Page 26 of His Ex's Little Sister
10
Reid
Robin makesa point of not looking my way for the entirety of her second set on stage. I can’t blame her after that kiss. She’s a stubborn little thing for denying the attraction between us. I don’t think I’ve ever been so drawn to another woman before, but with my reputation for being a woman claiming wild man, I can see why she’d want to err on the side ofcaution.
That’s all wellandgood.
I can be a patient man when Iwantto.
After she wraps up her songs, I decide to leave heralone.
Then Ican’t.
More like won’t, because just as Robin is packing away her guitar from her spot on the stage, all the blood drains from her face when she makes eye contact with someone near the front entrance. It’s pure fear. She has never reacted to me that way. I follow her panic-stricken eyes to the source, and catch sightofhim.
From this distance, there’s nothing out of place with the clean-shaven, well-dressed man standing there. He’s in his mid to late twenties, wearing a wavy medium-length hairstyle, a tailored black suit with the jacket open and showing his lean physique under a white shirt. No matter what he looks like, his presence alone has Robin scared as fuck. That means he and I have aproblem.
I head over to her. “Is everything allright?”
“Yes. I’m…I’m fine,” she stammers, voice tense, eyes trained ontheman.
“You don’t look fine right now. Were you planning onleavingnow?”
“I…yes. I’ve gottogo.”
Because she’s still staring at the guy, I finish closing her guitar case, and rest the handle on the palm of her hand, but Robin’s shaking like a leaf as she clenches it. I have to assume she’s terrified ofthisguy.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Itellher.
“You don’t have to do that,” she replies, still not lookingatme.
“I didn’t have to kiss you either.” Picking up her purse, I grab the guitar from her and take her hand. “Let’sgo.”
My instincts are right on the money as we get a few feet from the man. Up close, there’s a malicious expression on his face. His watery gray eyes are devoid of emotion, and the closer we get to crossing paths with him, the more his eyebrows bunch. The man licks his thin lips as he stares at Robin’s and my joined hands. Robin slows her pace, cowering, with part of her bodybehindme.
“Well well. Look who it is,” he says, almost snarling. “How are you doing,Robin?”
“You don’t have to talk to this man if you don’t want to,” I state with self-assuredness.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Leo and Beau drain their beer mugs. Leo slaps some cash on the counter and approaches us. That’s one thing I can always count on. My boys have my back in apinch.
“Relax, asshole,” the idiot crows out. “I’m going to have a word with my girlfriend here, and neither you or your band of jacked-up muscle heads are going tostopme.”
“I’mnotyour girlfriend, Dave,” Robin shouts, which also tamps down any surprise I felt about the guy’s announcement. “And I don’t want to talk to you, or see you, just like I said the last time you camearound.”
“You heard her, buddy,” I add. “Stepaside.”
“Who’s going to make me?” Dave scoffs. “You? Who the fuck are you,anyway?”
I release Robin’s hand, and both Leo and Beau step in front of her protectively. Leaning down to show this dickhead that I mean business, I meet his eyes. “Who I am, is the guy that’ll make you regret not moving out of my way when you had thechance.”
Dave tilts his body to the right, trying to make eye contact with Robin. “You’re gonna play this, Robin?” he snaps out the question. “Okay. We’ll see how it works outforyou.”
With a nod and a grimace in my direction, Dave stands down. He’s mad as hell, but he eventually turns andleaves.
“What the fuck was that about?” Beauasksme.
“Hell ifIknow.”
