Romancing My Love(11)

Her stomach fluttered at the prospect of being in such close proximity to Pierce. In an effort to quell her nerves, before Anderson closed the car door, and in earshot of Pierce, she joked, “If I go missing, please remember that he’s the last person I was seen with.”

Anderson nodded. “As you wish, ma’am.” He slid Pierce a knowing smile and closed the door.

Pierce climbed into the driver’s seat. “That was quite a statement. Do I look like a killer?”

“A lady-killer, maybe.” She nervously ran her finger along the center console.

He reached across the console and held her hand. “Does that mean you don’t trust me?”

“If I didn’t trust you, I’d never get in your car. I just don’t have you all figured out yet.”

“Well, a man can’t give away his hand in a few short hours, can he? You’ve got all night to figure me out, or at least I hope you do.”

Oh, good Lord. So do I.

“First things first. King’s Bar to get your paycheck?”

“Oh my gosh. I have had such a busy day that I totally forgot.” She couldn’t believe he remembered. “Thank you for remembering, but if you’d rather not, I can get it another day.”

“I’d rather.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

The kiss should have made her more nervous, but it had the opposite effect. It felt natural and right, which was pretty damn scary. How could riding in a Jaguar with a handsome guy feel right to a woman who was currently living in her car?

A few minutes later, Pierce pulled up in front of King’s Bar. The Jaguar looked out of place on the dark street.

“I’ll just be a minute.” Rebecca reached for the door.

Pierce cut the engine. “I’m going with you.” He stepped from the car and came around to her side.

“You really don’t have to.” She didn’t want him to see what a condescending ass Martin could be, or how she might have to handle him. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, and though Pierce had seen her deck a guy, he hadn’t seen her get up in a man’s face and tell him exactly what she thought of him. That was not the woman she wanted him to think she was. She’d only done what she’d had to do. All she wanted was a normal life. Was that too much to hope for? After tonight, she hoped to move forward, presenting a calmer image.

“I want to.” He reached for her hand again.

Rebecca looked at their hands. “Pierce, I really don’t need a babysitter. I know it’s chivalrous of you to want to be there, but…”

He drew his brows together and stepped closer. “Rebecca, I’m not being chivalrous, although I do enjoy hearing the word connected to me.” He smiled and it made her smile, too. “If this guy was nasty enough to cause you to quit, then he’s probably not going to be very nice when you ask for your paycheck. I just don’t want it to be any more uncomfortable than it needs to be.”

“I know, and thank you for that, but I’m a big girl. I can handle this on my own. Really.” She watched his jaw clench as he turned away and ran his hand through his hair.

“How about I wait just inside the door?”

“How about you just wait here?” She didn’t mean to sound so final, but she hadn’t ever needed a man to handle her affairs, and she wasn’t going to start now just because an incredibly gorgeous, kind, and generous, muscular man who smelled like heaven wanted her to. To soften the blow of her rebuttal—and because she was dying to—she touched his cheek.

“Thank you for wanting to help, Pierce. Just give me five minutes, okay? If I’m not out in five, you can barge through the door and do whatever you have in mind.”

“Are you sure you don’t know my sister?” He laughed. “She’s just as stubborn as you.”

“I’m pretty sure we’d get along great, then. Thank you for wanting to help, Pierce.” She pulled the door open and headed inside, trying to ignore the tug of how good it felt to have someone offer to help her for a change. She wouldn’t let herself revel in those good feelings for long, though. She needed to look her most confident and serious when she approached Martin, not glinty eyed and swooning.

Martin looked up from behind the bar as she approached. His beady eyes caught hers. Rebecca drew in a deep breath and met his snakelike stare.

“I’m here for my paycheck.”

“Well, well, if it isn’t chatty Cathy.” Martin laughed, and two men who were drinking at the bar looked her up and down.

“Martin, I’m not here to play games. Just give me my check and I’ll get out of your bar and never look back.” She held his annoyingly amused gaze as he casually dried a glass and set it on a shelf behind him.

He slung the towel over his shoulder and leaned his hands on the bar, motioning for her to come closer. “You decked a guy in here the other night and then took off. I could have gotten sued.”

She rolled her eyes. “You didn’t. The check, Martin. Focus on what’s important.”

He dropped his eyes to her breasts. “How about you come in the back room and we’ll talk about it?”

How did I ever work for you? She’d been so desperate for employment that she’d ignored Andy’s warnings about working for Martin. Never again, she vowed. From here forward, she wasn’t going to settle—in any aspect of her life.

“How about you get your scrawny ass into the back office and get my check before I go back, get the check myself, and leave you in worse shape than the guy from the other night?” She stomped toward the back office.

He beat her to the office door and stepped in front of it, arms crossed, snake eyes returned. “Give me two good reasons why I should give you this check. You quit.”

“I quit because you’re a pig who treats people like shit. That’s reason number one. Reason number two is that I earned it, and I’ll throw a third in there just for the heck of it. If you don’t give me my check, you can kiss your family jewels goodbye.”

He scoffed.

“Ugh. You’re an idiot.” She reached for the doorknob and he grabbed her wrist. “You have three seconds to let go of me.”

“Right.” He narrowed his eyes.

“She was being generous. I’ll give you one.”

Rebecca spun around at the sound of Pierce’s deep, serious voice. His feet were set hip distance apart, arms crossed, and even in his dress slacks and dress shirt, he went from smoking hot to menacing in a fraction of a second.

He stepped forward and said in the most calm, chilling voice Rebecca had ever heard, “You will release her wrist and give her the money that is owed to her or your next move will be made from the floor.”

Martin dropped Rebecca’s wrist and she plowed into the office, grabbed her check from the paycheck box on his desk, and stormed from the bar, leaving Pierce and Martin behind. Her heart beat triple time as she paced the sidewalk, embarrassed and so damned pissed off that she could barely see straight.

Pierce walked out a few minutes later and she felt his hand settle into its usual place on her back. She spun around, all the pieces of her perfect day crashed and shattered. Shards of the last ten minutes came at her from all angles. It was all she could do to stand there and look at him.

“I asked you to stay outside.” She didn’t mean to yell.

“I did. You said five minutes. I waited six.” His eyes ran over her face, and she turned away to keep from yelling again. “Rebecca, I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds, but I’m not the kind of guy who can sit back and do nothing when I think some asshole is going to treat you badly.”

She turned to face him again, teeth clenched, arms crossed over her chest. “I could have handled him.”

“I’m sure you could have.”

“Then why did you come in after me, Pierce? I don’t need saving.” Her body was trembling. Damn it. Tears of anger threatened to spill. Don’t cry. Do not fucking cry.

“I’m sorry. Rebecca, I didn’t think you needed saving. I’m…” He narrowed his eyes. “Babe, you’re shaking. Did he hurt you?” He placed a hand gently on her arm, and she shrugged away again.

“I’m not your babe, and no, he didn’t hurt me. I’m shaking because I’m angry.” Goddamn it. Way to ruin a good night. She drew in a deep breath as Pierce took a step back.

“I’m a guy, Rebecca. It’s not my nature to be told to just let someone treat a woman badly.” He ran his hand through his hair as he’d done earlier. “I was trying to help. That’s all.”

“I know you were. I just…I could have handled him. Now he thinks I couldn’t have.” That was the worst part. She was ten times stronger of a person than Martin and about a zillion times more respectful and appropriate. She hated looking weak in front of him, or that he thought she needed a fricking bodyguard.

Pierce held his hands up. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Ugh. You don’t have to be sorry. What you did was nice. Thank you. I just…I don’t need a savior.” Rebecca wiped her eyes and shook out her hands, as if that might loosen the constriction in her chest.