Page 27 of See You Soon

"I got to take care of her, Nora. You can either wait for me or get yourself home safe." Danny mutters. Her mouth hangs open, and he's not giving her any attention but instead, walks towards me leaving her standing alone.

"You're choosingheroverme?"

He looks at her and without hesitation, he nods.

"That's not even a question.It'llnever be a question.” Nora flinches before he finishes, “but the answer is, yes."

"Asshole!" She shouts before stomping off. A part of me feels bad but I could use his protection. I don't know if Shane would be waiting outside for me. He could try attacking me again and I wouldn't put it past him.

"Are you okay?" Danny towers over me, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the bar. I wave off Emilia and Meredith who look extremely worried and I know I'm going to owe them a well-deserved explanation. They both watch me leave and I'm grateful for their understanding and privacy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I could've handled that myself. Paul has taught me a thing or two about self-defense." I say sitting down on a barstool next to Danny. Normally I have pepper spray tucked into my purse, but I didn't have my purse on me.

I pull out my phone from my pocket sending Meredith a text letting her know that Shane grabbed my ass while I was trying to get back to them after my restroom break.

What is my fucking life right now?

Can't I just have one normal night before starting the job of my dreams?

"I don't doubt it. But I think he deserved to get his fucking shit kicked in for grabbing my cherry like that." Danny says, looking at me with no emotion except pure anger. He still looks extremely pissed off, so I tread my words carefully. Seeing him so infuriated, giving Shane the beating of his life, makes me feel a bit afraid of him. Like I'm watching beast fuming.

Wait,my cherry?There it is again.

"Your what?" I ask dumbfounded, I stop texting and look up from my phone screen.

Danny smirks and puts his ball cap back on.

"You're my cherry." He licks his lips. It takes me a while to figure out what he means. I'm squinting while staring at him and it hits me like a ton of bricks.

My virginity.

"Really?" I say sarcastically, a smile tugging at my lips. Danny chuckles and I can't help but feel relief knowing I have someone right here in Paul's place to be protective over my safety even if he just disgusted me not too long ago.

"Plus, I think I overestimated how fucking great it feels."

Danny pauses and I quirk a brow waiting for him to continue.

"To be the person that makes sure he doesn't touch you again. I know Paul never had the pleasure and I surely wouldn't hesitate to do it again." He smiles.

My heart skips a beat and I feel warmth heating my bones, hearing those words. He's an asshole one minute and the next, he's... Danny. He's being protective over me and I appreciate it. I appreciate the safety net he provides when he's around me. Suddenly our eyes lock, butterflies flying all around again and I feel like we’re on his couch in the middle of a hurricane again. The way he looks at me is the same way he looked at me when we were kissing. It's a look of desire. A desire that's almost feral and it sends me into fog. I struggle to remain conscious when he looks at me like this so… I interrupt our intense moment.

"Again… you didn't have to do that. I'm sure you have enough on your plate, Danny. With your job and stuff. You don't have to protect me. I won't be another worry of yours…”

"But you are."

My heart thrashes.

"I'm sorry?"

He clears his throat snapping himself out of whatever thoughts were anchoring him down. It's like he caught himself in a vulnerable moment and quickly changed his demeanor when he realized it.

"What I mean is that you're Paul's little sister. I'll always protect you, whether you like it or not. You're an Alvarez, which means you'll always have me."

I'm weak.

"I'm always going to be here for you, Ari." He says it like it's a promise and I'm hesitant to believe him.

"I appreciate that."