Unbreakable Bonds (book 2)

Chapter one| Cole

Life is better when you don't care too much.Because the more you love, the more you suffer.

I let out a deep sigh when making my way through the crowd of men and women dancing to the loud music. Finally, silence. Nothing's better than the moment wherein my squealing inner demons are muted.

I greet the friendly brown-haired bartender as I plunge into my spot in the bar's corner.

"Hey, Cole. The usual?"

"Yep."

"Give me a sec. I'll bring your drink after helping those lovely ladies." He cruises toward the other end of the bar. As he returns, he hands me a beer. "Can't believe Nick found his perfect match."

"Yeah, tight up, and happy as hell."

Darius grins.

"Are you up next?"

"God, please. You're sounding like my mother. So let me tell you what I've been reciting to her for years... My life is perfect as it is."

Darius laughs, and we chat until a man on the other end of the bar waves to get his attention. "Duty calls. Talk to you later."

I nod, and as he leaves, I let out a sigh while rubbing my tense neck muscles. With work filling itself to the max this past week, I wasn't able to do my usual daily workout. God, I need to release this river of pent-up adrenaline first thing tomorrow morning.

The dance floor fills itself with more people when the catchy song "Talk With Your Body" by Jason Derulo blasts through the speakers. My view flows over the crowd of bodies teaming up together, but it halts when it falls on a heavenly woman figure moving to the rhythm of the music.

She's wearing a red curve-hugging sleeveless dress of which the lace seam stops mid-thigh, and her hair washes from side to side as she twists and turns her hips to the beat. Her toned calves tell me she's used to walking in those sexy, six-inch heels, in which she dances as if she's wearing flats.

A man approaches her and touches her waist. Without looking at him, she slaps his hand aside and dances a few feet away from him. The guy licks his lips and tries again by relocating himself behind her and pushing his front against her back. I hold my breath when she turns to face him.

Damn, she's stunning.

She steps backward and shakes her head while giving the man a lecture. When she's done, she comes my way. I pretend to have my focus on my beer while glancing at her from the corner of my eye as she slides onto the barstool beside me. Her hair and soft, summer-kissed skin have a radiant glow, as if she has her personal sun above her. She waves her hand to get Darius's attention, but he doesn't notice her.

"Let me," I say before creating a high pitch whistle that gets the bartender's attention.

"Thank you." She shows a polite smile, yet her jade irises are anything but polite as they burn across my body. Intrigued, I gaze back and note how her warm, honey-colored hair caresses the skin of her neck and jaw while her thick, long, dark lashes rim her eyes and brush her cheeks every time she blinks.

"What can I get you, miss?" Darius's voice interrupts.

"Espresso martini, please."

Darius nods and starts to put her drink together. "Why are you gawking?" she asks me, while cocking a brow.

I shrug. "I didn't perceive you as a woman who drinks a espresso martini."

She lets out a noisy breath. "Oh, let me guess. You assume me to be a Sex on the Beach or a Climax cocktail type of girl?" When I don't react, she shakes her head and mutters, "Jesus, you men are all the same. You think with your dick." With that said, she focuses her attention on the drink Darius put before her.

I stop her from lifting her glass by placing my palm on her wrist. Fiery green eyes meet mine, and after moments of staring, I bend forward so only she can hear and whisper, "You don't know me or my dick."

"Fine, grumpy. Now remove your hand."

I let go and lean back. Grumpy? Fuck, this woman is—

I order another beer to stop myself from filling in the blanks. Turning my attention to the dance floor, I ignore the blonde sitting next to me. This works until the man who harassed her on the dancefloor resurfaces beside her. He's intoxicated and touches her shoulder while letting his eyes wander lustfully over her.

"Hey doll face, you're looking mighty fine."

She sends him a warning glare. "Thank you. You mentioned it earlier, but I'm not interested. Please, keep your hands to yourself."

The man does as she asks, but he doesn't surrender. "Let's dance, sweetheart." He grabs a strand of her hair and slides it through his fingertips.

Her head snaps to him. "Hey! I'm not dancing with you. Go find another woman who will."

My muscles tense as I sit and watch her getting hassled by this dipshit. Is he fucking blind and deaf? She's not interested.

For the second time, she turns away from him, but he stops her by placing his palm on her thigh. Before she can react, I shoot up and place myself between them.

"Get your filthy hands off her. The lady told you multiple times she's not interested. So, fuck off!"

The guy mutters something under his breath and takes a step backward. There he refocuses his attention on the beauty behind me. "See you later, doll face." And he leaves.

Satisfied, I turn only to find her folding her arms across her chest and saying in a sharp voice, "I could've handled him myself. I don't need a man to save me."

Dumbfounded, I stare at her for a couple of seconds, but when my mind catches up with her words, I react. "So, your way of handling it is letting Mr. Scumbag touch you inappropriately?"

She slides off her stool, tilts her head, and stares straight in my eyes. "No."

"Well, your approach didn't work, mine did. So... why don't you say thank you?"

Her nostrils flare. "Why in the world would I do that? Did I ask you to come in and help me?" Her fiery gaze holds mine as she continues, "No, I didn't. You choose to waltz in as the goddamn bulldozer you clearly are," she says, pointing to my sizable frame. "You can wait all you want, but you're not getting a thank you out of me."

She grabs her drink, and after two substantial chugs, she slams the empty glass back on the bar. "Goodbye, Grumpy!"

Dumbfounded and in a fog for the second time by this blonde, I watch how she disappears into the crowd with swaying hips.

"Damn, you need to put your gloves on to handle a woman like her. She's got fire," Darius states after a whistle.

A picture of those emerald jades gazing at me as I shift her dress up invades my mind. What the hell? The woman called me a bulldozer and grumpy, and I'm thinking of undressing her? I run my hand over my face. "Where is Brian? I haven't seen him, and he hasn't responded to my messages."

"He's dealing with a complication in the camera-security system."

"Okay. I'm calling it a night. Tell my friend I came by."

Walking out, I find myself in search of the firecracker in the crowd. But she's gone.