Page 34 of Beneath Your Beautiful
Chapter Thirteen
Killian
Eden spun around and rammed into me, two bottles in her hand. “I told you before…fucking watch where you’re going,” I said, through gritted teeth. “You’re still making rookie mistakes.”
She glared at me. “I was going to apologize, but if you’re going to be an asshole—”
“Iaman asshole. You should have figured that out by now.” I’d been acting like a dick ever since she’d walked through the front door tonight, as if I held her personally responsible for my fucked-up life. If I stopped to analyze it, which I wouldn’t, I’d understand the reason I was doing this. She made me want something I didn’t deserve.
“I guess I’m a slow learner. Thanks for clearing that up for me,Prince Charming.”
I gritted my teeth. I wish I’d had the foresight to work the outside bar, instead of being stuck inside with just her, the girl featured in all my late-night fantasies. When I was alone with my hand and visions of her.
“What did you need?” I asked, stopping in front of two blonde girls.
“Are you on the menu?” one of the girls asked in a Southern drawl.
Even her accent pissed me off. I glared at her. She flinched. “Drinks?” I asked brusquely. I had no patience for these sweet-as-pie girls. Or anyone else. Tonight, I hated the world.
“Oh yeah, sure. Um….” She scrunched up her nose as she read the specials on the blackboard. Then she consulted with her friend and they chatted about it. I’d reached my limit.
I turned to go. She grabbed my arm. I gave her a look that prompted her to release her hold.Read the warning signs, baby. Danger Zone. Keep Out.
“Wait. We know what we want.” She looked at her friend, waiting for the answer.
“Two mojitos.”
I looked at them more closely. Even in the dim lighting, I could see the thick layers of makeup on their faces. They were young, trying to look older. “I need to see some ID.”
“We’re twenty-two. Well, she’s twenty-one but almost…”
I held out my hand and wiggled my fingers for them to hand over their IDs. They dug their licenses out of their wallets, and I checked their birthdates. Twenty-two and twenty-one. From Georgia.
I set two glasses on the bar mat and bashed the hell out of the mint leaves. By the time I was done, it looked like the mint had been chewed up and spit out.
I served the Southern belles their drinks and one of them handed me a card. “We’re just visiting. It’s our first time in New York.”
Why was she still talking to me? Didn’t my attitude make it clear that I was in no mood for chit-chat?
“We heard Williamsburg has a good party scene. Where do you hang out? Like…after work?” She twirled a lock of hair around her finger and licked her lips. I opened my mouth to say something that would effectively shut her up for the rest of the night.
“Yeah, Killian,” Eden said, coming to stand next to me. Her sunshine scent washed over me. It made me dizzy. Tendrils of hair escaped her ponytail, the column of her neck exposed. I wanted to kiss my way up it and sink my teeth into the soft flesh of her earlobe. Release the blonde waves of her hair from the elastic and fist it in my hand. Bury my face in it and breathe her in.Fuck. “Where do you hang out after work? I bet you know where all the good parties are, don’t you?”
I gave her a tight smile. “Why don’t you tell the ladies what to do for fun in Williamsburg?”
She flashed me a fake smile. “Certainly. I know all the hot spots.”
I raised my brows. “You do?”
She nodded and brushed past me, stopping in front of the girls. Five minutes later, they were still talking and laughing. I tuned them out and made a concerted effort not to look at Eden’s ass in her tiny black skirt. Or all that golden skin on display. Was all her skin that golden color or did she have hidden tan lines? Ava, in her infinite wisdom, had ordered tank tops instead of T-shirts for Eden. More skin exposure, bigger tips. Maybe I should fuck this mood out of my system. Bend her over the desk and take her from behind…. Jesus, I needed to stay away from her. She needed someone who wasn’t so fucked-up. Eden wasn’t the kind of girl you fucked and left in the middle of the night. And she certainly wasn’t the doormat Prince Charming wiped his feet on. She’d proven, more than once, that she could hold her own.
For the rest of the night, I continued to be my charming self. She alternated between ignoring me and calling me out for my rude behavior. If she’d ever entertained any notions of getting closer to me, I was hell-bent on blowing those plans out of the water.
“I’m going home with Zeke,” Eden announced after they finished counting their tips at the bar, the two of them laughing and talking about God knew what. Even from the office, I’d heard their voices and laughter.
My gaze snapped to the doorway. “You’re going home with Zeke,” I repeated.
She nodded. “We’re going to grab a bite to eat. Catch you guys later.” She waved goodbye to me and Louis and sauntered away.
