The Bodyguard

Chapter 25

We walk through the front door of the Tipsy Cow, and the first thing I notice is that the bar is completely packed. "I didn't expect it to be so crowded."

"I guess an event like this is the talk of the town, huh?" Suddenly, someone cuts in front of me, so I stumble backward but Jamie quickly steadies me.

"You, okay?"

"Yes, thank you." Men and women begin eyeing us from the tables set up around the room, and a few gazes linger on Warren's hands on my hips.

"Maybe we should split up?" I turn to face him, which causes his hands to drop from my sides.

"Split up?"

"If we stay too close, it'll look like we're a couple."

"You want me to leave you on your own?" I can't really date anyone if you're glued to my side." My teasing seems to have the opposite effect as his face darkens.

"Right. Like I said, come to me if you need me." Without another word, Warren disappears into the crowd.

I frown after he disappears. It's so hard to keep up with all of his mood changes. Isn't the whole point of being here to meet other people?

A bell rings and the noise quiets down. I can see Jack standing on top of the bar, a list in his hand. "Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you all for coming out tonight. The rules are as simple as they can be: every time the bell rings, you have to change partners. So, find a seat across from someone else, and let's get started!"

A couple of cheers are heard around the bar as everyone begins shuffling their way around. I sit down in front of a handsome man who looks to be in his early forties. He gives me a kind smile just as the first bell rings.

"The name's Billy. What's yours sweetheart?" I detect a slight Southern accent when he speaks and decide it suits him.

I hesitate, remembering I should use a fake name.

"My name's Kelly. It's very nice to meet you."

"You aren't from around here, are you?"

"How can you tell?"

"A girl as hot as you easily stands out in a small town like this."

"Is that so?"

He smirks. "If you hadn't noticed, there's not a whole lot of options around here. Most of the women in this town are uniform chasers, which gets a little old after a while."

I glance around the room and notice that there are actually far more women than men. "There's a naval base a couple of miles south, and this is a bar the SEALs tend to frequent."

"SEALs, huh?" I look around in search of Warren.

When I finally find him, I notice that he's sitting at a table with a pretty woman in a short, black dress and 5-inch heels. She's touching his arm and pushing her chest out toward him, but the glazed look on his face shows pure boredom.

He slowly peels the woman's hand off of his arm. Not your type, Jamie? The woman looks irritated by his move, but she soon rests her hand on his knee instead. Warren presses his mouth into a firm line and says something to her that causes her to completely back off.

He catches my eye, and he mouths the words "help me" as I stifle a laugh. Sorry, Jamie, you're on your own here! He smirks at me, then shifts his gaze to Billy. Realizing I'm probably being rude, I turn back to the man sitting across from me. "Are you a veteran?"

"Sadly, no. I'm a cattle rancher, but my dream is to move to LA and find a fine ass lady."

"I'm actually..." The bell rings, indicating to change partners.

"Nice meeting you darlin'."

"Wait."

He looked at me. "Don't want to stop?" I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Can do better than that sweetie." He tilted my face up and kissed his luscious lips. Damn, he's got nice lips. He winked and got up.