by LJ Bradley
Meg leaned over the bar to order a white wine, but then thought better of it and sat back down. If there was even a small chance of him following her to her hotel later, she’d need to have her wits about her when she left here.
She stared at the bottles lining the shelves, listening to the pounding bass and raised voices. As the emotional upheaval and long day caught up with her, her shoulders slumped and exhaustion hit in an all-encompassing wave. She wanted to rest her head on the bar and let out the deluge of tears she’d been too stubborn to cry.
She wanted Jack.
How could something so good have ended so suddenly? Just letting go of the idea of him felt like the first stage of grief. Shock and sadness. Disappointment. If only she could do the day over and spend it with him. It may have only delayed the inevitable, but at least their time in Bali would have ended on a positive note.
Just when she’d decided to go back to her room and wallow in private, a hand wrapped around her upper arm, fingers biting into her flesh hard enough to elicit a gasp. Meg tried to swivel on her stool to confront the person, but another hand gripped the hair at the back of her head and gave a firm little shake.
Her heart thundered.
Her adrenalin spiked.
Then he spoke and her senses went on high alert. “Don’t you know it’s rude to ignore someone when they’re trying to fucking talk to you?”
Chapter Thirteen
Jack tossed his phone on the bed and swore. The longer the silence went on the more his frustration and worry grew. He’d stopped by Meg’s room and called her enough times now to classify him as a stalker. Nothing in return. Not even a basic text.
The cab company had confirmed her drop-off around five o’clock, so he knew she’d at least made it back to the hotel. Almost two hours had gone by since then, and he still had no idea why she’d disappeared or what had prompted the silent treatment. He never would have pegged her as the type to play mind games, but he wondered if he’d been reading her wrong the entire time.
Jack pulled on a short-sleeved shirt and khaki shorts, about to head off and continue his search for the elusive redhead. It had turned out to be one of those all-round shitty days he just wished he could put behind him. On top of his complications with Meg, he’d had a bizarre exchange with Anna that still pissed him off now, hours later.
He went down to the smaller of the two hotel pools earlier in the day, snagging a sun lounge at the far end to give himself some privacy from the other guests. Meg might have come to Bali to find herself, but he’d been looking for the exact opposite when he tacked the extra week on to the getaway he planned with his family—to lose himself in the nothingness of no routine and no place to be, especially after what equated to emotional torture watching Catherine renew her vows with Josh.
Just as he stretched out and closed his eyes, someone stopped beside the lounge and blocked out the sun. He peeked from one half-opened lid and almost groaned out loud when he found Anna standing there.
“Hey.” Jack held off on using her name so she wouldn’t be under the impression he’d remembered that little detail. An asshole move for sure, but after their last encounter he knew what she wanted from him. It wouldn’t pay to give her any kind of encouragement.
“Hello, yourself.” She must have taken his greeting as an invitation to join him, because she sank to the neighboring sun lounge and sent a waft of sickly-sweet perfume floating his way.
He had a good thing going with Meg, but that didn’t stop him from giving her a sweeping glance. She took her time positioning herself, pushing out tits that didn’t jiggle in a bikini top that looked a couple sizes too small. The wrap she’d tied around her waist split down the middle to reveal toned, tanned legs and a flash of the blue bikini briefs hidden beneath.
Fuckable, yes. No question.
Just not by him.
Since checking her out more thoroughly would have only got him into trouble, Jack lifted his gaze to meet hers. The glitter of triumph in her eyes suggested his passing interest counted as a win no matter how he felt about it. Anna returned the favor, her attention wandering over his bare chest the same way it had days ago. The sense of déjà vu only intensified when her eyes came to rest on the fly of his shorts.
This… wasn’t going to end well. Five minutes in her company and he already knew. A woman like her would only put up with so many rejections before she felt the need to make him pay somehow.
She wasted no time ordering a cocktail, something strong and harsh if her expression was any indication. The first sip went down rough, then she appeared to get used to the taste and drank so fast it wouldn’t be long before he discovered if she was a happy or belligerent drunk.
The conversation started out harmless by her standards, and he found himself relaxing enough to at least stop looking for an escape route.
Anna told him she’d come to Bali with a group of girlfriends who were more interested in spa treatments and pampering than socializing and meeting men. Being the only single one in the crowd, she’d been on board their plans most of the time, but the urge hit now and then to break free from the herd and go do her own thing.
He was fine with all of that. Didn’t even mind hanging out with her despite her doing ninety percent of the talking. It was only when her comments took on a more suggestive tone and her eyes lingered a beat too long on various parts of his body that he felt the need to get out of there.
When the next pause came in their mostly one-sided conversation, Jack pushed off the lounge and gave her a quick smile. “Thanks for the chat, but I’ve gotta get going.”
Anna blinked and looked up at him in surprise. “Why? I thought we were…”
He doubted she’d ever had to work to get a guy’s attention let alone keep it, but that should have been the neon sign telling her she was wasting time on the wrong one. “No. You seem like a nice enough girl, but we’re not… whatever you were thinking.”
And he took off up to his room assuming they were done.
He’d just shut the door behind him when he heard a knock come from the other side. It could have been Meg dropping by to share the details of her day before they went out for dinner—and he would have loved it if that had been the case—but Jack knew better.
He pulled the door open and raised his brows in question. Anna stood there with her hands on her hips and her smile no longer particularly friendly. She gave him the once over and huffed an impatient sigh. “Is this about the redhead?”
He slipped his hands in his pockets so she’d know he had no intention of touching her. “Maybe. Or it’s possible there’s a man alive who’s just not into you.”
She rolled her eyes and stood on tiptoes to look over his shoulder. “Give me five minutes and I’ll change your mind about that,” she said lightly, as if his rebuffs were mere stumbling blocks she could easily overcome. He shifted to stop her from seeing into his room. Not because he had anything to hide, he just hated her sense of ownership after they’d only had a couple of conversations.
Anna wouldn’t be deterred, though. She sidled past him—into his damn room—and scanned a space that showed several signs of a female guest. Meg had left her black bikini top draped over the back of a chair. Her sunhat rested on the TV and a pair of her shoes were tucked under his bed. He’d got a kick out of seeing her things lying around his room, but now he wanted to protect them as if they were an extension of her.
Jack yanked his hands from his pockets and turned Anna around, shoving her into the corridor before she could do any more damage to his peace of mind. It took some serious self-control not to slam the door behind her.
He’d needed a few minutes to calm down after that.
And now… now he just hoped to avoid her for the rest of the night so he could concentrate on finding Meg.
Jack combed his fingers through his damp hair and slipped on his shoes. He grabbed his wallet from the dressing table and managed a couple steps across the room before he stopped short. “Fucki
ng hell.”
The damned timing. Meg’s taxi had brought her back to the hotel around the same time he was leaving the pool this afternoon. If she’d stopped by his room when Anna was walking out, it would go a long way toward explaining the silent treatment.
It also did a great job of showcasing her complete lack of faith in him.
After he’d checked their usual haunts with no sign of her, Jack shifted his search to the clubs on the off chance he might find her there. They hadn’t been to one together, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try something new tonight, especially if she thought he’d done a shitty thing like cheat on her the first time he had a day to himself.
God, he couldn’t get past that. Jack just hoped he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and she’d disappeared for some innocuous reason, one they could settle with a simple conversation if she’d just answer her damn phone.
He walked through a wide, open doorway into a dimly lit interior, where a crowd lined the bar on the left and dozens of people filled the dance floor on the right. Music thumped from the speakers and a DJ worked the small stage, smiling down at a woman wearing a tiara who appeared to be shouting a song request up to him.
He scanned the crowd hoping to see Meg. His stomach sank a few seconds later when he came up empty. He’d been optimistic when he first started out, but his concern and irritation had gained strength as the night went on.
He needed a beer if he was going to make it through the next few hours with his sanity intact.
Jack made his way to the bar and leaned over to call out his order. With a drink in hand, he turned his back on the counter and surveyed the room again. The crowd on the floor was so thick he might have missed her the first time around, but he just couldn’t imagine her diving into the fray and dancing by herself.
He took a sip from his beer and watched some of the moves out there. A reluctant laugh came soon afterward as he watched a drunk guy trying to impress a group of women with his breakdancing skills. His caterpillar fell apart halfway through and the show was over before it started.
The slender legs of a woman standing beside the group caught Jack’s eye, her body swaying in a way that hypnotized him right from the start. It made no difference that she was turned away from him. If he’d been involved in a conversation right then the sight of her still would have struck him dumb. Bare arms, bare back. Tight skirt only just covering her sweet, sweet ass. When he reached the auburn hair hanging in a silky sheet down her back, a feeling of longing came over him so intense it was like a physical pain.
Jack stayed where he was and drank some more, watching her while he worked out the best way to handle the situation. As much as he hated to admit it, seeing Meg safe and well with no apparent problems other than the lack of a dance partner, his initial assumption appeared to have been be right. She thought he’d cheated on her, and as far as she was concerned they were done.
No questions, no chance to explain.
He wanted to charge over there and wrap his arms around her.
Shake some sense into her.
He did neither.
Instead he watched as another guy moved in behind her and rested his hands on her hips like they had every right to be there. The impulse to yank the asshole off her and take his place was so strong Jack almost moved in that direction. The way Meg reacted made him wonder if she’d already established a connection with the guy. She didn’t push him away or move out of reach. She just stood there as if she enjoyed the attention.
When she turned her head to look at the man, her expression gave Jack his first glimmer of hope. No recognition, just pure shock, as if she’d expected someone else to be standing there instead of him. She stepped away from the guy and swung around to face him.
Her dress dipped low in the front, revealing freckled skin and the inner curve of her breasts. Her legs were long and toned in her high heels. She would have been a standout in a sea of sameness even if he hadn’t already known her intimately. The other guy must have thought it was fucking Christmas finding her alone on the dancefloor.
The two of them exchanged words Jack had no chance of hearing, but when the blonde guy reached for her hand Meg pulled back and moved past him, apparently unimpressed.
Jack was still pissed at the way she’d reacted to what she thought happened back at the hotel. He probably couldn’t have carried on a normal conversation with her right now without yelling, but his feelings for her hadn’t changed. He wanted to protect her from assholes who were only too willing to take advantage of women who were out on their own at night.
While Meg headed for the other end of the bar oblivious to his presence, Jack took a few seconds to toss around his options. She might have been okay at that moment, but he couldn’t just head back to the hotel and leave her to fend for herself. Approaching her while she was under the impression he’d done the dirty on her had the potential to cause a public scene, too.
From the corner of his eye he saw the dancefloor dickhead stalking behind her, his expression hard and determined as he closed in on her. Meg claimed the single vacant stool at the bar and settled in. With her back turned to the rest of the club, she had no idea of the trouble headed her way.
Jack’s gaze narrowed and he slid his beer on the counter.
It looked like time to make a move.
Chapter Fourteen
Meg’s arm throbbed where the man’s fingers had dug into her skin, and her heart pounded from the awful things he’d said to her. One minute she was sitting alone feeling sorry for herself, the next breath everything changed. She only felt his presence for a few seconds—long enough to experience real fear for the first time in her life—then he disappeared as if whisked away by some unseen force. Now all she could hear were deep male voices blending in with the music behind her.
Meg pushed back her barstool and stumbled to the floor. She righted her footing and turned around to take in the scene.
Her body froze and her heart filled with joy.
Jack was here.
She had no idea how he’d found her, but he vibrated tension and the look in his eye told her he wanted to inflict pain. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Meg nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He turned his attention to the blonde guy and shoved him hard enough to force him back a couple of steps. The man couldn’t even take a hint from Jack though, because he lunged and threw a punch that clipped Jack’s mouth. Meg’s limbs tensed and her heart beat so hard she thought it might burst from her chest, but Jack didn’t appear fazed at all. He grabbed the man’s shirt, pulled back his fist and unloaded full force, punching him so hard she flinched.
She’d never seen a fight up close. The air was thick with testosterone and violence, the sickening thud of bone smacking skin. Once. Twice. Jack looked like he could keep going all night, and if a group of bouncers hadn’t rushed in to take control of the scene, she had a feeling that’s exactly what he would have done.
Two of them restrained Jack while the third stopped the blonde man from making a dive and throwing another punch.
Then it was over.
Her body trembled as the adrenalin waned and reality hit. Meg rubbed her arm, wondering if she’d have any bruises to remind her of a night she already wanted to forget.
If Jack hadn’t jumped to her defense like that she didn’t know where she’d be now, especially knowing the other guy had no problems getting physical with her. At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling angry that he could sleep with whoever he wanted, but as soon as someone showed interest in her his caveman side came out and he started crushing skulls.
Meg glanced around the room, noting the attention they’d attracted from fellow patrons. She needed to get out of here, away from curious eyes and too much noise. The novelty of being in a nightclub on her own had long since worn off and fatigue swamped her.
She slanted another look at Jack. He stood still while he was detained, his chest heaving as he nodded in agreement to whatever the bounce
r was saying to him. His eyes remained on her the whole time, sweeping over her body as if to assure himself she hadn’t been hurt in the scuffle.
His dark hair was a mess and the corner of his mouth cradled a spot of blood. Even now she could barely resist the pull to go to him. She wanted to touch him and lean into him, pretend nothing had gone wrong tonight. Which was exactly why she needed some distance.
If she wanted to get back to the hotel without any more trouble, now was the perfect time for her to leave. The bouncers were keeping the two men occupied and it was early enough she shouldn’t run into any drunk people on her way there.
Her gaze clashed with Jack’s as she backed away from him. He gave just the slightest shake of his head, as if he knew what she had planned and wanted to talk her out of it. Before he could say or do anything to change her mind, Meg turned and hurried for the exit.
He called her name more than once. The emotion in his voice tempted her to give in and run back to him. It took everything in her to ignore the urge and keep moving in the opposite direction.
Meg made it halfway back to the hotel before she heard footsteps closing in on her from behind. The fast pace echoed in the silence, the person’s breaths indicating they’d been running for a while. She could only think of one reason why someone might be headed in her direction in a hurry. Panic streaked through her and she broke into a jog, glancing over her shoulder to see if the worst of her fears had come true.
Meg zeroed in on a tall figure passing beneath the glow of a streetlight, but she glimpsed black hair instead of blonde. Although her instincts told her it was Jack, she went back to watching for dips and cracks in the pavement and kept on running.
