“Look, Gordon, I appreciate you helping me out back there, but I'd prefer if you kept your hands to yourself.”
He scowled. “Come on, babe, don't be like that.”
My eyebrows went up. Was he serious?
“I kept my distance to give you a chance to cool down.”
“Cool down? This wasn't a fight over you leaving the toilet seat up. I caught you having sex with a woman while her husband watched. In my bed.”
I felt the cab driver's eyes on us now.
“I told you that you shouldn't be so uptight about sex.” He half-turned, his body effectively trapping mine against the door. He threw a glance over his shoulder, then smiled down at me.
A chill ran through me. I didn't like that smile.
He reached for me, one hand grabbing at my breast, the other going between my legs.
“Get off me!” I twisted, but there wasn't much room for me to maneuver. “Stop the car!”
“Keep going,” Gordon ordered. “I'll give you something good to watch.”
“Stop, Gordon!” I tried to shove at his hands, but I couldn't get him off me.
Suddenly, the car jerked, throwing us both off balance. I reached behind me, fingers scrabbling for the door handle. I heard the click a moment before the door gave and I was tumbling backwards.
I didn't try to stop myself, knowing that it would only jar my hands. Instead, I rolled into it, using the momentum to somersault backward and then push myself up on my feet. I didn't hesitate, didn't wait to see if he'd come after me. Instead, I just ran.
Chapter Twelve
Dorian
The moment I told her to leave, I regretted it, but by the time I got to my door, she was already stepping outside. I ran after her, not caring what anyone thought, only knowing that I needed to stop her before she disappeared. I had to make things right.
I knew I should've said something when I grabbed her arm, but no words would come. Instead, I did what I'd been thinking about all night.
I kissed her.
I hadn't even noticed the other guy until he was escorting her into a cab. Part of me said to take what happened as a sign that I really wasn't supposed to be with her, that she didn't want me. Except I felt it in her kiss. She wanted me. She was just pushing me away because I hurt her.
I wanted to make that better, to apologize.
I flagged down a cab and gestured in the direction the other cab had gone. I didn't know what I was going to say or do, only that I couldn't let things stand the way they were. We'd only gone a couple blocks when I saw the cab ahead of us jerk suddenly, then pull over to the curb. I was already reaching for the handle when the back door opened and Sara came tumbling out.
Shit.
Something was wrong.
I was out of the cab and running down the sidewalk before we’d even come to a complete stop. I heard the cabbie yelling after me, but I kept going. The man who'd been with Sara was out of his cab as well. She was running away from him, cutting through the crowd the same way she did when she was running from me that first day. The big guy was following, shoving rather than trying to move around people.
Adrenaline flooded through me and I followed him. My gut said that even though Sara had willingly gotten into the cab with him, whatever was happening now wasn't good.
She disappeared between two buildings, and the man was only a few steps behind. I put on an extra burst of speed, rounding the corner just in time to see the man shove Sara from behind. She tripped, stumbled, and fell, hitting the ground hard enough to make me wince.
Anger flared as I watched the man loom over her. He was shouting something, but I couldn't hear the words. I did, however, see him draw his leg back to kick her, and that was enough to tell me that I wanted to beat the shit out of him. I didn't change my speed or direction, but I did shift my weight.
When I was just a few steps away, I shouted, “Hey, asshole!”
He turned exactly the way I'd predicted he would, and my fist connected with his jaw hard enough to make my arm go numb. He dropped like a stone, and I didn't need to look at him to know he was out cold. I'd always been able to tell when I had a KO.
Sara was already pushing herself up when I stopped next to her and stretched out my hand. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at me, but she took my hand and let me help her to her feet. Once she was up, my fingers tightened around hers.
“I'm sorry,” I blurted out.
“I hope not for knocking Gordon out.”
Gordon? This asshole was her ex? I scowled down at him and resisted the urge to kick him the way he'd been planning to kick her.
“No, I'm not sorry for that.” I looked back at her. “I'm sorry for being such an ass. I was an idiot.”
She gave me a hard look, then nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I repeated, surprised.