Page 51 of Knotting Hill
“Storm,” I say with a small smile, taking a sip of my drink and sliding my pert arse onto the high stool. He stands next to me, leaning on the table while he chats about himself. I nod and answer questions when required to, my heart not really in it when the lights go dim.
I look up at the hush and see Josh on the stage holding the mic. “This is for Storm,” he says with a sexy smile. “It’s from all of us, but the other two can’t sing for shit, so you’ll have to make do with just me.”
I swallow and look to Cassidy on my other side for help.
She doesn’t provide it.
She shrugs and giggles into her glass.
My heart pounds as the opening beat to my favourite song, ever, resounds around the hushed bar. He has the attention of every single omega, beta and some of the alphas in the place.
He is dressed in a tight, short-sleeved black shirt and black jeans. The shirt shows off his hard body and well-defined arms. He is something to look at, that’s for sure, but when he starts to sing, I nearly fall off my stool.
“Swaying room as the music starts. Strangers making the most of the dark. Two by two, their bodies become one.”
“Fuck me,” I mutter as Cassidy turns to me, her eyes wide.
“Man can sing,” Cass comments, stating the fucking obvious.
He has everyone entranced with just three lines to a song sung by a woman back in 1985. How? Fuck knows, but he has pretty much bowled me over.
“Uhm,” I stammer as the bloke next to me starts getting a bit annoyed.
“Want a drink?” he asks, cutting over Josh’s singing.
I nod, just to get rid of him, but he returns too soon with another Vodka tonic, which he must’ve overheard Cass ordering for me earlier. I take a sip without even registering the taste or the action. My gaze is focused solely on Josh.
Suddenly, it overwhelms me. My throat goes thick, and tears spring into my eyes. The fact that he’s done this is beyond beautiful, but I just don’t know what to do or say. I slide off the stool, grabbing my small bag, and head towards the door of the bar, stumbling out into the cool evening and shivering. I wrap my arms around myself and look for a taxi to take me home.
“Hey,” the alpha who chatted me up says, following me outside. “Where are you going?”
“Home,” I mumble.
“Want some company?”
I shake my head, suddenly worried about this guy. He seems the pushy type.
“Come on, let me come back to your place. We can have another drink and maybe some fun.”
“No, I don’t want to,” I say, searching frantically for a taxi.
“Look,” the alpha says, grabbing my arm tightly. “I bought you a drink. You owe me something.”
I’m about to start screaming for help because I can’t get free from this douche bruising my arm when Russell St. Luc appears next to him and slaps his hand around the alpha’s throat.
“The lady said no, you piece of shit,” he growls, squeezing tightly so the alpha’s eyes bulge. “Now fuck off and don’t speakto her again, and if I see you lay a hand on her again, I will show what a real alpha looks like. Got it?”
I blink rapidly as the alpha nods and hurries away when Russell lets him go.
Josh and JP have joined us, but it’s too much. This day has just been too much. I lock gazes with JP, feeling the irrational hurt and anger that he walked out on me earlier bubble up. I back away from them and hail a taxi that, to my relief, stops and lets me in. I tell him to hurry the fuck up and get me out of here. I can’t think. I can’t breathe. All the air squeezes out of my lungs as I take shallow pants in alarm.
I think I’m having a panic attack.
Thirty-One
Russell
I watchas Storm once again leaves us staring after her. One of these days, we are going to have to do something to make her stay.
