Laken
Four shots become eight and by the time we stand to walk out of the bar, Niall acquires two more sets of eyes and has lips on either side of his face. Or, I might be drunk and spinning; it’s all new to me.
“You know?” I say as he places a hand at the small of my back. “You’re not such…such a dick after all.”
A chuckle trails from behind me. “You thought I was a dick?”
I nod, forgetting my head is no longer attached to my neck. It wobbles unsteadily until I hold onto a chair as I stumble to the door. “Yep. I thought you were just as much of a bully as your kid. I mean, she knocked Preston down and wailed on him. Did you teach her to fight like that or was her mom a WWF wrestler?”
A burst of warm air smacks me in the face as we walk outside. Niall still has his hand pressed against my lower back, guiding me away from the building, and my skin is tinging with the warmth of the whiskey. I can’t help but feel a little guilty. The day ends up amazing. The date is amazing. Niall is amazing.
And I’m a fucking douchebag. A shit. A lying shit. I should tell him the truth right now. Just get it all out and come clean. He’ll probably call the whole deal off, which is what I deserve. And I almost do it.
Almost.
Until he runs a hand up my arm and pulls me to him. All I can smell is the forest. Hell, he smells like the forest. It’s intoxicating and all I want to do is curl up against him and breathe him in.
“Laken, I have to be honest with you.”
My head pops up from his chest at that word. “Honest?”
“Aye,” he says, his Irish accent like a drug. “I like the way things are headed with us. I want to ask you…”
Ask me. Ask me. Ask me.
“Mackay! How the hell are you? I haven’t seen you around the office since we finished the Brower account.” I swallow hard as the same large, burly guy who’d sent me the drink barrels out of the bar and claps Niall on the shoulder.
“Feckin’ hell.” Painting a forced smile on his face, Niall shifts away from the intoxicated man’s hold and nods to him as he introduces me. “Laken, this is Bryce Holley, another project manager at Tate & Cane.”
At the mention of Tate & Cane, I immediately perk up and try my best to sober my ass up. Shit, why didn’t I just accept the damn drink? If I’m going to be working with these people, I need to put my best foot forward.
Just as I extend my hand, Niall curses under his breath and gives me an apologetic look. “Damn. I left my credit card on the table. Laken, will you please excuse me for a moment?” Throwing a warning glare at Bryce, he nods toward the door. “I’ll just be a minute.”
The moment the heavy wooden door closes behind Niall, Bryce licks his lips and takes a step toward me. “It’s not polite to turn down a drink, Laken.” His eyes trail down my dress with an inebriated hunger. “Haven’t seen you around. Are you new at the office?”
I don’t like the wild look in this guy’s eyes or the way he’s undressing me with his eyes. I step backward and end up flush against the brick wall of the bar. “No, I’m just a friend of Niall’s.”
“Any friend of Niall’s is a friend of mine,” he says, baring his stained teeth.
Ew.This guy takes the creepy vibe and amps it up to eleven.
I turn my head away and push myself further into the wall. “Yes, well, I have quite enough friends, thanks.”
Bracing his palms by the sides of my head, I’m held still by his strength and the alcohol on his breath. “Come on, baby, don’t play hard to get. You might regret it.”
“Doubtful.”
“Well, Niall’s a friend of mine and we have an arrangement. What’s mine is mine and what’s his is mine.” Pressing a knee between mine, he inhales long and hard against my neck.
Disgusted, I don’t think, I just open my mouth and react. “Way to hit on your friend’s fiancée. Go sleep it off, asshole.”
“Is there something I can help you with, Bryce?” Niall snaps, slamming the heavy wooden door behind him. “You know, other than my fiancée?”
“Fiancée?” Bryce’s bloodshot eyes waver for a minute before the cocky smirk returns. “You may want to keep this one on a tighter leash, Mackay. She was on my dick the minute you walked away.”
Niall lets out a low laugh that’s not meant to be funny, and a chill runs down my spine. “You saw me walk in with her and sent the drink over anyway. I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to prove, but touch her again, and I’ll end you, you miserable feck.” Niall takes a step forward, almost chest to chest with Bryce, his eyes wild with untamed fury as he shoves him hard in the center of his chest.
Panicked that this is about to end up in some sort of pissing contest, I hold up one hand and pull on Niall’s with the other. Although, I should be irritated he doesn’t think I can handle this on my own, but some deep-rooted part of me is turned on by his desire to protect me.
