s promise offered up the same, and my cheeks burned at the attention. Apparently, I was letting one bad apple turn me away from the entire group, who weren’t as bad as I thought. I offered a small smile, my shoulders up by my ears.
“Thanks. I was a little freaked out earlier, but I really want to do this job. My boss likes to baby me because I’m the only girl, and I want to prove I’m just as good as the rest of them.”
Brewer nodded once. “You show ‘em.”
Allie scrunched her nose with a frown. “Why do you care so much?”
“Because only one outlet works in his room. He’s been bitching non-stop for weeks,” Chase chuckled.
When Brewer’s fist shot out, it was so quick that Chase never saw it coming. Brewer hit him in the gut hard enough to make Chase double over, but he was laughing when he straightened again. Riley shook her head with an exasperated look.
“Boys. You’re all children, I swear.”
I kept waiting for someone to get mad or say something snarky to her, but no one seemed to care about what she said outside of teasing her right back. I felt the last of the tension slip away and, for the first time in what felt like years, I relaxed enough to enjoy myself. I even let Chase talk me into playing a round of pool, even though I had no idea what I was doing. He tried to show me, but Clink got there first, wrapping his arms around me as he showed me how to aim.
Heat settled low in my belly as he leaned over the table with me, talking quietly in my ear. He was wrapped around me, the position a lot more intimate than he probably intended. It’d been a long time since someone held me like that and my heart pounded so loudly in my ears, I almost couldn’t hear him.
“Line it up. You’re aiming from the white one, but you wanna focus on what’s beyond it. Go for the striped ball by the pocket. Just a little hit should knock it in.”
It was hard to focus with him basically on top of me. My cheeks flushed so badly, I felt it spread down my neck, and I forced the shot too quickly just to get him to step back. If I wasn’t careful, this charming man could slip right past my defenses.
The ball spun in a wildly different direction, smacking into a few more and bouncing off the side before it came to a stop. I grimaced, and when Clink straightened, I let out a shaky breath before standing again. I took a step back, trying to mask the freaked out look on my face.
“Wow, that was just sad. Do you need someone to play for you?” a sickly sweet voice spoke, dripping with condescension. The woman was a tall blonde, with the world’s tightest dress and sky high heels. She wore a face full of makeup and her long hair was tossed over one shoulder as she sauntered around the pool table and took Clink’s arm, pouting at him. “You said you’d play with me, remember?”
An ugly, green feeling settled in my stomach and I had to look away from the two of them. There was no way he’d say no to her. What man would say no to a woman practically throwing themselves at him? Besides, she was dressed to catch his attention, her boobs almost spilling out of the top of the dress. Meanwhile, it took me over an hour to choose my outfit and I was seriously under dressed compared to the rest of them in jeans and an off the shoulder top with my jacket. Embarrassment surged through me and I thrust the pool cue in her direction.
“Sure. You play.”
A triumphant look flashed across her face, but Clink frowned at me. I took a few steps back, my eyes on the floor. “I, um, should probably head home. I–”
“No way. It’s still early. Come on, let’s go have a drink,” Riley said, linking her arm with mine. I opened my mouth to protest, but she dragged me away and Quinn and Allie flanked us until we were in the kitchen. She released my arm, pointing at the liquor bottles along the wall.
“What’s your poison?”
“Nuh-uh. She’s had enough. She’s gotta drive home.” A presence at my back surprised me and when I spun around, Clink put his hand on my shoulder. I hadn’t actually drank anything, but they didn’t know that and Riley seemed to accept his answer. She moved to the fridge instead, tipping her head as she looked inside. “Soda or water?”
“Uh, water’s good.”
She tossed me a bottle before moving to make her own drink. Clink steered me away from the kitchen, finding an open space on one of the couches, and nudged me into it. I stared at the bottle of water in my lap, frowning at the condensation dripping onto the hardwood floor.
“You look ready to bolt again.”
I sighed, shrugging helplessly. “Partying really isn’t my thing. I feel really out of place, and…” My brow furrowed. “I know you said earlier that I’m not really living but this feels dangerous. I’m never out this late.”
Putting his arm around my shoulders, he leaned close so he could speak quietly to me. “I’m not lookin’ to make you feel unsafe, honey. I just want you to have a good time. You deserve to have a little fun every once in a while.”
When I wouldn’t look at him, he used his knuckle to guide my chin up. I locked onto his bright blue eyes and sucked in a sharp breath. My no dating rule was easy when I stuck to my routine. The only people I hung out with were the people from work and the community center, none of which were my type. Clink was stupidly handsome and being this close to him made me question whether a no dating rule was really necessary.
His eyes searched mine before dipping down to my lips. I held my breath, not moving even though my brain was screaming at me to pull back and run. This was a bad idea, but it’d been a long time since I kissed someone, and I couldn’t force my body to listen. When he dipped closer, my eyes drifted shut automatically. I felt his breath on my lips, but before he could close the gap, a voice spoke, drawing us apart.
