It has been hours since Dragon left. Dani and I did some shopping in the next town over, just to get out of the house. We ended up at a theater. I made the mistake of letting Dani pick out the movie, and of course we were watching the most horribly overdone, freaky-ass, one ever. It was about a possessed doll named Annabelle.

“Seriously Dani, what kind of twisted freak could come up with this in their head?”

“Quit your bitching girl. Your ass made me watch four fucking hours of Julia-freaking-Roberts. Thought I was going to go into barf mode on that last one. I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, blah, blah, blah.”

I snort. Dani has never, and will never be a rom-com kind of girl. Shit, her philosophy is love’em and leave’em before they can screw you over. She has reasons for that—more than enough reason, and I understand her. Hell, I’m wondering just how bad the damage with Dragon is going to get. I know it’s coming, but I can’t keep from wishing he was with me—even now.

“Shh...” the lady behind us hisses. Seriously, she has been on her phone for twenty minutes and she had the nerve to shush me?

“Amante, Nicole, is that you?” a voice asks from my left. Oh shit, I just do not have good luck. The next thing I know, the man Dragon called Skull and five other men, come over to where Dani and I are sitting. Each one of the men has a woman with them, and a couple of them have more than one.

“Well fuck me, Nic, did you start a freaking harem when we moved?”

I sigh. “No, just finding I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time way too much lately,” I tell her feeling stressed. Dragon’s not going to like this. Shit. I don’t even like this.

“Do you people mind? We’re trying to watch a movie here,” Ms. Huffy-phone-woman demands.

“Then watch it bitch.” Some skank, and honestly that’s what she looks like with her teased out over-dyed blonde hair and fake ass boobs growl. She’s pressed up against Skull in a way that leaves nothing to the imagination about what she wants. If this is the type of girl he thinks I am… I just might get sick. I push myself down in the seat a little further.

“Mamacita, does Dragon know you are in my town?”

Dani tilts her head to the side and watches Skull for a minute. “Your town? Odd, you don’t look like a mayor.”

Skull looks over at Dani and in the darkness of the theater, I can see the white of his teeth show as he smiles at her. I will admit he has a nice smile, and if Dragon wasn’t in the picture, that smile might come close to melting me. I look over my shoulder to see what it does to Dani. Oh yeah she was melting—at least it appears that way.

“Yes, well, appearances can be deceiving, can they not, querida?” Skull asks.

“That’s it, I’m reporting you. I didn’t pay my money to miss the movie!” The woman behind us complains and while she’s most undoubtedly a bitch, she’s kind of… also right in complaining. I start to apologize but everyone seems to be ignoring her, so I do too. I have enough pots on the fire, right now.

“To answer your question, Dragon doesn’t really tell me where I can or can’t go. No man does or ever will,” I answer easily. I look over at Dani hoping to send her a secret message. “I’m going to go get a fresh coke and use the restroom. You want to go?”

“Yeah, sure.” Dani answers, thankfully knowing what I’m doing. We’re good at non-verbal communication. I don’t know Skull’s issues, but I’m not about to get in the middle of them either. I start to get up when Skull sits down in the seat beside me, lays his legs out across the top of the seat in front of him and effectively blocks me in.

“Excuse me, I was going to the restroom.”

“No you weren’t, querida. You were ditching me, but I am not ready to let you escape.”

“Dear Lord, Nic! Can’t you find any normal men?” Dani snorts, turning back to the movie.

“Apparently not,” I say, with a defeated sigh.

“Skull baby, I thought you and I had plans?” the skank whines.

The rest of the people with Skull all fall into the row of seats in front of us. It’s annoying to watch, but entertaining. They are loud and boisterous, ribbing each other and laughing while annoying every single person there. If I weren’t desperately trying to think of a way to get away from Skull right now, I might have enjoyed the show.

Some giant of a man actually picks a woman up and lifts her over the top of the seat into the next aisle and places her there. He then does the same to her friend. Skull’s crew now have the whole row to themselves. I almost snort out in laughter at the look the women give back to the big man. I can barely contain myself, when the women go running out of the theater. Dani has no problem letting it hang out, however. She cackles out loudly and throws popcorn at the man in question. He either ignores it or doesn’t realize what she did. Dani being Dani of course does it again—this time with a handful and most of it meets its mark. He turns around scowling at her and really he is scarier than anything on the screen. I would have backed down and followed those other women out of the theater. That would be the sane thing to do. Dani has never been accused of being sane.

“What’s your name big boy?” she asks, as the popcorn bounces on his hair and then falls in front of him.

“Why are you asking,” he grumbles and really it is a grumble.

His voice was dark, husky and hoarse. It reminded me of a ten pack a day smoker, or a person who has been sick and doesn’t use their voice because it hurts to talk.

“I want to know whose name I’m calling out tonight,” Dani says with a grin. I hold my head down. I’m used to it of course. My actions in the bar with Dragon are an everyday occurrence to Dani. She makes no apologies for it and I admire that. I wish I could be a little more like her at times, but of course even thinking that has heat rising in my face.

“That’s Beast,” Skull adds, helpfully. The big man, Beast apparently, turns back around and ignores Dani.

“You’re shitting me? Well fuck my ass and pull my hair, I think I’m going to be his Beauty—at least for a night or two. Yo! Beast! Turn back around here and let me see those baby blues.”

“They’re brown,” some man beside Beast joins in.

“Well hell, I don’t care, can’t see them anyway, I just want to look at him some more.”

“Is your friend always like this, querida?”

I look over at Skull, who has a smile on his face. It’s dark, but I can make out his features—barely. I can’t deny he’s a good looking man. Still, he doesn’t make my heart rate ramp up like Dragon. I’m pretty sure no other man ever will.

“With Dani, what you see is what you get. She’s pretty much always like this.”

“I can appreciate that in people. Can the same be said for you, querida?”

“Why are you calling me that? Skull, right? That’s your name?” I ask. He continues to ignore the woman beside him. She huffs her annoyance.

“It is a term of endearment,” he responds, “and yes, Skull is my name.” He reaches over to get some of my popcorn. Skank woman shoots daggers at me and pounces over into the seats with the rest of Skull’s people.

Really? Like this is my fault? Ugh.

“Help yourself,” I grumble, as he put his hands in my food. I hate that. I don’t know this guy and I want my popcorn, dang it!

“I plan on it, Mamacita.”

I roll my eyes.

“Give it up, Skull, you don’t have any interest here. You’re just trying to one up Dragon.”

“And could I? One up Dragon, I mean?”

“Afraid not, I can only handle one man on the crazy train at a time.”

“A pity, but yet, you have not seen what I have to offer, perhaps I may yet entice you.”

“You get an A for effort, but don’t bother and save us both some trouble.”

“I think I might be able to surprise you, querida.”

I look at him. It’s odd because he looks like a macho biker, but smooth businessman in how he talks. That Spanish accent he has could make any woman beg and yet, he’s doing nothing for me. I look over to Dani, who by this time has climbed into the seat beside Beast and is playing with his shoulder length hair. The fact that the seat she’s in is another man’s lap doesn’t seem to bother Dani in the least. It makes me smile. Beast has no idea what he is in for.

“I don’t really know. I just know that as long as Dragon and I are talking, I’m not about to find out,” I answer, turning my attention back to Skull.

“Dragon is not normally an uno woman type of man, querida.”

“I don’t share.”

“He knows this?”

“I don’t think you and I need to discuss my relationship with Dragon.”

“Fair enough, querida, fair enough. But I find myself anxious to see Dragon mess up so I can get my shot.”

“I think you only want a shot, because Dragon has one.”

He smiles but doesn’t say anything. An usher comes in and I figure he’s there to quiet us down or kick us out. He takes one look and backs out of the theater. He doesn’t even try to quiet Dani and the crew—who are laughing and making obscene jokes. It would have been a wasted effort anyway.

We all get up to leave when the movie ends. Skull takes my empty popcorn and drink, which he actually ate. I never touched it after he did. I mourn the loss of the buttery goodness. He tosses them to one of his flunkies. He then pulls me out in front of him. I look back at Dani who is flirting with Beast, and I have to say, he seems a little more interested. He might not be bad looking, but it is hard to tell between the beard and the long hair.

Skull keeps his hand on my back and guides me through the crowd. I find it odd how I always longed for a man to do that when I went out on dates, but had never had it. Yet, since meeting Dragon, I’d rather he was here. Dragon wouldn’t have a hand at my back. He’d wrap his body around mine and make sure everyone got out of our way.

If his hand was anywhere—it would be on my ass.

That thought makes me miss him even more.

We make it outside into the street. Skull leans down into my ear to talk so he could be heard over Dani and his crew laughing. His hand drops a little too far down so that it is more at the curve of my lower back and ass. I may want Dragon’s hand there, but I need to disengage here quickly. If I could just figure out how…

“How about we all go to the Rock, querida?”

“The Rock?” I ask looking back at Dani. She’s busy now with Beast and the guy whose lap she sat in during the movie. I’m feeling uncomfortable. I don’t really know what Dragon and I are, but I know he’d hate this—I kind of do, too.

“It is a club in town. We can have a drink, dance, get to know one another. Your girl seems to be interested in Tiny and Beast.”

Shit this is not good. I don’t want to ruin things for Dani, but I know if I go to the club or, hell—anywhere with Skull—things will not end well. Dragon will flip his lid and he’d have a right to. I take a deep breath and pull away from Skull.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea. Dragon’s coming by my house later and I really should be getting back.”

“Damn straight, Mama.”

I close my eyes. Seriously, did the man have radar? Dragon and four of his buddies come out of the dark and into my line of vision. Dragon’s eyes are locked on Skull. He doesn’t even spare me a glance, but when his group gets closer, Irish reaches out and puts his arm around my waist and pulls me back against him. Immediately, one of the other men stands in front of me, blocking me from the group.

“Ah, Dragon, mi hermano, I was wondering when you would be showing up. My compadres spotted your man earlier.”

“Then you knew to stay the fuck away from my woman,” Dragon says. The anger in his voice is so heavy you can feel it. I hold my head down. Yeah, this is not going to end well.