AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m really not the best dancer,” I say by way of protest, but she just shakes her head. She’s not hearing it.
The back patio is bigger than I expected, with another bar set up along the back wall, and a pergola strung with white lights and tiny moons overhead. A woman sits in the back corner with a guitar and starts a song in a deep, soulful voice that sets the mood. Ven pulls us out into the middle of the floor, where, to my relief, there are about a dozen other people. We dance to the first song, then I escape to the bar to get a third glass of wine.
As I’m waiting for my order, two guys approach me and introduce themselves. One of them is pretty cute, though perhaps a tad young for me. He has glittering blue eyes and a dimple when he smiles. He insists on buying my drink, and after a few minutes he offers a hand, and we go back out on the dance floor.
The musician is now doing covers of classic 70s and 80s songs, so they’re easy enough to dance to. Ven winks at me from where she’s dancing with a guy she’s met. I can see that Xander and his date are still out there, too. He’s a surprisingly good dancer for a man. I try not to bite my lip as he moves his hips in a way that would make any woman swoon. I quickly turn my attention back to my dance partner so as not to be rude.
After a couple songs, we take a break and go back to the high-top table we’d left our drinks on and take a few sips. I’ve always been a lightweight, so three glasses has me pretty tipsy. My head feels fuzzy, and I’m warm from the dancing, even though the night air is quite cool. We talk a bit more, and it’s nice to be single—officially—but I can tell nothing is going to happen with this guy. He’s nice, but there’s no electricity.
We’re just heading back out to the dance floor when a tall figure looms before us.
“Mind if I cut in?” Xander asks in his dark chocolate voice.
The younger guy stammers something and walks off.
Xander leads me into the crowd of dancers, then turns to face me. The song slows, and he puts one hand at the small of my back, then intertwines his fingers through mine. My shock at his abrupt appearance wears off enough for me to speak, and I look up at him.
“Aren’t you here with someone?” I ask.
“I was,” he answers, his emphasis on the past tense clear.
“And what about not associating with witches?”
“Don’t worry, Rowan, I most certainly have not changed my stance on that.”
He’s looking at me intently with an unreadable expression on his face. The places where his hands touch my body burn as hot as the sun. Heat pulses from every finger touching my back, right above the waist, and where his other hand is tangled with mine, his skin is rough and slightly calloused. For some reason I find this unbearably sexy. I suppose a man who uses his hands a lot, well… it stirs the imagination. What made his hands like that, and what else can he do with them? I picture him sliding his palm up my thighs, higher and higher…
“What makes you think I’m worried?” I ask. I mean it to come out snarky, but somehow it ends up sultry instead.
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, though his hand tightens at my back, and I move just the tiniest bit closer to him. I can feel the warmth coming off his chest, glimpse the hard planes of it through the gap at the top where it’s unbuttoned.
“There are a lot of bad men in the world,” he finally says. “For all you know, I could be one of them.”
“Well, then, if you think so poorly of yourself, I’ll steer clear. I’ve had enough assholes in my life.” I stare at him defiantly, so he knows I mean it.
“Only a foolish man would cross a witch,” Xander says. He nods his head toward the bar, and the guy who I danced with before. “Like that one.”
My brow wrinkles. I’ve had too much wine for his cryptic words. “What are you talking about?”
Xander’s eyes go cold and hard, and his jaw tightens. “He put something in your drink.”
“He what?” My eyes fly wide and my heart starts to race for an entirely different reason. “You’re sure?”
Xander nods. “I saw him. His friend is in on it, too.”
My shock turns to fury. “Those motherfuckers. I’m calling the police.”
“If I’m the only witness, the sheriff isn’t going to charge them with anything,” Xander says, his voice a low snarl.
“He dislikes you that much?”
“Yes.”
I’m astounded and want to ask him why. What made their relationship so contentious? But there are other more pressing matters. “We can’t just let them get away with it!”
“Oh, they won’t get away with it,” Xander says, and his voice goes so low and so deep that it vibrates through his arms and along my skin. “I’ll take care of the junior rapists.”
I shiver, both at the horror of what could have happened, and at the promise of menace in Xander’s voice. I almost feel sorry for the men. Almost.
The song begins to wind down, and I meet Xander’s eyes again. “Well, thank you.”
“That’s not something you need to thank me for,” he says. “No woman deserves that kind of treatment. Only men with no honor would resort to such tactics.”
“What will you do to them?” I ask. Another shiver works down my spine.
“I won’t kill them,” he responds. “But they will never dream of doing something like this again for the entirety of their lives.”
The music fades, and Xander steps away. Everything spins suddenly, and he reaches out again to steady me. I see him gesture to Ven, who’s just a few feet away. She frowns and strides over.
“Take care of Rowan,” he says, and then he melts away into the crowd.
