Backwards

"You?!" I snap, glaring at The Ass and his damn smile. I take a second to compose myself. I'm still pissed, but his smile is throwing me off and instead of shouting a million horrible things at him, I bite my tongue. I turn to open the door with the intention of finding Regan but he grabs my arm before I can grasp the handle.

"Calm down, Killer." He says while chuckling under his breath. I try to hit him but he's quick to grab my hands and keep them together in a single palm.

"Stop hitting me." His face is a stone, steely and dark with a look more menacing under the light of the moon than any florescent bulbs in his garage.

I freeze because I can't do anything with my arms immobilized but mostly because he's so damn intimidating that I don't want to piss him off anymore. His narrow eyes are deep set under thick brows, casting a dark shadow onto his face. I might have been able to handle Adam but The Ass is towering over my small frame, making me feel two inches tall.

"This has to be some sort of sick joke." I try to yank my hands free but fail.

"Maybe it's fate." He says and I roll my eyes.

Fate? What the fuck does fate know?

"Maybe it's karma telling me to stop being such a bitch." And stop getting into fights...

"Or that. I'm sticking with fate though." Damn his smile. It irritates yet settles me down at the same time. And I don't like that it does.

"Just let me go in there to make sure Regan's okay." I say calmly, but his grip doesn't loosen. He just stares at me, slowly blinking as the time passes. Lovely. I look down in defeat. His right hand catches my eye. It's inked up with a large skull surrounded by smoke and more of a tattoo that must spread up his arm, but he's wearing long sleeves so I can't really tell. I wonder why I didn't notice this the other night. Probably because he was being a jerk and I just wanted to get the hell out of there. Good to know nothing's changed.

"She's with Sebastian," his voice brings me to attention, "making sure those two you beat up don't call the cops." He glances down the street and as he turns his head I see ink peeking over the collar of his shirt. I think about testing the grip he has on me again but he reads me like a book and slides his fingers around my wrists as a warning. I take a step back and lean against the cold, brick wall but he steps closer to me, not letting go.

"So you're a shitty bouncer too, huh?"

He looks confused but I clarify because I'm in a giving mood.

"Well, you completely overcharged me for a repair that took all but five minutes and now you're holding me against my own will. Bouncers are supposed to just throw you out, not keep you bound outside like some sort of prisoner awaiting prosecution." I twist my wrists and free myself.

"Do you get thrown out of bars often?" His tone brings out even more anger in me. I ignore the question and focus on getting out of here. It's probably not a good idea to hit him, unless I want a broken hand so I have to rely on my speed. I step to the side, but he does the same, mocking me with a slick grin. At least it's not the smile.

"Will you just stay still for two minutes?" His mouth curves up as he laughs, flashing a set of perfect white teeth. And there it is. This guy is driving me insane.

"No, sorry. I have better things to do with my time, than spend it out here with you."

"And you think I want to waste my night babysitting your ass?"

"Well then let me go!" I stick my hands out and press them flat against his chest to get him out of the way.

"If you can push me, then I'll move." He cocks his head to the side and grins. He's making fun of me.

What an ass.

I know I can't push him, so I just stand against the wall and cross my arms so he can't grab my wrists again. I tap my foot impatiently and glare at him.

"Fucking awesome." I scowl.

"I don't get why you're so mad. What'd you think was going to happen when you punched him in the face?"

A sudden burst of laughter escapes my mouth, remembering Adam's face right before I clocked him. A look of horror and disbelief, molded into one. I should paint his reaction and frame it. "The consequences were the least of my worries. He deserved what he got."

"Oh, I believe it. Kid's an idiot."

I look up at him, surprised that he's actually taking my side. He's looking right at me, sizing me up like he's trying to tabulate something in his mind.

"Mean right hook you got there. For a girl." He smirks at his own joke, but I've heard it one too many times to render a laugh. I press my lips together, not amused.

"So original." I roll my eyes. My adrenaline has subsided a bit and it's now when I notice a stinging pain in my hand. I make a fist and then release my fingers, wincing at the act.

"Let me see." He says, pulling my hand into the light. He pushes down on my knuckles with his thumb. It hurts but I'll live. His hands are warm against mine and... Am I... NO. I yank my hand away from him.

"What's your deal? Why are you so angry?" He lays a large palm against the wall next to my head.

"I don't have a deal." I try not to huff. No deal here. Not a single one.

"Right. So you just have a stick shoved up your ass all the time?"

I swear I'm about to lose it. Okay, so maybe I do have a deal. So fucking sue me.

"Listen, asshole. I just want to go inside. Not sit out here and talk to you about my life." I snap. Yeah, I definitely wasn't blushing when he grabbed my hand just then.

"Shit and here I am, just hoping you'll sign the first edition of your autobiography for me."

"Well, I guess I could do that. Who should I make it out to? Asshole Dickbag?"

"That would be Mr. Dickbag, thank you very much." When I look up at him, he's smirking again but something's different. I can't tell if he's mad or just completely amused at my lack of modesty. But whatever it is, it makes him look devious, brooding under the yellow tinge of the streetlamp. His eyes are darker, almost wild, piercing me with a burning intensity. I swallow the sudden lump in my throat and his eyes dart down to my lips.

A clacking noise breaks the strange tension between us and I turn to see what it is, relieved with the distraction. I don't like how I'm feeling right now. Two busty blondes walk by and stop before heading into the bar. Their jewelry clanking so loud, it's hard not to notice them and even more so when they pull their shirts lower to make their cleavage pop out.

"Hi Nate." So The Ass has a name. A voice that sounds like nails on a chalkboard comes out of the one in pink. She bounces towards him, with a shiny plastic smile in the same shade.

His eyes shift slowly from me to the blonde.

"Sup." He mutters, forcing his lips into a smile. The other blonde glares at me and I swear she's trying pull a Carrie, attempting to ignite me on fire with her mind because I'm in her way of being Nate's third lung. I hate girls like this. Fake and desperate, needy and just oh-so-pathetic. I should use this as an opportunity to go back inside, but he isn't as distracted as he should be. So I stay put, planted in front of him, claiming my place on the sidewalk.

I don't hesitate to glare back at Blondie number two. She squints her eyes at me some more, the pound of glittery eye makeup caked on her face is probably weighing down her eyelids.

"And you're staring at me because..." I arch an eyebrow at her for effect. She purses her sparkling lips and turns away.

"Don't be mean." Nate says, totally chastising me but then I see him crack a smile and I can only assume that he's joking. His focus is back on me now, ignoring the blondes that are practically falling over each other for his attention.

"Can't wait for tonight." One of them says, but he doesn't glance back.

"Totally. It's gonna be totally wild." The other says, and I'm two seconds away from offering to staple their mouths shut when Nate's fingers pick at the hem of my shorts.

I'm torn between slapping his hand away and letting him pick because, holy hell, it's making me... hot.

"You're probably freezing." He says to me, dropping his hand back to his side. Uh, nope. Not even a little bit. I feel strange warmth emanating underneath my cheeks. Am I blushing? No. Can't be. I don't do that. It's August and while the days are still a little warm, the midnight air is colder. It dances around us, a sudden gust of air whipping my hair around.

"I'm fine." I pull my jacket closed, trying to look away just in case pigs are flying and I am, in fact, blushing. The blondes, seemingly bored with us, hold hands and disappear into the bar. I brave it and turn to face him, hoping he's watching the two of them strut into the bar together but he's still watching me.

"Friends of yours?" I ask, nodding my head in the door's direction.

"No. They just want to get bagged."

I laugh at his frankness. "Wow. And you aren't going to follow them like a little puppy dog?" Instead of watch me with those dark green eyes? I wish he'd stop doing that.

"Not my type." The sides of his lips curl up in amusement. He barely even looked at them. Their boobs were hanging out in all the right places and they smelled like they were just dipped in a cotton candy machine, but he hardly glanced in their direction.

"So, you're gay." I say simply, hoping to get a rise out of him, but he replies quickly and unfazed.

"Not even a little bit."

"Morals then? Your girlfriend must be so proud."

He shakes his head and looks away for a moment, only to turn back with a crooked smile.

"No girlfriend? You're kidding." I gasp for dramatic effect, putting my hand on my chest. I feel my own heart beating fast, but I have to keep egging him on. The banter between us is the only line of defense I have. "But you drag girls out of bars and hold them against their will. Who wouldn't want that? Wait, let me go ask around. I'll find you one."

"You done?" He looks down at me, clearly agitated. Finally.

"I don't know. It's kind of fun tormenting you." I shrug.

"Are you always this annoying?" He takes a step forward, but he's so tall that the step closes the space between us. I have to crane my neck to look up at him, but I don't falter.

"If you didn't want to be in my company on this lovely evening, you probably shouldn't have taken me out of the bar." I do my best to sound intimidating and cold, but it's hard staring at a guy who has perfected those two traits. His glare is penetrating my thoughts, as he scans my eyes. He must find something amusing because I see the side of his lip twitch.

"You're cute when you're mad." He leans back and crosses his large arms over his equally large chest. Smirking at me with a spark in his eyes. There's a hitch in my snarky retort as I've suddenly forgotten what I was going to say. Blank. Nothing. I literally can't think of a damn thing to say.

"What? No comeback?" He tsks. "Damn, I thought we had a little thing going here."

A thing?

My skin starts to tingle as our eyes read one another. He's an asshole. Grade fucking A. And maybe, for some twisted reason, it's why every single bone in my body is trying to move in his direction, to be just a little closer...

The front door swings open and instinctively Nate puts his hands on my shoulders. I don't move, still watching him watch me. He spreads his thumbs out, smoothing his rough skin against mine. The feeling makes me jump.

I turn to see Adam being escorted out by Sebastian. Marissa has her own personal escort, and Regan is following close behind. As soon as Adam looks my way, I squirm under the weight of Nate's hands, completely forgetting everything except for how much I want to rip Adam's head off.

"Stay, Killer." He says in that steely tone, and so easily I oblige.

"You got this?" Sebastian asks Nate. "It's crazy in there."

"Yeah, go." Nate's voice is so deep I feel it vibrating through his arms and onto my shoulders. I'm half expecting Marissa to shout at me, but she storms off, leaving Adam standing on the sidewalk by himself.

"What happened to your Red Head?" I ask Adam.

"Fuck off, Riley." He spits. I jump towards him, but Nate's grip on me is heavy and holds me in place.

"Keep a leash on your pet, Murphy." Adam says cautiously in our direction. Nate squeezes my shoulders, then his hands lift off of me and I'm free. I stalk towards Adam, who melts in horror as he backs into the street lamp on the sidewalk. Raising my hands, I see him flinch, but I only hold out my hands in peace.

"I'm not going to hit you, dumbass."

"What the hell do you want then?" He shouts and quickly cowers back as Nate steps behind me.

"You owe Regan an apology." I say, crossing my arms across my chest to seem bigger than I really am.

"Like fuck..." His eyes jet from mine, up to Nate's where they stay for a moment in complete terror, then down to Regan's.

"I-I'm..." He stammers.

"Just go." Regan says with a flick of her wrist. He looks up at Nate for approval, and must get it because he takes off like a bat out of hell. His lean shape disappears into the dark distance of the street, and I can only hope that it's the last view of let down that Regan will ever get in her life.

"Who are you?" I ask Nate who just smiles. Sebastian is smart to keep this guy on payroll. No one seems stupid enough to do anything to get on this guy's bad side.

Except me.