Page 76 of Defying Ella
“Second,” he shouted.
“Alright, hold tight.”
I’d question why I was in a hurry to help the ass who tried to break my heart later.
Men scattered when I slammed into the club’s bathroom. I muttered apologies as they fled with ineffective sharp looks.
“Jared?” I called more for his benefit than mine.
With just one closed cubicle door in the room, I knew where to find him.Unless he’s already skipped out and forgot to tell me.
“Jared, are you in there?” I asked again, knocking on the door when no answer came.
Feet shuffled and the lock turned before the door swung open to reveal a ragged-looking Jared. His dirty blond hair stood on end and his band shirt seemed twisted in places. If not for his red-rimmed eyes, the unhealthy white gleam to hisskin, and the lock of lipstick, I’d think he’d seen some action tonight.
“How long were you in there before you called me?”
A shoulder lifted in a shrug. “A while.”
Then he brushed past me, making a beeline for the sinks and the mirrors. I tried to keep my gaze on him. I hated public toilets at the best of times but a club after 1AM with a load of drunk people who evidently couldn’t coordinate their movements—no, thank you, I didn’t need the image embedded in my head. The stench was enough to make me gag.
Jared splashed water over his face and then dragged his fingers through his hair, trying to straighten the mess.
“That’s not going to work.” I rifled through my handbag, hunting for my ever-present brush. “Here, let me help.”
With the brush in hand, I turned him to face me. I expected resistance, followed by barbs. Instead, he inclined his head, leaning down so I could reach high enough to guide the bristles through his hair.
We stood so close, I could feel the comforting caress of his body heat against my skin. Focusing on that wouldn’t do me any good. Thankfully, Jared’s eyes fell shut before I could really get sucked in to the moment.
The more I brushed, the more his breathing started to even out and the tension faded from his muscles.
“You’re good,” I whispered, lowering the brush and stepping back. “I don’t think there’s any hope for fixing your t-shirt, unfortunately.”
Slowly, his eyes opened, piercing me with more emotion than I could handle. His hands coasted down his shirt and his focus followed, freeing me.
“This was one of my favourites.” He frowned, plucking at the twisted material with annoyance creeping across his face. “For fuck’s sake.”
Even annoyed, his still made my heart race. I turned awayfrom him, focusing on the exit and escaping this situation as fast as possible.
“Do you want me to walk you out or are you staying?”
“I’m coming.” The words sounded harsh, panicked. “Not really in the partying mood,” he said, softening.
But you were before?
I nodded, wrenching the door open, trusting him to follow me. Stepping out into the corridor, the pounding club music wrapped around us. We rushed down the hall at a clip.
Just before we exited into the club’s mezzanine level, Jared snagged my hand. His fingers threaded through mine as he overtook me. He barrelled forward, his head down but his shoulders squared.
I followed him, frowning at the back of his head all the while.
He was the one scared of getting recognised. Yet he put himself between me and the club’s attendees. It didn’t make sense.
We cleared the stairs and took off into the crowd of drunken people. At first, no one reacted to his presence and I started to relax. Jared had the opposite reaction.
The deeper we got into the room, the more his shoulders hunched. I’d never seen him close in on himself and I’d like to never see it again. He kept his head ducked and no one did a double take as we pushed past, but his grip tightened.
Ten feet from the door, our luck turned. Or at least I think it did, I couldn’t see around Jared’s bulky shoulders.
