“I don’t think you acted like a head case.” He grinned down at her and her heart beat a little faster. “In fact, if it’ll make you smile I’ll go kick that guy’s ass into next Sunday.”
Although she knew he had been about to not too long ago, his comment held a teasing tone in it and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Ahh, there it is.”
“There is what?” His stare was doing things to her. Things that excited her but also made her nervous as hell.
“The smile I’ve been wanting to see for some time.” He ran a hand over his short dark hair and glanced away from her. Was he actually embarrassed by his comment? “Not that I’m some damn creeper or anything. It’s just”—he paused—“fuck, I’m sorry. I’m acting all weird now.”
It was almost endearing to see him act so flustered. Adrian was a big man, and all she had ever seen from him was this stone-cold hardness that put lesser men to shame. Now, the way he grinned at her, he almost seemed…boyish.
“I’m Brea, by the way. Listen, thank you so much for helping me out back there. I kind of freaked out, and if you hadn’t helped me, I probably would have still been standing there taking that guy’s shit.” That might not have been the whole truth. Since leaving Cameron she had taken a few self-defense classes and knew how to handle herself to an extent. The only problem was her fear always made her immobile so it was hard for her to put that self-defense training to good use. That was a problem she was going to have to get over fast if she had a chance of surviving.
He continued to watch her and it made her feel like he could see inside of her, that he knew what she was saying was a load of shit. It had taken a long time for her to get past the abuse from Cameron and realize it wasn’t her fault, that she was a person, too, and deserved to be respected and loved. Maybe one day she would feel like that with another man. Maybe one day she could put her issues aside and actually let herself trust another person. As she looked into Adrian’s eyes, eyes that she knew were a beautiful blue color but that right now looked black from the shadows, she wished he was the one that she could let herself be free with. Here he had saved her for a second time, had pulled her out of a situation where she could have royally fucked up and lost her job. She needed this job, needed the money it paid her so she could finally start over and completely be someone new.
“Thanks again, but I should probably head back in there. I don’t want my boss to get mad at me.” She smiled, hoping to relieve some of the tension she felt was starting to build. “I kind of need this job.”
“I’m sure Tate will understand.”
She wasn’t surprised he knew Tate. He was, after all, fighting in the owner’s illegal cage fights. What surprised her though was that he seemed pretty confident that Tate wouldn’t care that one of his employees was outside socializing when they should have been working.
“Maybe, but I don’t want to test it.” She lifted her hand in a pathetic wave good-bye and turned to go back inside. “I really do owe you for saving me once again. Thank you,” she said over her shoulder.
“Wait.” He spoke softly yet that one word had her stopping and glancing over her shoulder.
Even after everything with Cameron, she desperately wanted to be close to Adrian. Which confused her since she knew nothing about him. There was just this connection she felt with him, but it was foolish and she knew it. Even after all the pain Cameron had put her through she wanted to connect with Adrian, wanted to let him hold her hand, hug her close to his big body, and tell her everything would be okay. Brea held her breath, waiting for him to continue.
“Maybe that payment can be dinner with me.” She turned fully around and knew her eyes had to look like saucers. “I know you probably don’t remember me”—he cleared his throat—“but—”
“I remember you.” She smiled at him, but she was also smiling because he wanted to see more of her. “Your name is Adrian and you saved me from more drunks weeks ago. It’s something I am not likely to forget, I assure you.” She felt like she was rambling, but his lopsided grin put her at ease. “It seems I’m prone to attracting the lushes.” He let out a breath, as if he had been holding it.
“Good, I mean I’m glad you remember me.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck again and she wondered if it was something he did when he was nervous. “So, uh, what do you say about dinner? If dinner is too much maybe you’d like to get coffee with me one of these days? We do keep coming across each other and I know I’d like to get to know you better. I don’t want to pressure you or anything. You really don’t owe me anything.” His grin widened. “I’m rambling.” A beat of silence passed between them and he said, “Maybe you’d even feel sorry for me enough to agree to keep me company over a meal.”