“I think he’s staring at you.”
94
Heather Rainier
“Well, he can stare all he wants. I’ve only got eyes for you, Eli.” She gazed up at him as she palmed his cheek. “Ignore him, and I will, too.” She reached for him, and he leaned down to kiss her tenderly as the love song ended. “How much longer do we have?”
“I should get back soon. It’s been at least thirty minutes we’ve been out here.”
“Wow, it amazes me how fast time flies when I’m with you.”
“Funny, I feel the same way about you. Do you need to go to the ladies’
room? With that guy staring like that, I’d rather walk you over and wait for you before going back to the door.”
“Yes, I do. Maybe you should mention it to Ethan. He’d want to know if something was suspicious.”
Eli walked her to the restroom and turned to the task at hand, only to be surprised and a little dismayed. Grace and Jack stood at the man’s table, talking with him as if they were friends. Grace even leaned in and gave him a friendly hug as she held Jack’s hand. It appeared that all four were acquainted with this stranger. Eli made his way over, intent on speaking with Ethan, curious now to know who this man was who had issued such an obvious challenge to him. Better to take the bull by the horns, his father would say.
“Hey, Eli, I want you to meet a friend of ours,” Ethan said, indicating the stranger. Eli walked up to him and put out his large hand to shake. “This is Ace Webster. He works in private security and investigation. He helped us out a few months ago when Grace’s ex was harassing her. He’s thinking about settling in the area and came in for a visit. Ace, this is Eli Wolf. He provides security for the club. The two of you have something in common.”
Ace quirked an eyebrow and grinned crookedly as he shook Ethan’s hand. “I’d say you’re right, Ethan.” Ace grinned as Eli caught his double meaning. “Good to meet you, Eli. It’s always good to meet people in the same line of work.”
“Good to meet you, Ace. See something you like earlier?” Eli asked straightforwardly but not with animosity.
“That’s a beautiful woman you were dancing with. Is she spoken for or here on her own?” he asked, friendly but challenging. They were keeping it light for the sake of the mutual friends and employers.
Her Gentle Giant, Part 1: No Regrets
95
“Rachel is my girlfriend and definitely spoken for,” Eli said with a smile. The message again was unmistakable. Mine. Eli felt a tightening in his chest as he made eye contact with Ace and had to suppress the urge to snarl.
“Well, in that case, you’re a lucky man, Eli. I had hoped to ask her to dance with me.”
“I don’t know, Ace,” Ethan countered, evidently sensing the
undercurrent between the two men. “Eli is very territorial about Rachel. As territorial as she is about him. There are plenty of other women here who’d take you up on that offer. Rachel’s been beating them off Eli like pesky mosquitoes all night.” Grace caught Eli’s eye and smiled. She felt it, too.
“I’m going to go check my lipstick, honey. I’ll be right back, okay?”
Grace said, patting Ethan’s chest lovingly then slipped away after Jack kissed her and released her hand. The men changed the subject and continued talking at the table.
* * * *
Grace slipped into the restroom, hoping it was empty, as Rachel exited one of the stalls. After a couple of women left the room, Grace dropped all pretense of fluffing her hair. “Eli is getting acquainted with your new admirer at our table.”
“My what?” Rachel asked, surprised by how quickly things had moved.
“What do you mean, acquainted?”
Earlier, when she’d looked up at the man sitting at the table, he’d made eye contact with her. Dressed all in black with sleek, short black hair, he had a bad-ass cool alpha vibe going on. He must have just gotten there because no women hovered near his table yet trying to get his attention. That thought had relieved her in a funny way. Maybe some of the floozies in the bar would be drawn to him and would give it a rest with Eli.
“Ace is a good friend of ours. He watched out for me when Owen kept pestering me back in June. He’s here to testify in that drug trial, and he’s thinking about leaving San Angelo and settling down here. He seems to have taken a fancy to you. I don’t think Eli is very happy about it. It’s interesting, actually. The shoe appears to be on the other foot now.”
Rachel’s eyes narrowed, not understanding. “What do you mean?”