Kiss Me Now (A Billionaire Boss Romance) - Penny Wylder Page 0,3

Our rescuer turns, and my breath catches in my throat.

Fuck. Not only does he have those cheekbones, that jawline, that build, but he’s also got unreal eyes. Green, with a twinkle from the reflection of the streetlight overhead. “Are you all right?” he asks, and I assume he’s speaking to us both, but he’s staring straight at me.

“We are now,” Lee replies, with a glance in my direction. “Although, I have to admit, Cassidy might have had them cornered, given another minute.”

“I noticed.” His gaze still hasn’t left mine. I can’t make myself look away. I don’t want to. “One tip, though?” He gestures at my arm, and I glance down, surprised to realize that I’m still clenching the wrench in my fist. “Next time, aim for the temple, instead of the hand. If you’d incapacitated him completely, it would’ve narrowed your odds with the second man.”

I let out a faint huff of laughter. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind next time I’m being mugged.” With that, I pass the wrench to Lee, and run my hand through my hair. “Shit. Should we—”

“I called the cops already,” the man says. He glances from me to Lee to the car in the lot behind us. “Roadside assistance, as well.”

“That I had handled,” I protest, but Lee is already nudging me toward our rescuer.

“Go, go. The last thing I need is you getting into even more trouble on my behalf,” Lee is saying.

By this point, I realize we’ve attracted something of a crowd. A few camera phones are pointed our way, and someone from the club—another bouncer to replace the one Becky took off with—comes over, saying he has basic medical training. He kneels beside our would-be robbers to check their pulses, nodding to confirm they’ll be all right, minus the scrapes and bruises.

All the while, my gaze keeps straying over to our knight in shining armor. Or rather, knight in… a pair of jeans and a polo shirt.

The second or third time I glance over, he catches me looking, and moves closer. “Can I give you a ride home?” he asks. “It’ll probably be safer, this area, this time of night.”

“Actually.” I tilt my head. Size him up. It’s still early yet. The club might have to shut down when the cops show up, but he’s right, this area, it’s chock full of night life. Both the good and bad kinds.

Part of me shouts at myself to remember about tomorrow. I have a big important meeting to nail. But it’s in the afternoon. Tonight was meant to be my celebratory night out, to hype myself up for it. Now Becky’s vanished, leaving me all alone to deal with all of this.

I deserve a little fun, too. “Can I buy you a drink?” I ask.

My hero grins.

2

Cassidy

We wind up at a dive bar down the road. It’s much more my scene than the club was to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, I love dancing on occasion, but that place catered to a younger, more tequila-heavy crowd than I normally party with.

In the dimly lit bar, I lean across the counter to catch the bartender’s eye. “Whiskey for me,” I say, “And…?” I glance over my shoulder.

Is it my imagination, or do his eyes lighten with something close to interest? “The same,” he says, and settles onto a stool next to me. “So, Cassidy, was it?”

I nod, watching him as the bartender passes us both well whiskeys.

“Lark.” He smiles. “I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but, well, considering the circumstances…”

“Oh, no.” I slide his drink toward him, then raise my own. “It was very nice to meet you indeed.” We tap glasses. “To your perfect timing, Lark.”

He laughs. “Perfect timing would’ve been if I’d gotten there quickly enough to knock that asshole out before he got anywhere near you,” he admits, and rubs at his cheekbone.

I peer at his bruise. “We should get some ice—”

“No, no. It’ll be fine.” He offers a wry smile. “Trust me, I’ve had worse.”

I settle back onto my seat, watching him curiously from the corner of my eye. “Where did you learn to fight like that?” I ask after a moment. Because I saw him move. That was no basic self-defense class. He’s been in fights before. Real ones.

“Actually…” He smiles, a genuine one this time. “I grew up with five brothers. So, my training started there. And then, you know, perfected it in college. Between playing on the rugby team and going on one too