I was in my last year of nursing school when I met Liam. He was everything I ever secretly fantasized about in a man. Tall dark and handsome and built like a prize-winning stallion. The moment he entered the tiny bar, one I frequented quite regularly throughout my college years, every female in the room took notice.
He looked so startlingly out of place against a sea of frat boys and outdated 1960s décor. His shoulder length black hair hung in his chiseled face, accentuating a tattered leather cut and muscled beater. I watched wide-eyed as he walked in my general direction, slow and methodically, his steel toe boots thumping against the tile floor beneath him.
He stopped at a table full of Phi Beta Kappa’s and grabbed a Heineken out of a slack-jawed nineteen-year-olds hand, chugging it as he and his brothers watched on in shock. Then, as if nothing had happened at all, he handed the empty bottle back to him with a wink and a nod and continued on his path.
My best friend and nursing colleague, a ditzy sheltered type named Holly, drew in a sharp breath. It was obvious now that he was coming towards us. I looked over at the bartender, a friend of mine named Jason, but he simply shrugged at me, a gesture that indicated what I already assumed. He didn’t know what was going on anymore than anyone else did.
I set down my martini and prepared to defend Holly and myself in the event that I might have to, shuffling through my purse for a nail file. It wasn't much but it would do. At least I hoped so. I couldn't imagine any of the men in the bar coming to my rescue if this man decided to try anything fishy. They'd almost certainly kill themselves in the process and while I might have been easy on the eyes I didn't think I was worthy of committing suicide over.
The mere thought of having to defend myself against this towering man who was at least twice my size was laughable. But as I calculated all of my options, the gap between him and myself began to quickly close until finally he was standing flush in front of me.
I looked up at him and put on a face, trying my best not to appear as alarmed as I felt. Who was this man? As I looked around the room it became clear to me that everyone else except me seemed to know. In fact, they all looked as though they were seeing a ghost.
"Yes?" I finally heard myself question, my words wavering slightly as they left the confines of my mouth. He smelled like a combination of oil, leather, and stale cigarettes. A scent that reminded me of my long-deceased father. And while it wasn't the most enticing of smells it wasn't all that off putting either. In an eerie way, it was actually was sort of comforting.
I watched in slow motion as he extended his large hand to me but I no longer got the feeling that he was trying to cause me harm. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and grainy, as though he had smoked one too many cigarettes in his lifetime. But somehow it worked for him. “Mackenzie.”
I drew in a breath. He knew my name?
“I need you to come with me,” he continued, grabbing my jacket from off my chair and sliding it over my shoulders. His fingertips brushed lightly over my flesh and I felt far too frozen to move.
“Now,” he stressed, noticing my hesitancy and glancing over at Holly, who was staring up at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw.
Who was this man? Why did he think he could give me orders? And better yet…why was I obeying them? He was a total stranger, an intimidating one at that, but there was something about his intense and rigid demeanor that I couldn’t help but find completely captivating.
So I followed him, meekly promising Holly that I would be all right and waving goodbye to Jason as both of them stared after me in shock. They both seemed quite torn and horrified by my sudden departure but neither one of them were about to test this man's boundaries.
If he wanted me to leave with
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