“Thank you,” I mumble as my feet hit the ground.
My white knight continues to hold on to me as I get my bearings. He smells good. I focus on that instead of all the people watching and the heat flooding my face.
“Hey, I’m sorry.” Cam tries to get to me, but he’s blocked as my mystery guy turns and stands between us.
“What the hell were you thinking?” His rough tone sends a shiver down my spine.
Cam’s face pales, but then his brow furrows and his words are spoken with a little bite. “We were just having fun.”
“Does she look like she’s having fun?”
Cam has the good sense to stop talking. Mystery guy is intense and looking at him compared to Cam and his friends, he’s also way bigger. He’s wearing a cream-colored sweater that strains across his back and biceps. I was right about his height. He has to be at least six foot three because I’m wearing heels, adding to my five-foot-eight frame, and he still has me by a few inches. Plus, he’s so broad. I feel small and safe next to him in a way that I don’t normally feel because of my height.
I touch his arm, and he flinches at the contact then softens. “I’m okay. Thank you for helping me down.”
His jaw tics as he nods. He glances at Cam and his friends and then me one last time before he pulls out a chair at the bar and takes a seat.
During the chaos Cam’s friends moved toward the table where we were all seated, but he comes to me. “I’m really sorry. I thought . . .” He trails off. “I didn’t realize it’d be a big deal. Forgive me for being an idiot?”
He looks genuinely remorseful and my irritation wanes. I nod. “Yeah. You’re forgiven, but no more pictures or manhandling me onto bartops.”
“I promise.” The smile that takes over his face returns his normally playful and cocky demeanor. “You want to get out of here? There’s a small party at Lambda Chi.”
“Oh. Umm . . .” I glance at my mystery guy’s back. He has a bottle of beer in front of him and he stares at one of the TVs above the bar. “I’m not sure I’m really feeling it, but go ahead. I can Uber home.”
“Nah, don’t go home. It’s early.” He places his arm around my neck and guides me toward the table. “Stay for one more drink at least.”
Once we’re seated, he grabs the pitcher and fills his glass, then offers it to me. I shake my head. “I don’t really like beer and I’m not twenty-one yet.”
“I think I remember reading your birthday is in March?” He narrows his gaze as he waits for confirmation.
“March twenty-eighth.”
“Not too much longer, then.” He leans back in his chair and kicks one leg out. He’s back to his cool, calm self, but I’m still anxious and confused.
We talk a little while he drinks his beer. This time he asks questions about me and not Ivy, and he doesn’t get distracted by his friends, but I can’t seem to get past everything that happened. And I can’t stop stealing glances at the guy at the bar. Who is he?
When the pitcher is empty and the guys are ready to go, Cam asks me again to go with him to the party.
“I really should get home,” I say. “I have an early class in the morning.”
“All right. Can I drop you on the way?”
“No. Go ahead. I’m going to see if I can grab some spinach dip to take home.”
He grins at me and then steps forward to hug me. “Thanks for being so cool tonight. Maybe we can hang out again this weekend?”
“Maybe.” I squeeze him back to see how it feels to be wrapped up in his arms.
As he pulls back, Cam hits me with his signature cocky smirk. He continues to smile at me as he follows his friends toward the door. “Later, beautiful.”
The endearment still does something funny to my insides, but as soon as he’s gone, I turn on my heel and glance toward the bar.
My knight is still by himself and still on beer number one. I’m not easily intimidated, but I hesitate to walk up to the guy that’s saved me now twice in one day.
My breaths come quicker, and my pulse kicks up a notch with every step closer. He doesn’t so much as give me a sideways glance as I take the spot next to him.
The bartender nods his head to me, silently asking if he can get me anything.
“Can I get an order of spinach dip to go? And a Sprite.”
“You got it.” The bartender drums his hands on the bar before stepping away.
I swivel in my chair to look directly at mystery man. He still hasn’t looked at me, but I get the sense he’s far more aware than he seems.
“Twice in one day. Are you some sort of guardian angel?”
A beat of silence hangs between us before he answers.
“Just in the right place at the right time.” His voice is deep and smooth with a hint of indifference.
“I’d buy you a drink to thank you but I’m not old enough.”
Still staring ahead, he lifts the bottle in front of him with three, long fingers. “It’s not necessary.”
I tap my pinky finger on my thigh as I consider what to say next. He isn’t giving me a lot to work with here.
“Are you new at Valley? I don’t remember seeing you last semester.”
He finally, freaking finally, looks at me. The beer still dangles from his fingertips, and his hazel eyes and sharp features take my breath away. “Sort of.”
“Sort of. What does that mean?”
A few seconds pass with us locked in a stare-off before he answers. “Yes, technically I am new, but I grew up here.”
“You left to go to college and then transferred back?”
“Do you always ask strangers in bars so many questions?” There’s the tiniest hint of a smile to tell me that he isn’t completely annoyed by me.
“Sometimes,” I answer honestly. “What college did you go to before?”
“University of Washington.” He brings the bottle to his lips and takes a long drink. I’m fascinated with the way his throat works as he swallows.
“That’s cool. What’s your major? What year are you?” I’m aware I’m coming on strong, but I cannot seem to stop.
“I’m undecided.” With a quick head tilt toward the door, he says, “Those guys were idiots. Are you okay?”
“Oh. Yeah. They were just messing around.” The memory of his strong hands pulling me down off the bar makes my skin tingle, but I’m horrified that he saw me like that.
He nods slowly. Neither of us says anything, but we continue to stare. He glances away first, giving his head a shake like he didn’t realize what he was doing.
“So, Washington. Why’d you decide to come back?”
“It was time.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He huffs out a soft laugh that turns his serious expression into a small smile. “My family is still here, and they needed me. Any more questions?” he asks, the smile growing a little larger.
I thought he was handsome all broody and tough, but when his features soften, he’s downright gorgeous. “So many. What are you leaning toward as a major? No wait, let me guess. I’m good at guessing majors. I’m a music major. You seem like a sports medicine guy. Maybe business or finance.”
Tilting my head to the side, I try to picture him behind a desk in a crisp suit. My mind quickly takes off in that direction, fantasizing a dozen different sexy scenarios that I’m pretty sure only happen in movies.
“I’ll keep those in mind.” He tosses me another small smile in response, then stands and pulls his wallet out from his back jean pocket. He fishes for some cash and sets it on the bar. “See you around, Jane.”
“Wait.” I hop off the chair and take two steps after him. “You know my name, but I still don’t know yours.”
He hesitates, but finally says, “Hendrick.”
As I close another foot of distance between us, I extend my hand and try his name out in my head. Hendrick.
That whisper of a smile is back as he reaches out and his much larger hand engulfs mine. Goosebumps climb up my arm and my pulse races.
“It’s nice to meet you, Hendrick.”
