Breaking the Ice by Esme Taylor
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Hettie
After dinner and too many cocktails to count, Lou, Heather, Max, and I headed over to the one and only club in town to meet Reid and his friends. I missed being around him today, but I was also filled with nervous energy about my friends meeting him.
I inwardly groaned. I’ve got it bad.
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As we stepped inside the crowded club, I began to search for any sign of Reid through the flashing disco lights. It only took a few seconds to spot Thomas and Billy sitting in a booth at the far side of the room. From a distance, they appeared to be deep in conversation, and since I’d only met them the one time, I didn’t exactly feel brave enough to interrupt them. Instead, I ushered my friends to the crowded bar so we could get some drinks while I continued to search the crowd.
That’s when I saw him at the opposite end of the bar.
My Viking.
He was dressed in a black button-up shirt, which he had tucked into the waistband of his dark-wash jeans. His sleeves were rolled up and the top three buttons on his shirt had been left open, giving me a glimpse of his delicious chest and taut muscles in his forearms.
I watched with bated breath as he ran his fingers through his hair, brushing the strands that had fallen into his face away while looking down at….
“Who the fuck is that?” I muttered, seeing red. Standing in front of him was a tall, thin woman dressed in a tight red dress that left little to the imagination. Her perfectly manicured hand was planted firmly on his chest. I watched as she leaned in and whispered something in his ear, the world around me skidding to a halt.
Reid’s face remained expressionless, but I could tell he was angry by the way his jaw clenched and his hands were stuffed into his pockets. I watched as he took a step back from her, but she didn’t seem to get the message. Moving back in towards him, she slowly ran her hand down his body until she reached his belt where she tugged as if she was going to strip him down, right there at the bar.
“Oh, hell no, she isn’t,” I ground out through gritted teeth.
Confused, Lou turned to follow my line of sight. “Who the hell is that rubbing up on your man?”
“I have no idea, but she can jog on.” I’d never been one for confrontation, but seeing that woman with her hands on Reid made my blood boil.
Without a second thought, I stormed over to where the two of them were standing, Lou and Heather whooping and clapping in the background. I tapped her on the shoulder. The woman looked me up and down, a disgusted look on her face.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, you can take your hands off of him and fuck off.”
“What?” She looked from me to Reid and then back to me again. “You and this?” she questioned, pointing her manicured nail at me. “You’re saying no to me… for her?”
Reid smirked at me, clearly waiting for me to say something else.
“Yes. Yes, he is. In fact, he’s saying ‘please fuck off’. Now, I suggest you take the hint. He doesn’t want you. Besides, you’re really not his type.”
Wide-eyed, she laughed. “And you think you are? Trust me, Sweetheart, he will fuck you once, and then you’ll never hear from him again. Isn’t that right, Reid?”
Reid didn’t say a word. Instead, he laced his fingers with mine and pulled me into him, kissing me deeply.
“Screw this!” the woman seethed. “I can do better than you,” she shouted over her shoulder as she stomped away in search of her next victim.
When I pulled back, Reid’s eyes were full of laughter. “Jealous much, Etta?”
“No, not at all.” I fluttered my eyelashes innocently. “She just looked like she was bothering you. I figured it was my turn to save you.”
He leaned in and lifted my chin so that I was looking into his eyes. “You know it was all her, right? I need you to know that I would never touch anyone else when I’ve got you.” My heart melted as his words echoed around in my head.
Does he have me? I wondered for a moment. Of course, he does. He has all of me. And while I wasn’t sure how long he would want me, given his history, I fully intended to enjoy every moment while he did.
“Shall we?” he asked, pointing in the direction of the booth his friends were sitting in.