Bad Boys of Romance(24)

I quickly gathered my papers without looking up and made my way back to Hannah. She handed me a cup of beer as soon as I sat on the stool next to her.

“Did they sign up?” she asked.

“Nope.” I tipped the cup back and took a huge drink.

I snuck a glance at the bar to see Luke was gone. I had never met anyone with so much anger. Even when Chris was mad, it was a controlled kind of anger. Luke seemed like he could explode at any minute, and I had no idea why I seemed to piss him off so much.

After two cups of beer that still didn't taste good to me, Luke still hadn't shown back up. What was he doing? Did he leave? Why did I care?

“Trey and I were going to head to dinner,” Hannah leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Can you make it home alone?”

“A date in the middle of the week?” I teased. “Yes, I can make it home. I'm actually about to leave.”

“Hey, Riley.” Trey walked back up to the table and handed me a piece of paper. “Luke wanted me to give this to you.”

I looked down at the paper and it was filled out with his company information, a free drink coupon logo and a check for the advertising space. You have got to be kidding me.

“He gave this to you?” I questioned.

“Yep.”

“To give to me?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“As a joke?”

“No, he looked serious about it.” He tipped back his cup and took a long drink. “I was talking to him back in his office, and he handed it to me before I walked back out here.”

What a confusing jerk. I put the paperwork into the folder and tucked it under my arm.

“Okay, well thanks.” I stood up and hugged Hannah. “I'm out of here. You guys have fun tonight.”

I walked out into the evening air and suddenly realized we had been sitting in Luke's bar for three hours. The bus stop was only two blocks from here and was a much cheaper option than a cab. I turned the corner and looked down to put the folder into my large blue purse.

“Oh, sorry.” My shoulder knocked into someone in front of me.

“Can't stay away from me, huh.” The familiar green eyes bored into mine again. “Are you driving home?”

I squared my shoulders and began walking again when he grabbed my wrist.

“Seriously, are you driving? Weren't you just drinking?”

I tried a few times but failed to pull my wrist from his grip.

“I'm taking the bus,” I finally answered.

“No, you're not. I'll give you a ride,” he stated as if there was no other choice.

“No, I'm riding the bus.” I stood up straighter. “Thanks for the advertisement space, but you didn't have to do that. I can take care of myself.”

“And what if I want to take care of you?” He took a step closer and tightened his fingers around my arm.

My tongue went dry, and my palms began to sweat. The closer he got to me, the harder it was for me to breathe. The scent from the black leather jacket he was now wearing invaded my senses. The overwhelming feeling that I should turn and run away took over, but a stronger force kept my legs in place. We stared at each other, waiting for the other to talk.

“You're coming with me.” He slowly moved his hand down and interlocked his fingers with mine. I found myself following after him as soon as he started walking. Like a damn puppet. I was starting to get concerned with the amount of idiot I became around him.

“Here,” he said handing me a helmet.

“Wait, you drive that?” I gaped at the huge chunk of black and metal in front of me. Of course he rode a motorcycle.

“You scared?” A smirk spread across his face.

“Yeah, a little bit.” I wasn't even sure if I was talking about the bike or of him.

“Good.” He climbed on and motioned for me to get behind him. “You should be.”

I pulled the helmet over my blond hair and climbed on behind him. He grabbed both of my hands and wrapped them tightly around his waist. Before I could decide how much I liked this and hated it at the same time, he took off down the road.

“That's it,” I shouted over the engine.

He pulled the bike into my apartment complex and came to a stop in front of the building I had pointed at. I felt his chest rumble beneath my arms. They were wrapped tightly around him, and I couldn't bring myself to loosen the grip.

“You're safe.” He laughed. “The only thing injured here will be my ribs.”

“Sorry.” I released my hold and took the helmet off of my head.

He stepped off of the bike and turned to help me down. I stumbled once my feet hit the ground and landed further into his arms. His chest inhaled sharply, and his muscles tightened around me.

“Thanks.” I stepped back and glanced down at my hands, suddenly feeling shy.