Flawed Love

“Hey there sweetheart,” a man slurs, grabbing my hips. “You’re beautiful.”

Oh bull-fucking-shit.

I turn and see a good-looking man holding my hips. “That’s a lie, dickwad,” I mutter. “Just say what you really want.”

He stares at me, with wide eyes. “I mean it.”

“You don’t mean it! They never mean it.”

He raises his brows now. “Fine, then I want to fuck you.”

There we go.

“Not interested, thanks.”

“Then why are you here wiggling your ass against my crotch?”

“I was not wiggling my ass against your crotch.”

He grabs his dick. “I didn’t get this for no reason.”

Ugh. Pig.

“Let me go.”

“No. Girls like you make me mad. You rub yourselves against us and then cry when we take what we deserve.”

Oh my God. Jerk.

“Let me go!” I snap, shoving his chest.

“Not going to happen, little one.”

I go to shove him again, but suddenly he’s being ripped off me and tossed to the side. Rainer is standing over him, his big body wound right up. “Get the fuck out of my bar. No one puts their hands on a girl if she doesn’t want it.”

I’m not watching this. I turn and rush from the bar. I can’t handle this right now. Watching Rainer defend me . . . no. Just no. I find a back door after shoving through the crowd and open it, stepping into the fresh night air. My head is spinning, not terribly, but enough that I know I’ll find it hard to make my way home. I stumble a few times, trying to figure out where the road is.

“Whoa there. You need to slow down.”

A big hand curls around my upper arm and I flinch, turning to see Rainer standing near me. He followed me. Why? Why would he do that?

“I’m fine,” I snap, trying to shove his hand off my arm.

“No, you’re not. You will get raped or worse trying to get home on your own.”

“I’ll call a cab or something,” I mutter.

“Just sit, yeah? Have some water and I’ll take you home. I’m done for the night.”

He shoves a bottle of water at me. I don’t know where he got it, but I don’t want it.

“I don’t want a ride with you!” I hiss.

He studies me. “I’m sorry. Have I pissed you off in some way?”

I grind my teeth. I’m being an asshole, I know that, but I’m hurt. I didn’t want a lot, I didn’t expect a lot—hell, I prepared myself for him hating me, but I never ever expected he’d have forgotten who I am.

“No,” I mumble. “Sorry.”

“Look, you’ve been drinking. Let me take you home.”

“Okay,” I say, putting up a hand. “All right.”

He nods, and extends a hand. “My name is Rainer. You are?”

I never thought about my name. Oh God. If I say Emalie he’ll surely click, and for some, strange reason, I don’t want to give him that. My pride is too strong. He always called me Emy, so that gives me only one option.

“Mali,” I say, taking his hand and fighting back a shiver as warmth floods me.

“Mali,” he murmurs, rolling it around on his tongue. “That’s an interesting name.”

“So is Rainer.”

He gives me a sexy, lazy, half-grin. “So it is. Come on, kid.”

Kid.

Oh God.

I force a smile and follow him to a big, black truck. It’s a lot like the one he used to drive. He opens the door for me and I climb in. He goes around the other side and starts it up, turning on the cooling. I’m sure most people would question my sanity, getting in the car with him, but he’s not a stranger. But I’m the only one who knows that.

“So have you lived around here long, Mali?” he asks, pulling out.

“No,” I lie. “Not long.”

“You work?”

“Yeah, at a coffee shop downtown.”

“Nice.”

“What about you? Have you lived here all your life?”

Stop, Mali. Stop now.

His face goes a little harder. “I did for a while, but then I went away for a few years. I’ve only been back about two.”

“Where’d you go?”

He stares straight ahead. “Not somewhere you’d like to hear about.”

Oh my God. Did he go to prison? What if something really awful happened, and he’s blocked out his past? Could it be so simple? Could it be that whatever bad road he took before we parted ways all those years ago, took him somewhere dangerous? Maybe that would explain why he left. It would also explain him forgetting me.

“I have good listening ears,” I point out.

He grins. “I’m sure you do.”

He’s not going to tell me.

That’s okay.

I’ll learn what happened to him, and maybe then I can figure out how to fix this.

CHAPTER FOUR

THEN – MALI

“He’s looking at you. He’s totally looking at you!” Kenny whispers into my ear, really, really loudly.

“Dude, that’s not subtle. I think the whole cafeteria heard you!”

“No,” he whisper-yells. “I’m whispering.”

“You’re screaming, just in a hushed tone,” I snap. “Now stop.”

“No way; he’s watching you. He’s totally watching you.”

“And now he probably thinks I’m nuts because you’re whisper-yelling!”

I don’t want to turn because I’m afraid Kenny might be right. Maybe Jack is looking at me. My heart flutters, and I know my cheeks are redder than usual.

“Look. Smile at him; do something before he turns away,” Kenny urges, pinching my arm.

“Did you just pinch me?” I cry, jerking my arm away.

“God, you have no idea, do you? Turn around and flash your damned smile at him, girl!”

I scowl at Kenny, but turn and glance at Jack. He’s standing across the cafeteria and he’s definitely watching me. Jack is a different kind of handsome. He’s not as rugged and gorgeous as Rainer, but he’s got something beautiful going for him. His hair is sandy blond and messy, his eyes are slate grey, and he’s got flawless olive skin. He’s tall and muscular, but on the leaner side. He’s not bulky.

I smile. I do it before I can chicken out. Jack’s brows go up. He scans me, and then he smiles back. Holy shit. He smiled back. I’m beaming as I watch him turn and walk out with his friends.

“Holy shit,” Kenny squeaks. “He just smiled at you.”

“Who smiled at her?”

I jerk and turn to see Rainer standing behind me, eyes narrowed.

“Jack. He totally just eye-fucked her!” Kenny claps happily.

“It was a smile, Kenny, not sex,” I scoff.

“It was close enough.”

“Told you he was a jerk,” Rainer grunts.

“And so are you, but here we are.”

His eyes flash to mine and his glare challenges me. I hold my own and don’t back down. Rainer doesn’t choose who I date. I certainly get no say so in whom he pokes for fun.

“Thought I warned you about him,” he says, stepping closer, arms crossed over his big chest.