Page 10 of The Keeper and I
“Hey!” she cried with enthusiasm that she knew was overkill. The woman gave a start, but Laci didn’t care. “It’s so good to see you!” She threw her arms around the stranger, who stiffened at the contact, but Laci whispered in her ear. “Please pretend you know me; this guy’s weird.”
The woman relaxed, then whispered to Laci in a thick, Scottish accent. “Understood. I'm Ava.” She drew back and beamed. “You too! How’ve you been?”
“Lovely, and you?”
“Grand,” Ava said, then patted the bar stool next to her. “Have a seat.”
Laci did so as Dane approached. Ava narrowed her eyes at him.
“Who the fuck’s this?”
“This is Dane,” Laci said. “We met on my way here.”
He glanced uncertainly between them, assessing Ava who, with all the makeup and tattoos, was intimidating, exactly the type of person that might be capable of scaring him off.
“Well, thanks for delivering my friend here, Dane, but you can go now,” she said firmly.
“But I was wondering…Laci, if I could take your number or—”
“Nope, it’s time for girls’ night. You’re shit out of luck.”
“She can speak for herse—”
“Have a good night, Dane.”
“But—”
“Fuck off, Dane,” Ava said, her tone final.
He glared at her and shot one last look at Laci before he folded his arms over his chest and rooted himself to the spot.
Chapter 3
Cursingthelackofpaper towels, Jordan emerged from the bathroom wiping his hands on his jeans. He spotted his sister in their seats, but found that she was, once again, involved in a confrontation. It wasn’t the same bloke as before. This guy was much slimmer with a buzz cut and wild blue eyes. Something about him made Jordan’s skin crawl. He hurried over, pushing through the crowd with no regard for courtesy.
When he reached her, he stopped short. A third person sat to her side—Laci Miller, the gorgeous model Jordan had been painting for most of his life, even before he knew who she was. He only painted the likeness of the most beautiful person he could think of in his imagination. Later, when she’d popped up on his Instagram explore page, he spent a solid hour scrolling through her posts in awe. The person he’d dreamed of really existed! He’d never reached out, of course, he didn’t want to frighten her, but he’d been a quiet follower for some time. What wasn’t quiet was his massive crush on her.
He froze. What did you say to a woman who, in your dreams, you had already married, had babies with, and made passionate love to every night? He watched her bright blue eyes flick between Ava and the stranger, and she took her bottom lip between her teeth. Holy fuck, she was cuter in person. He felt his knees buckle.
When she flinched nervously at a sharp word from the man, a violent urge to protect her awakened inside Jordan’s chest, and he was able to move again. He stepped up to the group, and the man went silent as Jordan’s shadow fell over him. He shrank back as he realized Jordan’s size.
“Is…is this him?” the man asked.
“Yes, we weren’t lying,” Ava replied, exasperated. “She’s got a boyfriend.”
Jordan blinked, taken aback, and finally tore his gaze away from Laci to lock eyes with his sister. She quirked her brow with a meaningful look, which he understood to meanplay along. With a subtle nod, he let her know he got the message.
“We’ve already told you to clear off once, Dane,” Ava warned.
The man—Dane, apparently—only glanced at her before facing Jordan again. “You’re really her boyfriend?”
Jordan met Laci’s gaze, her pleading, hopeful gaze that made his stomach do backflips because holy shit she was stunning, and reluctantly looked back at Dane. “Yes. Are you bothering her?”
“Wasn’t trying to,” Dane said, taking a hesitant step back.
“Best be on your way then,” Jordan said.
Dane frowned at the dismissal and turned eyes on Laci. “If he really is your boyfriend, why haven’t you posted him?”