Thoughtful (Thoughtless, #1.5)(82)

But the only thing I really want to win, Kiera, is you.



Matt was right as rain the next day. I showed up to practice extra early, just to make up for the last couple of nights. He seemed surprised to see me on time. He seemed even more surprised when I gave him and Evan a new song to start working on. As much as Matt loved perfecting the old stuff, he loved new tunes even more. “We need to stay fresh, keep moving forward,” he often told us.

I loved watching the way his pale eyes lit up as he read through new lyrics. He was bobbing his head to a beat only he could hear as he instantly created a song in his mind. He peeked up at me before flipping the page. “This is good. Really good.”

His eyes returned to the paper, so he missed seeing me shrug. “It’s all right.” The lyrics he was looking at were pretty peppy, upbeat…almost sappy. It wasn’t like the stuff we typically sang about. It was…romantic, I guess. It was about finding that person who completed you, and discovering that you completed them too. It was wishful thinking on my part. I didn’t make Kiera whole. Denny did.

After rehearsal, we all went to Pete’s. Evan and Matt busied themselves over a melody for the new song, while Griffin busied himself with dancing on the table to “Baby Got Back.” Eventually his antics got Pete’s attention, and he was thankfully ordered off the table, but not before we all had a good laugh. The smile on Kiera’s face was intoxicating to watch, and my eyes didn’t leave her for very long.

It was only because of my incessant need to watch her every move that I saw something disturbing. Some * in her section reached up her skirt and grabbed her leg. Sometimes the drunker customers would try to hit on the staff. Not the regulars, but the drop-ins. I had never seen the guy currently accosting Kiera before, but I was about to get up close and personal with him and his friend. I started to stand, but Kiera had already moved away from him. I settled back in my seat, watching the guy. If he touched her again, he was dead.

Evan noticed that I was glaring at the guy. Kiera was avoiding him for the most part, but whenever she came near enough, his fingers reached out for her. I wanted to chop those fingers off and stuff them down his throat. “Who are we mentally burning alive?” Evan asked me.

I nodded over to the seedy guy and his equally seedy friend. “That guy groped Kiera. I’m making sure he doesn’t do it again.”

Evan glanced over at the scumbag I was staring at. “Hmmm, Sam’s off today, isn’t he? Well, Kiera’s a big girl, I’m sure she can handle him.”

“She shouldn’t have to,” I seethed.

Evan eyed me, then nodded. “Okay, we’ll keep an eye on him then.”

It wasn’t five minutes later that Kiera grudgingly walked over to the guy to hand him his bill. I tensed, then sprang to my feet. He hadn’t made a move toward her, but I was already striding over to him. Evan got the other guys’ attention and I heard their chairs squeak as they all followed me. I didn’t particularly care for violence, but I wasn’t about to let this guy touch my girl again.

Oblivious to what was coming his way, the jerk-off grabbed her ass, pulled her tight to his body, then put his other hand on her breast. Oh no, he did not just f*cking do that. Kiera knocked his hand off her chest, but she couldn’t push him away. Unaware that I was about to kill him, the man laughed. Kiera looked around for help, but help was already on the way.

Maybe seeing that I was going to rip the guy’s arms off, Evan beat me to him. Coming up behind the *, he yanked his hands off Kiera and pinned them to his sides. The man seemed stunned, like he truly hadn’t expected anyone to intervene. Sorry, buddy. You don’t get to attack someone on our home turf and just get away with it. No way. Especially not when it’s the woman I love that you’re molesting.

Restraining myself from pummeling this man into an unrecognizable mess, I seethed, “Not a good idea.” His teeth were yellow and his breath smelled like he’d been on a three-day booze fest with no time for basic hygiene, like showering. The smell didn’t keep me out of the guy’s face though.

From somewhere behind me, I heard Griffin say, “Yeah, this ass is ours.” I had to assume he was standing by Kiera.

Shaking off Evan, the man shoved me back. He was strong, and I retreated a step. “Piss off, pretty boy.”

Grabbing his shirt, I stepped right in his face again. “Try it…please…” I’d love to have an excuse to punch your lights out. Not that I don’t already have one…you touched the wrong girl.

We stared at each other for long seconds, neither of us backing down. My adrenaline slowed while I watched him. I knew I couldn’t hit him unprovoked, not after the amount of time that had gone by. I really didn’t want anyone questioning why I was defending Kiera, so I made myself calm down. True, I would defend any of the waitresses here, but defending and completely coming unglued were two different things. I needed to be calm, reasonable, and rational.

I released him with a warning. “I suggest you leave now. I wouldn’t come back if I were you.”

His friend grabbed his shoulder, urging the man to do what I said. “Come on, man. She’s not worth it.”

Wrong. Kiera was worth anything. Asshole gave me a derisive sniff, eyed me up and down, then had the audacity to wink at Kiera. I wanted to smash his teeth in, but I let that one go. He turned to leave the bar and I relaxed and looked back at Kiera. Griffin had his arm around her shoulder. Her eyes were wide as she flicked her gaze between the man and me. She looked really freaked out. I wanted to take Griffin’s place, wrap my arms around her, but we’d need to go someplace private first. Just when I was about to ask her if she was okay, her eyes opened even wider and she yelled my name in warning.