Because I cared. I cared a lot.
Behind me, I heard the girl's other drink hit the floor. "Oh my God," she said. "Is that Lawton Rastor?"
The big guy obviously heard, because he bellowed out, "Hey, everyone! It's fucking Lawton Rastor! And his fucking squeeze! Aren't we so fucking lucky?"
At my back, I felt a sudden drop in temperature, like the bodies around me were sidling away. Was everyone leaving? If so, that sounded like a damn good idea. I reached toward Lawton's shirt, hoping to pull him away before things got any worse.
But then, like lightning, Lawton threw back his head. Immediately, a fist flew past his face.
But it wasn't from the guy in front of him. It was from some new guy off to our right, a big muscle-bound guy with complicated facial hair.
The fist had barely disappeared when Lawton's right arm shot in the guy's direction. His fist slammed into the guy's ear.
"Motherfucker!" the guy yelled, staggering backward, and then off to the side, like he couldn't quite keep his balance.
"Chloe," Lawton said in a warning tone, "you'd better not still be there."
From the tone of his voice, he knew exactly where I was, and he wasn't happy.
Slowly, I began to back up. I didn't stop until I felt the warmth of the crowd at my back. My heart was racing. I looked around. Where was the bouncer? Where was anyone? Should I dial 911?
Ahead of me, the first guy took a swing at Lawton's face. Lawton swatted the fist away, leaving the guy's face wide open. That's when Lawton's right fist shot out, slamming hard into the center of the guy's face.
He staggered backward, and his hands flew to his nose. A river of blood poured between his fingers. "My nose! You fuckin' broke it, you asshole!"
With a guttural roar, the guy off to the right charged toward Lawton. Without changing direction, Lawton gave him a hard elbow to the neck. The guy dropped to the ground, wheezing. With barely a glance, Lawton kicked him in the side, sending the guy rolling onto his back.
The first guy, his face a bloody mess, barreled toward Lawton head-first. Lawton's fist flew out toward the guy's mid-section, hitting him hard enough to double him over. With a half-moan, half-wheeze, the guy dropped to his knees.
Finally, the bouncers made their appearance. I recognized one of them as Lawton's friend, a black guy in a black T-shirt with the club's logo. He looked down at the second guy, still lying on his back. "Snake, you dumb-ass. Not again."
With something like a sigh, Lawton's bouncer friend grabbed one of Snake's booted feet in each hand and started dragging him toward the exit.
The first guy, now on his hands and knees, raised his head and muttered, "That son-of-a-bitch broke my nose!" He glared at Lawton. "Third fuckin' time. You cock-sucker."
Lawton took a step toward him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. His voice was quiet, but it carried over the now silent club. "You wanna fuck with me? Fine. Fuck with me all you want. But if you ever fuck with my girl again—"
He leaned close to the guy's ear and said something that only they could hear. The guy glanced at me, and I almost heard him swallow. When Lawton finally released him, the guy looked around the quiet crowd. "What the fuck are you lookin' at?" he said as he rose unsteadily to his feet and stumbled toward the exit.
And then, somewhere behind me, I heard a girl's voice, a different one from the first, say, "Holy shit, was that Lawton Rastor?"
Chapter 41
Five minutes later I fell, laughing, into the passenger's seat of his car. I never did get my drink, which was probably a good thing. My head was spinning so fast, my body could barely keep up.
I should've been horrified. Hell, Iwashorrified. But I was something else too. And it had me rubbing my thighs together as I settled into the passenger's seat.
Lawton closed my car door and strode around the front of the car. I watched him through the window. With a soft sigh, I watched him move.
That long, easy stride, those wary eyes, the way his muscles shifted in time with his movements. It was a visual symphony that had me wanting more than just a look.
He was every girl's fantasy.
He wasmyfantasy. And he was mine in real life too. For how long, I had no idea. I knew it wouldn't be forever. In real life, things like that didn't happen. He'd go on to marry a movie star or a socialite, or no one at all. And I'd – I bit my lip – I didn't know what I'd do.
But I knew what I wanted to do now.
I turned sideways in the seat to face him. I watched as he settled into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut behind him.
