Protect Me: Oakville Series:Book Three (15 page)

C
ONCENTRATING ON
making drinks is proving to be difficult tonight. Holly seems to be the only thing capturing my attention. I’m actually afraid she’s capturing more than just my attention. There’s something about this woman that draws me to her, no matter how hard I fight it. Honestly, I’m not sure I want to fight it any longer. I always promised myself I’d never fall in love. Looks like that’s one promise I won’t be keeping. Just the fact that I was able to tell Holly about my past says I trust her in a way I haven’t trusted many. Reggie and Kyle have been the only two people I’ve ever trusted enough to open up to.

Spending the night with Holly was amazing. One of the best nights I’ve had in a very long time and there wasn’t even any sex involved. Sex was the last thing on my mind. The only thing I could think of was holding her close and making her feel safe. She’s going to need some time before she can trust me. Someone in her life has hurt her. It’s so obvious to me. She’s already let me in more than I imagined she would so soon. I need to make her see that I would never hurt her. Protecting her and keeping her safe is my only desire right now.

“Earth to Paul,” Angel says while snapping his fingers in front of my face. When I look over to him and Marcus, they’re both smiling. “Must be some hot piece of ass to have you zoning out,” Angel says with a grin. Normally, I’d laugh right along with them, but Holly was not just some hot piece of ass to me. Just then, Holly turns around and the guys see who had my attention. They’re no longer laughing. Actually, they both looked aggravated.

Marcus speaks up first. “Paul, you do know she’s not like the girls you’re usually with.” I should be pissed. He’s jumping to the conclusion that I want her for nothing more than a one-night roll in the hay, but I know he’s just trying to protect her. And really, my reputation doesn’t help. Before I can explain anything to them, Angel starts one of his rants.

“Don’t you wonder if maybe the universe is trying to tell you something?” I open my mouth to speak, but he holds his hand up to shut me up. “Let’s look at the facts. The two of you actually collide into one another. She lives in the apartment right next to yours, the one you have only because you won a coin toss, which you never win. Now, you both work in the same place. Do you need a fucking sledge hammer to the face to make you realize it’s time you had more than just one night stands?”

“Are you finished, numb nuts?” I ask Angel. He plays it off like he’s thinking about it.

“Yeah. For now,” he says with a laugh.

“From the minute I saw her, I knew she was different. She just may be the one who changes how I feel about relationships,” I tell them honestly. The shocked expressions on their faces are priceless, but no one is as shocked as I am. After spending so many years trying to avoid any kind of relationship, it’s hard to wrap my head around the idea of actually wanting one. I’m still worried that I may have inherited my father’s temper, but I can’t imagine ever being capable of hurting Holly. If there comes a time when I think that’s a possibility, I’ll leave to make sure she’s safe from me. It would probably be the hardest thing I’d ever have to do, but I’d do it for her.

“Well, it’s about damn time I’m not the only one in a relationship!” Marcus says with a huge smile on his face. I know he’s felt a little out of place being the only one of us with a girlfriend.

“There’s no relationship yet. It’s gonna take some time for her to trust me. I can tell she’s been through some bad shit. Trust doesn’t come easy to her right now,” I explain. They both slowly nod, understanding more than most about the damage people we love can inflict on us.

I glance across the bar at Holly. When she notices me looking at her, she smiles shyly, taking my breath away. Once I can breathe again, I smile back and add in a little wink. She giggles and I can see from here that she’s blushing. Holly quickly composes herself and turns her attention back to her customers. I hope she’ll allow me to fall asleep next to her again tonight. I don’t want to pressure her, but after last night, I don’t think I can stay away. I’m hooked. Never before have I wanted just to hold a woman so badly. It’s always been sex and nothing more, but with Holly, it’s the total opposite. With her, I want so much more than a purely physical connection can give me.

“Hey, lover boy, there are other people in this place,” Angel teases and nods toward a blonde at the end of the bar waiting to be served. After I flip Angel the bird for being such a smartass, I make my way to the end of the bar. The closer I get to her, the easier it is to see the way she’s looking at me. I used to see that look all the time in L.A. The look that says she wants a whole lot more from me than just a drink. Before Holly, I’d have no reservations about taking her home for a night of meaningless sex. Now, I just want to make her drink, send her on her way, and get back to watching Holly.

“What can I get for you?” I ask as I try to look and sound as disinterested as possible.

“You can start with your phone number,” she purrs while placing her hand on top of mine. I slowly slide my hand away, trying not to be rude, but I don’t want her to get the wrong idea either.

“Sorry, but the only thing you’ll get from me is a drink. What will it be?” I ask, sounding a little annoyed. Why have I never noticed before how annoying these girls can be?

“Hmm, what do I want? Sex on the Beach sounds good. Don’t ya think?” she replies in what she thinks is a sexy tone. There’s nothing sexy about it. It sounds more like someone dragging their fingernails down a chalkboard. Without warning, she leans over the bar and plants her lips on mine. Gripping her shoulders, I push her away. This girl is really grating on my nerves. She obviously can’t take no for an answer and to make matters worse, Holly is standing next to Angel and Marcus. The expression on her angelic face is a mixture of anger and hurt. The anger I fully understand. This bitch is aggravating. But the hurt I see sends a stabbing ache straight to my heart. She has to know I didn’t want this girl’s lips on mine. I can’t stand seeing her hurt. Even from the first day when I ran into her, seeing her in pain caused me pain. In that moment, I knew she was going to change my life.

“It does sound good. Just not with you,” I state and watch the sly smirk on her face quickly turn into a sneer.

“Just give me three shots of tequila,” she snaps. Happy that she’s finally gotten the message, I quickly pour her shots and send her on her way. I make my way back over to Angel and Marcus, who are laughing it up.

“That was painful to watch. Have you ever turned a woman down before? There are nicer ways to do it ya know,” Angel Laughs.

“No, I guess I haven’t. I’ve never really wanted or had a reason to, until now.”

“You mean, until Holly,” Marcus adds with a sly smile on his face. He’s enjoying all of this.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” I state proudly. I don’t care if my best friends know. I’m falling for her and falling hard. The boys hang around a little longer to tease me. Marcus is the first to leave, saying he misses Taryn. This earns him some ribbing from Angel. And Angel, in his true manwhore fashion, leaves shortly after with the blonde who was trying to pick me up only an hour earlier. As I watch them walk out of the bar with Angel’s hand on her ass, I can’t help but laugh. Typical Angel. He doesn’t care who he goes home with, just as long as he has someone to go home with.

“Hey,” Holly says as she walks up behind me. I turn to face her and I’m concerned something is wrong. She doesn’t look like her normal, happy self. She looks tired and worried. “Do you mind if I take off a little early? I’m not feeling well.” Not once does she make eye contact with me, which has me wondering what’s gotten her so upset she has to leave.

“Of course you can. Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask, hoping she’ll invite me over after I’m done tonight.

“Thank you, but I just need some rest.” I can tell she’s in a hurry to leave.

“Can I stop by when I finish so I can check on you? Maybe even hold you again all night?” I ask, hopeful. I’ve been daydreaming about falling asleep with her in my arms again all day. My hopes are shattered when I see the tears start to form in her eyes.

“I need to be alone. I have some things I need to figure out,” she says. Before I can argue my point, she plants a swift kiss on my cheek, grabs her purse from under the counter, and makes her escape out the door. She’s having doubts about me. Everything was going smoothly until that bitch came along tonight. If Holly was watching, she had to see how annoyed I was at this woman and how much her lips on mine repulsed me. I’ll give her tonight alone, even though it may kill me to stay away from her, but first thing in the morning, I’m going to explain what happened here tonight.

The last three hours have gone by painfully slow. I’ve done nothing but worry about Holly, replaying the look on her face in my mind, over and over again. I promised myself I wouldn’t go to her tonight and I won’t, but being home in my bed is the next best thing. The walls are so thin between us, I can usually hear her soft snoring and imagine myself lying next to her.

“Hey, man. Where’s Holly?” Kyle asks, breaking me from my thoughts. Just like Angel and Marcus, Kyle has become attached to Holly. They all treat her like a little sister. Like me, they can see the damaged and frightened girl hiding under the badass attitude.

“It’s a long story. She left a few hours early,” I tell him. “Do you mind closing up for me? I need to get home so I can make sure she’s okay.”

“No problem,” Kyle says, making his way behind the bar. I give him a smile and a pat on the back, then turn to leave. Just as I get to the door, he stops me. “Hey! You’re my best friend, but if you hurt her in any way, I will kick your ass,” he says with a laugh.

“If I ever hurt her, I’ll help you kick my ass,” I tell him honestly, and make my way to my truck. In the pit of my soul, I know I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt this woman. I couldn’t bear it if I did. I love her too much. Stopping dead in my tracks, I realize what just happened. A huge smile spreads across my face when I say it out load to myself for the first time. “I love her.” It feels like a weight has been lifted off my heart and shoulders. Now, hopefully, I can keep myself from going to her apartment and really scaring her away by proclaiming my love for her.

When I walk into our building, I’m so tempted to knock on her door. Maybe telling her how I feel is what she needs to hear. If she knows I love her then she will see how much I want her and no one else. Or it could scare the shit out of her and send her running. Yeah, this is going to require some more thought and patience on my part. I glance at her door one last time before making my way to mine and going into my apartment.

Anxious to be as close to her as I can, I go straight to bed. After pulling off my shirt and throwing it on the chair in the corner, I sit on the edge of my bed and take off my boots and socks. I lay down and slide as close to the wall as I can. Laying on my side, I put my ear up against the cool wall, just wanting to hear her breathe. I stay like that for several minutes before I begin to doze off.

My eyes fly open and my body stiffens when I hear a loud scream. I hold my breath because my heart is beating so frantically, it’s the only thing I can hear. Another scream comes from Holly’s bedroom along with a rustling sound. This time, I don’t wait for what comes next. I fly to my feet and rush to my front door. The wood floor is cold under my feet as I run to Holly’s apartment. I grab the doorknob and turn it only to find it locked.
Shit!
Of course it’s locked, along with the many deadbolts I installed for her. Again, she screams and I can hear her pleading with someone to stop. Without thinking, I back up and slam my body as hard as I can into her door. I hear the wood crack under the force. I back up a little farther this time. When my body meets the hard wood of the door, it buckles and I fall with it. I land on her floor with a loud, painful thud.