Page 22 of Break Me
Thankfully for him, he chose not to.
Because now, I was in the mood to bite the head off a bat.
CHAPTER 6
Alexsey
One tough woman.
That was what had been running through my mind since the morning I’d met her. Which seemed much longer than it had actually been.
Not only was she tough in her physical abilities, but mentally and emotionally as well. In the limited time I’d known her, I’d been allowed to see and feel just a small portion of her fractured life.
A rough and very dangerous job.
Dealing with the grief of a dead husband killed on the job.
Raising a sick child on her own.
Serious money concerns, including the dilapidated house she was living in.
And an overbearing brother-in-law acting as if I was the devil dressed in Armani. Well, a part of the last thought was true. When the asshole had manhandled her, it had taken every ounce of control not to explain to him in explicit detail that he needed to learn how to treat a woman with respect. Only the flash of her eyes had kept me from slamming his head on the bar.
The last remaining men who’d been determined to beat my ass finally returned to their seats, but not before tossing me angry glares. I took my time heading toward the bar and several empty barstools where four patrons surrounded them, acting as if they weren’t going to allow me to sit down. I glanced from one to another, doing nothing more than lifting an eyebrow.
“Let him sit down,” Halle gritted out, still refusing to take any shit.
I did so adore a woman with spirit.
They finally backed away, but I’d be damned if at least two of them didn’t growl like some big bad wolves. I was highly amused, but said nothing before sliding onto the barstool. She didn’t bother asking me what I wanted, instead grabbing a bottle of whiskey and a clean glass. She thumped the tumbler down with enough force I was surprised she didn’t break it.
Her pour was long, her expression full of anger and her eyes full of spite. But… There was also an electric pulse created between us that even she couldn’t deny was real.
However, I’d learned a long time ago to be very careful with allowing my guard to fall around any woman. I’d had my share of gold diggers and even women used for the purpose of obtaining information just as Mikhail had warned more than once. Right now, the past and all red flags just didn’t seem to matter.
Maybe it was the way she handled herself in dangerous situations.
Maybe it was the fact she wasn’t impressed by anything I’d said, or who I was.
Maybe it was her voluptuous mouth and the way it twitched.
Maybe it was the way she looked at me, the intense fire that burned deep within.
Or maybe it was everything about her.
Whatever the reason, I’d never desired another woman as I did the beautiful brunette with the luminous green eyes.
“Your whiskey, Mr. Dmitriyev.” She shoved the glass across the bar, almost daring me to drink it.
“Remember. We’re friends. You said so yourself. So it’s Alexsey.”
She sighed because I’d won the round. “Fine. Alexsey. By the way. You can’t go around acting like you’re going to go napalm on people, especially around here.”
“Napalm?”
The roll of her eyes was adorable. “You know exactly what I mean.”
“I can tell the owner of the bar doesn’t like me very much.”
