Chasing Shadows (First Wives #3)(3)

Liam wondered just how fast he could make her smile.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d picked up a woman in a bar, but maybe he needed to try his hand and see where it led.

The blonde’s companion stood and motioned toward the bathroom and then waved toward the bar, which was now packed with customers vying for the bartender’s attention.

As the friend left toward the toilets, the blonde walked three steps in the direction of the bar while keeping an eye on the bags left at their table.

Liam watched as the bees started to swarm.

He wasn’t the only one in the room attracted. He wondered if he should cut the others off before anyone stepped in before him. Before the thought managed to leave his brain, competition was already sliding in.

The blonde turned toward a customer who opened a conversation. Even though Liam couldn’t hear it, he could read the woman’s thoughts by how she eyed the man up and down and shook her head before looking back toward the bartender.

As Liam started to push his chair back, a second man pushed right up against her and said something close to her ear. Liam glanced at the lack of personal space between them and noticed her flex her hands. She took a small step back, and the admirer said something over her shoulder to the first guy she’d turned away. With her somewhat caged between the two men, Liam thought it was as good a time as any to step in and make the men stand down. He could see the stiffness of her jaw from two yards away.

Then, without warning, the man on her right slid his hand onto her hip. In a blur, the woman wrapped his unwanted arm in hers, came up over his shoulder, and effectively buried his head in the bar.

All conversation stopped.

“If I wanted your hand on my ass, I would have asked for it.” She pulled up higher on his arm. The man moaned. “Got it?”

“Got it, lady.”

“You okay, Avery?” the bartender asked.

She shoved the man away.

Several men at the bar started to chuckle.

“I’m fine. Just looking for another round.”

Liam stood rooted in place. She could have easily broken the man’s arm, even though he was a full head taller and had at least fifty pounds on her.

This was a woman he wanted to know.

She glanced around the audience she’d attracted by defending her space. Her hazel eyes landed on him and paused.

His fingers tingled.

She stared.

She blinked and turned back to her table. There, she grabbed her bag from underneath and pulled what looked like a fifty-dollar bill from her purse. She went back to the bar, dropped the money, and hiked her bag onto her shoulder. “Tell Leslie I had to go.”

It took less than ten seconds for the man she’d humiliated, and what appeared to be his friend, to get up and follow her.

Liam stepped in. “Can I help you?”

They eyed him as men do. As expected, they stood back. “Just getting some air,” said Contestant Number One.

He took a step as if walking around.

Liam lifted a hand to the other man’s chest, stopping him. “Well then, you can just wait a few minutes, can’t you?”

Mr. Humiliation eyed the door and drew in a deep breath.

“Fuck.”

“I think you two should go back to the bar and have another drink. That fresh air will be there later.”

The men looked at each other and receded.

By the time the room calmed, the blonde ninja was gone.

Her friend returned from the bathroom a few minutes later and eyed their table. “Hey, Keith, where did Avery go?”

Keith wiped his hands with a bar towel before tossing it over his shoulder. “Said she had to go, right after she just about broke this joker’s arm for hitting on her.”

The smile on the other woman’s face had Keith chuckling.

Liam felt laughter growing in his gut.

“Never underestimate a woman.”

“Yeah, it was classic.”

“What do I owe ya?”

“She took care of it.”

The short-haired woman lifted a hand in acknowledgment and grabbed her bag. As she walked out, Liam noted the graphic on what looked like a gym bag. Power Up Krav Maga.

He laughed.

All the pieces fell into place.





Chapter Two



Adrenaline built like a charged circuit just waiting to fry something.

She gripped the steering wheel of her Aston Martin and turned onto the interstate instead of taking the route that would bring her home.

Driving fast was the recipe she needed to calm her nerves, and since it was close to ten, the highway cooperated. She put the car in sport mode and pressed down on the gas.

Slowly, a smile crept onto her lips. The image of shock on the face of the jerk that had grabbed her ass would live with her for a long time. She flexed her hand as if repeating the move she’d learned in class and started to laugh.

She hit the wheel. “Hell, yeah!”

God, she felt good.

Better than she had in quite a while.

It wasn’t until she kissed the coast that she started to come down.

She pulled over in an empty parking lot and stepped out of the car to lean against the hood.

Wind blew toward the ocean. The air was warmer than normal, another by-product of the Santa Ana winds.

She pulled her hair back and looked up at the starlit sky.