Chapter 7

"I have no idea what you mean and I have no wish to know who you are. Thank you for crashing into me, now if you don’t mind F off." She said wanting to be anywhere but in his proximity, he brought back too many memories she would rather stay buried. It wasnt his fault but her hackles were up and her defences activated. Her body reacted to him on it's own violation, it sat up and begged for him to touch her, stroke her, his lips needed hers. Jesus, she was really messed up, last might had affected her more than she thought. She didn’t need or want a man in her life, much less one that reminded her of a time she’d rather forget.

“Geez, whats up with you?” He said.

“Nothing that you getting out of my way wont fix.” She snapped at him, not wanting him to see any kind of invitation to stay and talk to her, her body might find him attractive but her mind couldn’t get passed his eyes and what they invoked. They were like a cold shower to her.

“Oh come on, I haven’t done anything to you to warrant this brush off. And after I valiantly saved you from a pervert last night, this is the thanks I get.” He mumbled that last part.

“That was you?”

“Yip that was me getting my ass kick to save a pretty girl, that doesn’t even stick around to see if I need help. That will teach me to keep to myself in future huh.” He smiled at her.

“Well it wasnt so nice to see you again, hope you stay out of trouble, coz I wont be around to help you again.” he turned and left her standing, mouth hanging open, probably drooling on herself.

Wasnt she meant to be telling him where to go. How had he managed to turn this into him walking away? Whatever, she was rid of him and thats what she wanted, wasnt it? If so, then how come she felt really, really alone all of a sudden.

***

“Wait, I'm sorry, I'm just still freaked out about last night. Please let me buy you a coffee or something to say thanx.” She said, rushing after him.

He smiled to himself, his plan had worked. He had known the minute he caught her that she wasnt going to let him close to her. It had been written all over her face that she didn’t trust anyone or want anyone to know her.

He still didn’t have any information about who had marked her, his captive guardian wasnt talking. SO he had to assume that she was being watched by someone else now, maybe that someone else would provide him with the information he needed, and he needed it NOW, he didn’t have time to be playing torturer to get it.  

He turned to face her, she was flushed yet still on guard, it was going to take some fancy foot work to get her to trust him.

“Coffee sounds great.” He said walking towards her.

“Oh, um, you mean right now?”

“Unless you have something better to do?”

“Actually.... Um, I guess I don't.”

“Good, then we can go just now.”

They walked to the coffee house on the corner. Rowan bought two coffees and they sat opposite each other. She really was gorgeous. His whole body was aching for her.

 Alice coopers song ran through his mind..

your poison running through my veins, I wana touch you but I better not touch, I wana kiss you but your lips are venomous poison.

He groaned and looked around to see if anyone was watching her. Being friends with her was not going to be easy, not with every fibre of his being wanting to be so much more. But if he told her how he felt then she would back off faster than the speed of sound, that much was clear. He had to take it slowly with her, she was different, she didn’t know him or want him like the others, this might actually be fun for him, he’d have to sweep her off her feet. But first she had to let him in.

“I saw you last night at the club.” She said breaking the silence.

“Yeah, I was there. It's not my thing, my friends dragged me along with them.” He felt the need to justify being there, her statement held distain within it.

“Is that why you looked so green? I thought it was me.”

“You, I don't understand why would you make me green?”

“never mind, I didn’t mean to say that, it's not important.” She said “So what happened last night?”

“last night?”

“I heard the fight, but i couldn’t see anything, my eyes were... well I'm not sure what happened.”

“not much, I a, the guy ran off and I went home ,after looking for you to make sure you were ok. Which obviously you are.”

“Yeah I'm fine, look I'm sorry for taking off, really i am, but I was so scared that my legs just kept going until I was home and in bed.”

“no worries.”

“So, um, well thanx again. I better be going, I have to work tonight.”

“Maybe I should walk you, that guy could still be looking for you, he seemed to know you. Did you know him?”

“No, I have no idea who he is. I a, are you sure you don't mind walking me. I have to go home first, then I need to walk to work, I don't want to put you out, but to honest I'm still freaked out.”

“it's not trouble, I’ll even wait for you to finish work and then walk you home if you like.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t let you do that, I'm sure I can get one of the bouncers to walk me home.”

“I’ll wait anyway, just in case they can't do it.”

“Suit yourself.”

Adrian walked her home and then to work, He hadn’t seen anyone following them. Maybe Orion had been lying to him and it was him all along that was after her.

He watched her dance, sitting on his hands the whole time to stop from getting up and punching the men around him, if he didn’t behave, she would find out, then he wouldn’t stand a chance with her. But sitting her and watching her flaunt herself in front of other men was excruciating, real torture, way worse than anything he had put Orion through last night. He could feel the pulses of the men around him and when Rowan was dancing they reacted to her, some of the men were talking about getting lap dances from her and touching her if they could.

He almost lost it, almost. Instead what he did was pay for her to dance for him the whole night, she might be pissed but it would keep the others off her and so keep them alive. He would buy her a drink, no way was she going to dance on his lap, his control was good but not that good.

As Rowan and the other girls came out to do the lap dances, he watched men vying for her attention, grabbing and pawing at her. One guy got up infront of her and grabbed her round the waist with one arm while running his dirty paw down under her knickers, Rowan screamed and the bouncers descended on the man, but not before he got to her and yanked her out of the guys arms, with a feral snarl so filled with rage the guy pissed himself. Oh he’d be doing more than that when Adrian got hold of him later, he had his scent now and this dude wasnt going to be touching anyone else like that.

“Are you ok?” He asked as she trembled in his arms, Still staring at the guy as he was throwen out by the bouncers.

“I'm fi... actually no, no I'm not.” Was all she said, as she buried her face in his shoulder.

“It's ok, iv got you.” He said, stroking her hair.

“No it's not ok, I have dances to do and I don't think I can do them. I'm so going to get fired and I need this job.”

“Well actually, you don't have any work to do tonight, unless you count having a drink with me work.”

“I can't Adrian, I'm sure that people have booked me for lap’s, the manager told me earlier that I was full tonight.”

“You are full, I have paid to have you dance for me.....” looking at her face he added quickly “No no, it's not like that I just thought that you could do with a break and I thought we could have a drink and talk, thats all. I'm glad I did it now, it cost me a small fortune but after what just happened, well I don't think your upto it, this way you don't have to tell anyone that you can't do it and your job is safe. Although I would feel happier if you didn’t do this type of work.” Shit shit shit, he’d said too much, if the look on her face was anything to go by, he should have stopped talking earlier.  

He couldn’t help it though, holding her in his arms and comforting her, he forgot that she didn’t know him, didn’t want him.

“You PAID for me?” she finally said, ignoring the rest of his tirade, thank god, he might have gotten away with it.

“yes.”

“but only to have a drink right!”

“Yes.” Well he couldn’t say anything more than yes because he really really wanted all of it, all of her, and he would get it, just not tonight.

“You really are too good to be true, you know.”

“thats me, knight in shining armour at your command.” Yeah right if she knew the truth she’d be running for the hills. She really was too good for him, and he really was at her command, she just didn’t know how much control she had over him.

“Thanks Adrian, thats twice youve come to my rescue.”

“go put some clothes on and we can have that drink, I need one and I'm sure you could use one.”

She left him to change. He passed back and forth resisting the urge to go after the slimy S.O.B that had groped and upset her. If he left her now there wouldn’t be enough left of the guy to be identified.

He found himself edging towards the door, what the hell was taking her so long, he couldn’t resist this much longer, his blood was calling for vengeance.

The door swung open as more men pilled in to watch the girls, he saw the fucker that had groped Rowan and he couldn’t control it any longer, His eyes were burning, he knew they were blood red. He zipped through the newcomers and hit the fresh air, before the guy knew what was happening Adrian had him round the neck and down the side street. The Guy squealed like a pig, before trying to get out from Adrian hold. Adrian tightened his grip almost crushing the guys windpipe but not quite, he was going to make this one suffer for what he had done. A prickle ran down his spine, something was wrong, something was wrong with Rowan. Adrian dropped his hold and sprinted for the back door, kicked it in and ran for the dressing room. She was gone. He couldn’t sense her anywhere.  He searched the place, letting his senses go completely, trying to locate her. His blood pounding though him ferociously, demanding that he find her. He found nothing, she was completely gone, wasnt in a one mile radius of this place. She had been taken by something that could move as fast as him, if not faster.

Shit, he had been set up, they knew he was with her and had probably made that guy grab her, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist going after the fucker. He had played straight into their hands, whoever they were.

He may have lost this round but he had something that no one else did, his mother. She would locate Rowan, and when she did, an army wouldn’t stand a chance against him, he’d tear them apart.