Safe Distance - Megan Green Page 0,2

we entered. The bouncer. He pulls Bruce to his feet and shouts at the dark-haired man to get out. A blond man appears at his side and the two of them begin to make their way through the crowd. As the blond shoves through the swarm of people that gathered to watch the fight, my champion looks back over his shoulder, his eyes finding mine. He gives me a small smile before turning and following his friend to the door.

Suddenly Amanda is in front of me. She pulls me into her arms, telling me how sorry she is for leaving me. It’s not until she wraps her coat around me that I realize I’m trembling. Justin steps between us, lifting me into his arms. Everybody is looking at us as he starts to carry me through the crowded club. I push against his chest and wiggle out of his arms. I’ll be damned if I’ll give these people anything more to talk about. Justin sets me down and I plant my feet firmly on the ground. I square my shoulders, lifting my chin and make my way through the throng of people.

Once we’re outside, Amanda starts in with her apologies again. “I’m so sorry, Hay. I never should have left you alone in there. Justin has warned me about that guy before. He’s a certified asshole.”

“I should have known better,” Justin adds. “I saw him come in just before my break started. I’ve seen the women he goes after. I should have known you’d be his number one target.”

The two of them sound so remorseful I can’t take it.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I interject before either can continue, giving them both pointed looks. “Either of you. So stop it. I ran my mouth, like usual, and I pissed him off. Nothing happened. No harm done. Except maybe to that asshole. Probably gonna have a pretty nice black eye tomorrow.” I laugh lightly at that, hoping to lighten their somber moods. I hate to think that I’ve ruined their night.

“Good. I hope he knocked some sense into that prick. Maybe now he’ll think twice before attacking poor defenseless women,” Amanda says, anger still very evident in her voice.

I shake my head at her, laughing at her over protectiveness. “I wasn’t exactly attacked, Mandy. Just caught off guard. Bad day today, I guess. It was nothing. Really. Can we just go?”

I can tell she’s unconvinced, but she nods. As we make our way over to her car, I see a familiar form standing near a truck.

Now that he’s standing still, I can see that he’s only a few inches taller than me. Probably just barely six foot. His short hair is slightly disheveled, as if he’s been running his hands through it. He folds his arms across the edge of the truck bed and drops his head to them. The muscles across his shoulders are evident through the thin fabric of his t-shirt. His strong arms are corded with muscle. He pushes away from the truck, dipping his head even lower and hanging on to the edge with both hands. The back of his shirt rides up, revealing a trim waist. He clearly keeps himself in great shape.

The blond man from the club rolls down the window of the cab and leans out. “You cool yet, man?” he calls to him. He straightens, rolling his shoulders as he turns around. His eyes fall on me and my friends.

“Just a sec, Chris,” he says to the blond as he heads toward me.

I’m not sure I want to do this. I appreciate his help. But I’m embarrassed. I completely clammed up in there. This man probably thinks I’m a complete coward. Too soft to even take care of myself from the unwanted advances of an asshole in a club. He’s probably coming over to tell me to stay home if I can’t handle myself.

He stops a few feet in front of me. He looks down at the ground, as if he’s unsure of what to say now that he’s over here. I take a deep breath and speak.

“Thanks for your help in there. You didn’t have to do that. I’m not sure what came over me. I just…froze, I guess. I’m normally more self-reliant when it comes to guys like that.” Amanda comes up next to me and puts an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into her side. Always trying to protect me. Even from someone who just saved me.

The man looks between