Free Perfectly Broken by Maegan Abel

in that cab." He sounded genuinely concerned and I went back to arranging the bills, trying to avoid his eyes.
    "So , what exactly happened before you put me in the cab, Jordan?" I asked, hating that I had to ask. He was quiet and I glanced up at him, taking in his confused expression. His eyes widened in understanding and he shook his head.
    "No. Nothing like that. It was just… you were hanging out with some of my buddies that I'm here on leave with and things were starting to get a bit too rowdy. I got worried that you weren't in the right state of mind and I offered to get you a cab, just to get you away from them," he said, sounding a little mortified at my assumption. "While we were waiting for the cab outside, you told me where you worked and that I should stop by some time. That's all. I swear." I nodded slowly, his words striking a cord of memory. Small glimpses were coming back.
    "Is Patrick one of those buddies?" I asked, still seething about the conversation from earlier.
    Jordan looked shocked for a moment and nodded. "Yeah. He's… well, they were trying to get you to… he's never…" Jordan's entire face turned red and more of the night came back to me .
    I was drinking with a group of about six guys. They were doing shots with me and one of the guys, Patrick, was a virgin. They were making fun of him because he'd never been with a woman , at all. His girlfriend from school was Mormon and he was , too . The most they'd ever done was hold hands. His buddies were trying to get me to blow him in the bathroom.  
    Jordan came over and it pissed them off because he had called me a cab. He got the bartender to back him so his buddies would leave me alone while he walked me outside.
    "You were the one sitting in the booth by yourself. I remember now. I'm sorry about that." I smiled and heard Shannon call my name from the other side of the bar. "Have a seat and I'll be around when I can." Jordan looked relieved as he slid onto the stool. I headed back to work.

    "It's really kind of cool watching you work."
    The voice startled me as I stepped out onto the street after closing. Donovan eyed Jordan until I waved him away, letting him know I was good . He paused for a moment before shutting the door behind me.
    "I can't believe you stayed." I laughed, walking up beside him as I dug in my purse, hoping I could find a hair tie. I was exhausted, even more so than normal due to last night’s events. It was almost as if I had an ache for every drink I'd consumed.
    "Of course I did. I was hoping we could go somewhere. I mean, I don't know Vegas very well , but somewhere we could talk?" It came out like a question. His eyes met mine briefly before flicking away, his face taking on that same embarrassed expression from earlier.
    Most of the time, the shy boys like Jordan, the ones who weren't as confident even though they were gorgeous and had every right to be, annoyed the hell out of me. But , there was something about him that was different. Maybe it was just that he rescued me when I put myself in a bad situation.
    "I'd like that," I said. "I owe you at least that much as a thank you for being such a gentleman." The blood that rushed to his cheeks was visible even on the darkened street. "Come on, I know the perfect place." I gestured toward the end of the block. He held out an arm, making a show of acting like a gentleman.
    "May I escort the stunning lady?" he asked with a chuckle.
    I couldn't help but smirk. "You may," I replied with a slight nod of my head in the direction we were going to head.
    Billy's was a hole in the wall all-night diner that was a staple for the locals. They always had fresh coffee and I had a major craving for cinnamon apple pancakes.
    While we walked the few blocks to the diner, Jordan graciously answered all my questions as I did my best to keep the conversation on him.
    "So, why the Marines?" I asked as I nodded to the front door of Billy's. Jordan released my arm to jog ahead, opening the