Touching Scars(19)
I had to give the girl credit. She was standing her ground. But why on earth was she so adamant that I was a stranger to her? Was I that forgettable? Not believing her still, I pushed again.
“You’re kidding, right? Two words, Katherine. High…school.” I said, ticking off two fingers in the air.
She swallowed hard and stared me straight in the eyes. “Nobody calls me that anymore.”
I stood there gauging her reaction to what I’d just said. She did know me, but she chose to pretend that she didn’t. The hallway was silent, with only the faded sound of old country music playing from the main part of the bar. Standing here in front of her, being this close, her eyes trained on me, I knew I wanted her. I wasn’t sure how I wanted her. I just knew that I wanted to be near her.
“Why not, Kat? Why are you pretending to not know me?” I asked.
“It’s none of your business why I don’t go by Katherine anymore. And honestly, I don’t want anything to do with Bay City. I left that town for a reason. It’s a reason I’m not going to share with you or anybody else. So why don’t you just march back into the bar, get anything you came in with, and leave.”
If there’s one thing I don’t tolerate, it’s being told what to do. I’ve been dealing with orders being barked at me for the past five years and I’ve had my fill of it. Taking a large step forward and getting into her personal space, I leaned my head down so that I was almost eye level with her. I was so close that when I breathed in, I could smell the scent of her skin. It was a mix of coconut and the ocean. It was an overwhelming essence that went straight to my dick. I closed my eyes, trying to center myself and not do what I really wanted to do at that moment, which was to push her up against the wall and put my mouth all over her body.
Opening my eyes, I said, “It may not be any of my business why you left and I’ll respect that, Kat. But understand this. I leave when I want to leave, I ask the questions that I want to ask, and I’m a pushy bastard. I’ve known you as Katherine since we were teenagers, so it won’t be easy for me to all of a sudden call you something else. I’ve also noticed a few things about you since walking into this bar. You’ve changed your appearance. You’ve covered some of this beautiful body with tattoos.” I let my eyes roam down the length of her. “I like it.” Her mouth parted slightly.
“You dress more provocatively than you used to, and it gets attention from men. I’m sure it’s unwanted attention, but I’m also sure that you are a smart girl and aware of what it does to them. You’ve lost the glasses, and you wear too much make-up. I’ve been watching the other people that work here the past two nights. They are protective of you, especially the big dude at the door. Why they watch over you like they do, I don’t know. Like I said, I’ll respect why you left, but I’m sure I’ll be asking some questions real soon.”
The silence between us went on for so long that I wasn’t even sure she heard a word I said. I knew I was pushing my boundaries with a girl that I’d hardly known all those years ago, but I couldn’t help myself. She had an allure to her that made me want to be around her. My body was stirring with desire, but my brain and nerves felt calmer being this close. It seemed like a double standard, but I rolled with it.
She finally spoke. “There’s nothing to find out. I dress how I dress. I’m addicted to tattoos. If men find my appearance appealing, then so be it. And the big dude at the door… well, he’s my friend, and he keeps me safe. I’m pretty sure that about sums it up.” She took a deep breath, but she wasn’t done. “Oh, and I see no reason why you would need to adjust to calling me Kat. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t step foot in my bar again.”
Did this tiny little woman just put me in my place? If it was even possible, I was even more turned on by her rant. She started to turn to walk away from me but I caught her arm, my large hand nearly encircling it. With her back to me, I bent until my mouth was near her ear. She shivered as I spoke. “You and I aren’t done. I’ll be back tomorrow with new questions that I’ll expect answers to.”
She turned her head slightly, peering up at me. “Fuck you, Timber. I’m not answering shit.”
I smirked, “We’ll see. And I like your dirty mouth, Kat.”
I turned and walked away, leaving her there in the middle of the hall. One thing was for certain, I would be back. She was hiding, and I wanted to know why.
LYING IN MY BED THIS morning I played what happened last night over and over in my head. I had been in control of the situation, or so I’d thought until Timber approached me in the hallway. After that, there was no control. He entered my personal space, became demanding, and after he walked away I was literally a puddle of turned on completely nervous mush. I didn’t ever let men get as close to me as Timber had last night. And if they did, Beaver was always there, ready to tear their arms off. There had only been one other man that I let touch me and that had been someone who’d been just passing through town. He had been good looking and nice enough, so I’d let him scratch my sexual itch. I had been worried that I would never allow someone to touch me again in that way after what Adam did to me, but I was somehow able to shut that emotional connection off, and sex with the traveling stranger ended up being nothing more than mechanical. I didn’t even know his name. I barely remembered his face now.