Chapter 41
“Hey man, is there a problem over here?” The music has come to an abrupt stop and I hear the security guard’s voice carry over my shoulder.
The punk lying on the floor stumbles to his feet. “I was getting to know this beautiful lady over here –” he gestures to Sammie, “—and this asshole rudely interrupted us.”
I growl, ready to pounce on him. The nerve of that idiot to put his hands on my woman. “She clearly wasn’t trying to get to know you.” I mutter through gritted teeth. “You seem to have forgotten that when a lady says ‘no’, she means ‘no’. But I will gladly re-educate you with my fists.”
He opens his mouth and quickly snaps it shut. He watches me cautiously. He knows – one wrong move and I’ll stomp him into yesterday.
“You’re gonna have to get out of here, pal,” the chubby rent-a-cop barks. I give him a sidelong glance. I could take him. Easy. He’s a good six inches shorter than me and exactly zero percent of the weight on him is muscle. But I didn’t come here to start trouble tonight and I don’t want the cops getting involved unless absolutely necessary.
I do have a criminal record after all.
Although, if any further need to protect Sammie should arise, the legal consequences would be the last thing on my mind.
I throw up my hands in a gesture of appeasement and take a step back. “I’m out of here,” I say. Then, I grab Sammie by the wrist and shove my way through the crowd. She jerks out of my grasp, grumbling under her breath and pulling down the hem of her ridiculously short, glittery-ass dress, as we stomp out the front door. I hear several pairs of high heels clicking on the pavement behind us as we make our way over to the parking lot.
“Thanks for that, asshole,” Sammie calls after me as she struggles to keep up in her four-inch stilettos. When I turn around, she’s hugging her arms over her chest to keep out the cold and shooting daggers at me with her eyes.
“You’re not seriously mad at me right now. Not after I just rescued you from that predator.”
She narrows her eyes insolently. “I could have handled that drunk loser on my own. Without your help.”
“So, what? I was just supposed to sit there and watch him paw all over the woman I love?”
My declaration draws a sharp gasp from Sammie’s stunned girlfriends who are trailing clumsily behind us.
Sammie’s cheeks pinken up instantly. “Would you keep your voice down?” she whispers through gritted teeth, tilting her head suggestively toward her group of friends. “And what are you doing here anyway?”
The golden question.
Did she really expect me to just laze around on the couch, watching sports highlights while she was out at a club doing god-knows-what with that fine ass of hers?
Well actually, I guess that’s not such an unreasonable expectation. I know that Sammie’s a good woman. It’s just that, after Rhys…I guess I just had to be sure. I had to see her in action with my own eyes.
And she made me proud tonight. I saw the way she pushed that loser away when he tried to hit on her. There hadn’t been an ounce of hesitation in her eyes. But still, I’d hate to think of what he would have done next if I hadn’t shown up.
“You should be glad that I was here. To look out for you. A real man protects his woman.”
“Keep. Your. Voice. Down,” she grunts in a low tone.
I stop abruptly and glance toward Isla, Faith and Grace. They wear wide-eyed expressions on their faces as they try to figure out what the hell is going on between Sammie and me. I bring my gaze back to her and I’m damn pissed. “I am so done with this!” I say, vibrating with rage.
"Shit just got real," Faith whispers, her fingers covering her lips.
Sammie’s breathing hitches and her nostrils flare angrily. “You’re breaking u –"
“Oh, shut up…” I groan right before my lips slide over hers. I hold her cold cheeks between my palms, kissing her hard and intently. I tip her head back to get the perfect angle and stuff my tongue down her throat just so the message is loud and clear; we’re together now and I’m tired of hiding. I love this woman and I want the whole world to know.
“There,” I say looking from Sammie to her friends and back again. “Problem solved.” I shrug quickly out of my parka and drape it over her shoulders as she stands there trembling from the cold or from the kiss or from a combination of both.
I walk off ahead of her, leaving her with her jaw hanging wide. I swing open the passenger’s side door of my truck and wait for her to get in. She’s pouting, arms folded across her chest and her eyes are blazing as she climbs into her seat. Her glare tells me clearly that I’m in trouble tonight. I feel a strange sense of anticipation tickling the pit of my stomach. I pinch back the smile battling against my lips.
“Good night, ladies,” I say graciously to Sammie’s shocked friends with a gallant bow before I slip behind the steering wheel and peel out of the parking lot.