Page 8

Chapter Two

Cadence

Istood dazed, staring down at the bits of Nico that remained on the counter. A piece of me didn't want to wipe them away. I wanted to case it off, have it there to remind me of the redemption that flowed through my body.

He had always been such an asshole, placing himself on a pedestal, walking around here like he owned the damn place.

Finally, he got what he had coming. Fucking jerk deserved it.

The truth was, my father owned this bar, not Nico. He was just a pawn in my dad's game of chess, the man who always came out on top; having him around kept my dad's pockets full.

Not tonight, though. Tonight he was kicked off that mountain.

The towel in my hand, once a bright yellow, now mirrored the color of rust as the smears were washed away.

A smile crept up the side of my face, perched beneath satisfied eyes.

Why did Quinn do that?

He doesn't know me. He knows nothing about this place, or who Nico is.

Warmth filled my body, tingles roaring to life as I relived that moment. My eyes closed tight, remembering Quinn, seeing his broad shoulders widen as they created a shield. The engorged muscles of his back flexed to life, and came alive with fire.

My god, that was fucking hot.

I wanted to glide my hands down his back, dip my fingertips into the crevasses of each and every protrusion.

His body looked hard, every piece of him made my heart skip. The instant my eyes rested on the sweet bronze color of his, my stomach knotted, lungs shivering with every inhale of air.

The indelible art running over his flesh made my pussy wet. A blistering passion clutched my ribs and held me there so I couldn't think straight.

What the hell has he done to me?

I had to admit, my initial thought was to turn and run away, despite the attraction raging through my blood. It was in my nature to fall for a man like that— dark, mysterious...

And fucking sexy as hell.

I already knew the kind of guy he was, his'type'fell into a class of their own. I'd been there before, used and tossed away; shoved to the side when things became dull.

Iwasn'tgoing to feel that pain again.

I won't let myself get roped in.

But Quinn seemed different. What he did for me contrasted everything I had seen in my past. It was hard to grasp the idea. Never in my life had someone placed themselves in harms way to help me.

Not even the ones who I held the closest, the ones I should have been able to look up to.

And why would they?

Everyone around knew who my father was... No one would dare.

I couldn't stop the quiver that reached my thighs when Quinn took that stand for me, he didn't back down. Shit, he could have been killed, never mind just hurt. There was no regard for his own safety.

He protected me.

Although, after the way he moved with ease and pummeled Nico into unconsciousness, fighting seemed to sit well with him.

“Cadence!” The deep bellow rang from the front door as it flew open. A gust of air pressed forward, napkins flying weightlessly off the tables as the wind blew in.