“Probably not. Makes you think you can do all sorts of weird and wonderful things, and that’s why accidents happen. I don’t have time to do my back in, not with the bakery depending on me.”
“Me neither.” He pulled into the already full parking lot and found a spot near the back away from the door. “Busy night. Which makes me think it’s going to be a good one. We can’t be the only ones reliving our happy times growing up.”
They showed their tickets at the door and Liam pulled her into the bar to get a drink. The music pumped through the building, and he found himself humming along. Once they had a glass of wine each, they pushed through the crowd to the next room to find a seat. After battling the mass of heaving bodies getting down and enjoying the band, they spied a couple of chairs against the back of the room.
“There.” Liam claimed the seats. “So glad we came out. This is bringing back some great memories.” He tapped his feet to the music, saw a couple of people he knew, and waved a greeting, all the while keeping the beat with his foot and an eye on his girl. Aggie might not have realized it, but she was letting her defenses down where he was concerned. She was noticeably more relaxed around him. All those nights of hanging out in the bakery were paying off. The old familiar feeling of being around each other was working its magic.
So long as she didn’t get frightened and remember to push him away again, he had a fighting chance of convincing her they were good together. It was up to Liam to keep things rolling along smoothly, and at the same time, it would smooth out his guilt for not being there before when she needed him.
Tonight had been a great idea. Taking her to see her favorite band was one more positive step for their relationship. Nothing could stop him from winning her over.
Chapter 21
Aggie gave herself over to the music, unable to resist. It’d been ages since she’d felt remotely like dancing in public, and Liam was right to bring her. She was having a ball, letting her hair down for the first time since forever it seemed. Liam had gone to the bathroom but dancing alone didn’t bother her. She swayed in time with the music, happy in a world of her own.
Minnie danced over and bumped hips with her, then gave a quick hug. “This band is so cool. Even after all these years, Aggie, they still have it.” Minnie laughed and did a spin, her hand linked with Aggie’s as they enjoyed the music. They laughed, carefree in the familiar environment, until a stranger pushed in between them and startled Aggie. He reached for her, his hand landing on her breast as he lurched forward. “Hey, baby. Let me show you how a man dances.” He leaned into her, his arm touching hers.
Aggie stepped back out of his reach but he went with her and forced her against the wall. Her head banged into the plaster, leaving stars floating across her eyes. Panic set in and her throat closed up. The music faded as he pressed a knee between her thighs. He leaned in, and his breath rolled over her neck. “Unless you’re more into women than men?” He cackled and his hand moved up to her throat, stroking down to the collar of her dress. “I can deal with that too.”
Minnie tried to pull him off Aggie but he brushed her off. It took a second but Aggie finally snapped to attention, ready to put her training into practice. She lifted her hand and brushed his arm down exactly as Ben had taught her, and pulled her other arm back to deliver a blow to his throat. Before she could let it fly, the man was knocked to the ground. Liam stood over him, chest heaving.
“You filthy bastard. How dare you grope a woman?” Anger spilled off of him in waves. The guy on the floor crawled backwards to escape.
“Liam.” Aggie grabbed his arm. She’d had it under control. Why did he have to take that away from her? “Leave it. Just leave it.”
He turned on her, disbelief on his face. “Are you kidding me? I want to punch his lights out.”
The bouncer pushed through the dancers and took in the situation. “What’s going on?”
“This drunk groped my girlfriend.”
“Did not.” The guy in question stumbled to his feet. “She wanted me to dance with her. Ask her.”
“Ma’am?”
“Not even a little bit, pal. I was dancing with a friend and you assaulted me.” She turned to Liam. “And I had it all under control, thank you.”
The drunk piped up again. “She was killing time dancing with a chick. That screams out a pretty clear signal to me. Chicks always play hard to get by using other women. Every guy knows that.” He stumbled and fell into the bouncer, who grabbed him.
“Do you want me to call the cops?” The bouncer held the guy’s arm tight.
Liam nodded. “Yes. Call it in. Nobody gets to assault a lady and think she deserves it.”
Aggie stared at him with an open mouth. “Really? You get to make those decisions for me?”
Liam stared at her as if she was crazy. What the heck was wrong with him? “Of course I do. Someone has to look out for you, Aggie, and that person is me.”
Aggie fought back more emotions than she could stand. The memory of her last assault bit hard, and now she was struggling with her newly won confidence being taken away because Liam was being too protective. “No, you don’t. I can make my own decisions. I can look after myself, thank you.”
He shook his head. “No,
