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There was me.
I worked my mouth, trying to get some moisture into it, but it felt as dry as the damn Afghani desert.
“Carina got her schedule.” Van’s voice brought me out of my head. “She should still be there.”
Staring up at him, I could feel my desperation pulsing through me like it was a sentient being. Van’s forehead creased as a frown pulled at his lips.
“Come on.” He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Think it’s time you two finally had a talk.”
My nod felt impossible. Moving felt impossible. I wanted her.
In my arms.
In my life.
I gripped my chest, feeling my heart racing so fast that it ached.
It fuckin’ ached for her.
Somehow, I followed Van. Got my keys and my vest. Made my way out to my Jeep. Followed him through the city streets until The Pink Minx was in my sights.
Even with him and Carina at my side, stepping foot inside that building was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. Once in, my gaze zipped across the entire room, eating up the air in an effort to search her out. To find her. To see her again.
But she wasn’t there.
“She might be in back.” Carina’s voice was quiet under the thumping music and the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears. Her hand settled at my back, and she gave me a push that I didn’t realize I needed to get moving.
Each footstep took conscious thought. Each breath dragged hard and heavy through my throat. And when I rounded the corner to the private rooms, that breath froze fuckin’ solid in my chest.
She was there, wild hair like a red halo around her gorgeous face. Pale skin pink in the cheeks from embarrassment or exertion, I didn’t know which. It had me wanting to run to her. To grab her and hold her and protect her from whatever it was that made her weak.
Kelly had her back against the wall as a man almost as broad as he was tall stood looking down at her, his hand in her face. He waved his finger at her, anger dripping from his pores, and rage like I hadn’t felt in years came at me in a rush.
“Kelly?” My voice boomed through the hallway, ricocheting like gunfire. Every person standing there turned to look at me, but all I saw was her fiery gaze.
“Lee?” She pushed off from the wall, pushed at the man’s chest to get him away from her. “What are you doing here?”
Her tone told me she wasn’t happy to see me.
Sounded like morning, before her first cup of coffee.
Like heaven, because she was talking to me.
I started for her, getting three giant steps down the hallway before the brute beside her grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She swung a fist on instinct, but the asshole caught it in his hand, stopping her from touching him.
“Let go of her,” boomed from my mouth at the same time Kelly yelled, “Let me go!”
He did, and it was the only thing saving him from having my fist collide with his face. I wanted to pummel him, but before I got a chance, I was nearly bowled over by a fiery crash.
“Lee!” Kelly’s arms were around my neck, her legs wrapped around my waist, and I tightened my arms around her until I was sure I was squeezing out the last of her breath. But I couldn’t stop. Couldn’t keep from holding her, touching her.
Wanted to fuckin’ kiss her.
Before I could so much as move, the asshole who’d been harassing Kelly stepped up behind her. “Who the hell are you?”
Kelly let go of me, wriggling out of my grip as she turned to face him. “Leave him alone, Roscoe. This doesn’t concern you.”
“Doesn’t concern me?” He scowled, jabbing a finger toward my chest and, lucky for him, stopping shy of poking me. He turned to her. “You’re my dancer, Kelly. It’s my job to keep you safe here, remember? Not to mention, you pull a knife on every fucking man tries to touch you, and you’re climbing this asshole like he’s a fucking tree?”
