Free Breathe Into Me by Nikki Drost Page B

agreement, but suddenly wonder what my friends will think about this. Henry keeps his mouth shut for once and Kelsey seems more than happy to be near, Lincoln. Adam kisses my forehead and heads back to the stage. Lincoln settles into a chair next to me and continues to survey the room.
    “Are you a bounty hunter to o?” I ask. A soft chuckle rumbles from the man that’s easily the size of a Buick.
    “Yeah we all are.”
    Interesting, they must all partners or something. We continue our small talk and I quickly realize Lincoln is a huge flirt. Several scantily clad women have made sure to capture his attention. As I look around the packed bar, I realize there is an insane amount of woman here tonight. Word must have gotten out about the fight. That’s one thing about small towns, within twenty-four hours the whole town will know everyone’s business.
    “Lincoln , has anyone ever told you that you look like a giant teddy bear?” Kelsey asks as she sighs dreamily.
    The large man next to me begins to laugh before flashing my friend a mischievous grin. “Anytime you wanna cuddle up to me in bed, darlin’, you just let me know.”
    I shake my head at the both of them . My eyes focus on a group of woman that has gathered around the stage, several of them are attempting to gain Adam’s attention. The surge of jealous I feel practically knocks me out of my seat. I can’t really blame them, he’s drop dead gorgeous, but he’s mine.
    Wait. Where did that come from? I mean I’m attracted to him, but I hardly know him. Adam is a virtual stranger to me. He’s so dark and mysterious. His eyes shine with an unspoken wisdom that only comes with age. Which makes no sense to me, Adam can’t be a day over thirty. It’s as if he’s a jigsaw puzzle and I’m missing some of the pieces. The rational side of me is screaming to be cautious. That underneath his charm and playful personality lays a dangerous man, one that could easily break down the carefully constructed walls that I have placed around my heart.
    Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I feel that I don’t deserve to be loved. Far from it actually, I’m just scared to lose someone who means something to me. This is why my rational side always wins in the end. I keep people at arm’s length , never letting them get too close. I’ve let rational Andy rule my life for so long that I’m terrified at the thought of letting Adam in.
    But what if he’s the one? A small voice pipes up in the back of my mind. It belongs to my inner wild child. The one I’ve ignored for the better part of my adult life. Wild Andy has a point. If I continue my normal behavior, I could push Adam away and possibly miss out on the love of my life. This thought causes me to panic. 
    My thoughts shift gears as I start to think about how it fel t to wake up in his arms. I felt safe with him, almost as if he would never allow anything bad to happen to me. He reminds me of an ancient warrior who would hold me close as he fought against his enemies with a sword. I shake my head at the thought. I read way too many romance novels.
    Although, last night was the first time I didn’t have nightmares after hearing my parent’s song. Normally when I hear that song or even have a memory of my parent’s, it causes me to go back to that horrific night when they were taken from me. So why was last night different? Maybe Adam’s presence was just a coincidence. I did have an awful lot to drink last night.
    I watch closely as Adam lo oks up and nods his head toward the group of women before going back to helping Cass with his drum set. The sound of the feminine laughter makes me see red.
    Lincoln begins to chuckle. “You have nothing to worry about, Andy, that man only has eyes for you.”
    Normally I wouldn’t believe t hat, but Adam barely acknowledged those other women. I push aside my inner turmoil as Adam picks up his guitar, our eyes meet, and the smile he gives me takes my breath away. His