The Unlikely Bodyguard

Careful, a voice in her head warned, sounding too much like Sister Mary Elizabeth. “Look. What part of no don’t you understand, so I can explain it?”

His face glowed with anger, his hold tightened. Uh-oh. Her mouth was going to get her into bigger trouble, she thought as she tried to peel his hands from her waist. She couldn’t get a good grip Fear stung up her spine. She kept telling herself she could get out of this. She could.

“I ain’t never seen a woman turn you down that quick, Ike.”

Ike’s gaze slashed to an obese man lingering close. “And you ain’t gonna.”

His one hand drove lower, cupping her buttocks, and Calli’s stomach pitched.

“I got a car out back. I can do ya quick.”

She struggled. “Your charm amazes me. Ike, is it?” He grew ruder, and since he wasn’t getting the message, she smacked his cheek, hard. His hiss of pain sounded loud in the suddenly quiet bar. She could feel people staring, yet he didn’t release her. Instead, he smiled. Good Lord, he liked it, she realized, shoving at his chest. When that didn’t dislodge him, she resorted to the only thing possible in this situation. She ground her four-inch stiletto heel down on his instep. He howled like a coyote and let her go.

So much for five years of karate, Calli thought, tugging at the hem of her jacket. “Now do you understand no?”

But his friend, the rudest-looking man in the free world, decided it was his turn and pushed his huge self off the bar stool. The motion spread open his leather vest and Calli was surprised to see that his nipples were tattooed like eyeballs.

“Good God. Did that hurt?” she asked, wide-eyed, then composed herself. “Of course it did ” She met his muddy gaze. “It’s not very attractive, you know.”

He had arms like ham shanks and she should shut up, she knew. Ike was still soothing his foot, his eyes threatening retaliation, and Calli decided that an excellent time to leave was five minutes ago.

“I, ah, I’ve got to go,” she said in a rush, easing back toward the door with tiny steps. “Ah—thanks for the dance,” she said, peering around the fat man at Ike. The sisters of St. Andrew’s Orphanage had insisted that saying please and thank you would always get one further than one thought. The good sisters needed a reality check, she decided.

“You’re not leavin’, little girl,” he threatened, advancing on her. Calli’s wide gaze shot between the two men. She instantly weighed her options, and a knee to the groin in the hope that his descendants would come out his throat was not one of them. And with his mammoth arms, any victory she could manage would last about two seconds.

“I really must,” she said to his beefy chest, and hated the tremor in her voice. Hated the fear beginning to settle in the pit of her stomach. When he raised his hand to grab or strike her, Calli back-stepped faster and right into an unyielding body.

Just as quickly, a palm closed heavily over her left shoulder. Good God, she was surrounded. The fat man stopped, mid-grasp. Calli struggled under her captor’s grasp, but she couldn’t move, as if the hand was pushing her down into the concrete floor. I’m toast. She obeyed the silent command to be still, suppressing the fear singing through her body as the fat man’s gaze shot to somewhere behind her.

High behind her.

And the angry flush in his face drained white.

“Leave her alone, Tiny.” The voice was whiskey-rough and low. Undeniably sexy.

“She had it comin’, Angel.”

There was a stretch of silence before The Voice said, “Try again.”

The unspoken threat hung in the dirty air.

Tiny’s lips thinned, his eyes narrowing to slits.

“Step away from her.”

Tiny obeyed, moving back a bit.

Very carefully, Calli turned her head and stared straight at a throat ringed by the collar of a dark T-shirt. She let her gaze climb, up the stubbled jaw and past the most incredible lips to a pair of frosty, mint-green eyes. He has the longest lashes, she thought absently. And a pierced ear. She wet her lips. This was Angel? He looked anything but. Tanned skin. Dark hair. Too pale eyes. He was danger. Real danger. There wasn’t a sound in the bar except the jukebox and Calli shivered. Angel kept his gaze on Tiny, even though she knew he was aware of her stare. Calli couldn’t remember seeing him when she came in. Hard to believe she’d missed him. But she didn’t need rescuing.

“Back off, Angel.”

His gaze slid to hers and Calli felt a jolt of primal sexuality shoot down her body to her pumps. He arched a brow, sinister, like a wing lifting for flight. “You want to go with him?”

God, that voice. She glanced at Tiny. “No.”

“Then I suggest you shut up.”

Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“You ain’t takin’ her,” Tiny found the nerve to say.

The liquor warming her veins made her bold. “And neither are you ” She took advantage of his surprise and ducked under Angel’s hold, slipped between the two men and walked back to the bar. Go! Leave now! a righteous voice screamed in her head. Instead, she fished in her purse, then slapped money on the counter to keep her hands from shaking. The bartender sloshed another shot into her glass, smirking to himself. In the mirror, she noticed that Tiny and Angel were still staring each other down like two gunfighters.

Finally, Tiny backed off, walked to a booth and slid his big body behind the table, next to Ike.

Angel turned his head to look at her. She met his gaze in the mirror, her drink stilling halfway to her lips. She felt like a fly caught in amber. Even from across the room it hurt to look into those eyes. A raw, hot feeling scrambled through her and the most erotic images came to mind. Then she blinked and shrugged away the playground of her imagination. Deliberately, she finished off the tequila. It burned all the way to her empty stomach. The nuns, no doubt, were saying novenas over her debauched soul now.

She felt a man stop behind her. “Let’s go,” he said to her reflection.

“Get lost.”

His eyes narrowed. “You either walk out with me now or your parents will be identifying you from a toe tag.”

“That would be hard,” she said, facing him, “since I don’t have any.” She paused. “Parents, not toes.”

She didn’t notice his hard eyes soften a fraction as her gaze slid beyond him to Tiny and Ike. They were glaring laser beams across the room and into her face, and she tried not to let it scare her. She didn’t know if it was stupidity or nerve that kept her there, but she wanted to experience danger. Live a little on the edge. And this macho hunk in tight jeans wasn’t going to stop her. Not tonight. She’d been a good girl all her life and look what it had gotten her. A nice apartment, even nicer friends and coworkers. And absolute, suffocating, boredom. At least this got her adrenaline running.

She looked back at Angel. “Who made you my protector?”

“Unfortunate timing.” He ought to let her suffer with Tiny and Ike, but he couldn’t. It meant her survival that he get her out of here. He took a step closer and she flattened her back against the bar, her elbows propped on the top. She gave him a bored look he didn’t believe.

“You want me to come, with you?”

His gaze slid suggestively over her and his chiseled lips quirked. “I haven’t touched you yet.” She inhaled, her gaze faltering, and he slipped closer, slapping his hands on either side of her and leaning down into her face. “And yes, I want you to leave with me.”

“No way.” He could be an ax murderer for all she knew. Though some inner voice doubted it. Of course, that inner voice had told her this place would be tame.

He gazed into her blue eyes and felt the entire bar watching them. “Are you that willing to die, lady?”

She scoffed. “You’re exaggerating.”

“Look at Tiny.”

She did. A switchblade lay on the table, Tiny’s stubby fingers spinning it, yet his gaze was on her. Pride made her lift her chin, glance back to the bartender and order another drink.

Angel’s expression sharpened and before she reached for the fresh glass, he grabbed her hand, ducked and tossed her up across his shoulder.

She shrieked.