Page 61 of Coerced

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? What’s so special about her? Am I supposed to be afraid of you?”

I had no less than a dozen things I could have rattled off that I thought made Aria special, but none of them were things I intended to share with this guy. So, I ignored that question and answered the one I thought was most important for him to have an answer to. “It would be unwise for you to not take this seriously. If you don’t ever approach her again, we won’t have a problem. But if I get a whiff, the tiniest inkling, that you’re even considering approaching her, you won’t be able to comprehend the storm that’s going to rain down on you. Don’t test me, motherfucker. You won’t win.”

His eyes slid to the side, attempting to catch Aria’s stare. I shifted, blocking his view of her. Then he pinned his eyes on her house, and I didn’t like the way that made me feel.

“You’ve got one chance to get out of this without causing yourself any additional trouble,” I advised. “Take this opportunity and be smart. If you ever come back here, it’ll be your last time, because I won’t hesitate to do what I’ve got to do to protect her from you.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, like he wanted to say something but knew it wouldn’t be a wise decision. Then, with a disgusted look on his face, he shook his head,turned, and walked away. I didn’t take my eyes off him until he was back in his car and had pulled away.

Once he was gone, I twisted my neck and looked back at Aria.

She was still standing in the same spot right beside her car. And although there was an edge of shock in her expression, the fear was what was consuming her. I turned fully to face her, moved close, and sent a sympathetic look her way. “You’re okay,” I assured her.

That was all it took.

In an instant, she burst into tears. I didn’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her and tug her close to my body. Her arms slid around me, her warm, soft hands making contact with the skin on my naked back.

I held one hand firmly at the back of her skull, my other hand stroking gently along her back. “Shh,” I whispered. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

“I’ve never been so scared,” she cried.

“I know. But you’re going to be alright. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Her cheek was resting on the skin of my chest, and she moved her head, pressing it deeper. “No. No, he just scared me.”

“Did he show interest in you at the bar?” I asked.

Aria nodded against my chest and took a deep breath. After releasing it, she pulled her face back, but kept her hold on me and stayed close. “He did. At first, it was just normal conversation when we were inside. He was seated at the bar, so Sawyer had more interaction with him than I did. But before I left, when I was walking out to my car, he approached me. He asked if he could take me out on a date, and I politely declined. Ithought that was the end of it, because he didn’t put up a fight.”

A mix of hope and anger moved through me.

Hope, because I wanted to believe that perhaps I hadn’t been wrong in assuming that Aria did feel some level of attraction to me, which is why she turned this guy down.

Anger,because she shouldn’t have needed to experience this.

I hated that this had happened to her, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Aria was a gorgeous woman. That alone was enough for a guy to be interested. If a man had an opportunity to talk with her, even for just a short time, it wasn’t out of the realm of reasonable possibilities that he would want to pursue her. Myself included.

There was nothing wrong with the guy approaching and asking her out on a date. It was not taking her response as the final answer that was unacceptable. Following her home was completely out of line.

And now that I was staring into her beautiful but frightened face, I felt resolve steel my spine. I wanted to be the man who looked after Aria in all the ways that mattered.

I wanted to protect her, keep her safe, and make her feel good.

I wanted it to be me who was kissing and touching her, like I thought she was going to allow this guy to do tonight.

I wanted to be the one who made her squirm and moan.

But what I wanted right now wasn’t the priority.

“And you didn’t see him follow you home,” I stated the obvious.

“Is that stupid? Maybe I should have been checking in my mirror,” she reasoned.

Shaking my head, I insisted, “You are not stupid, Aria. That guy was an asshole.”

She held my stare a beat before she asked, “How did you even know what was happening? It’s so late. I thought you’d be sleeping.”

My arms tightened around her. “When did you think that?”