“She’s my friend and roommate,” J.D. stated. “I invited her. Why, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” The fact that J.D. didn’t know anything told him that neither Anna Victoria nor Gabriel told her about how he’d acted this week and this afternoon. If she did, J.D. would surely have torn him a new one by now. “I should go get that second bottle for you.”
He slunk away in shame. Anna Victoria could easily have swayed J.D. to her side by telling her how he’d been a damn asshole this week, but she didn’t. Not liking the guilt seeping into him, he swiftly headed to the bar and asked Tim for a bottle of bourbon. After paying, he headed back to the billiards room, carefully watching Anna Victoria from the corner of his eye to make sure he stayed away. The Demon did not like that one bit, but he was in charge here.
As the night wore on, J.D. got drunker, as expected. It was clear that even after all this time, she still keenly felt the loss of her father. He couldn’t even imagine what that was like—after all, his own parents were still alive, living down in Florida after his father retired from working in the Blackstone mines most of his life. He called them regularly, on birthdays and holidays, saw them when they came for visits, but he knew he could do better. It was just difficult to connect with them again, after all that happened.
“You about ready to go home?” he asked J.D.
“Naw,” she slurred. “I ain’t no quitter!” It took a hell of a lot of liquor to get a shifter drunk, and everyone had been buying drinks for her all night. “But … I should go to the bathroom.”
“Do you need help?”
“Pffft!” She waved him away. “I’ll get Anna Victoria to go with me.”
He watched as J.D. went to Anna Victoria, who was chatting with Gabriel and a few of the older guys from the garage. The two women linked arms and then headed out of the billiards room. When she was out of his sight, an uncomfortable feeling settled in his chest and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the door, wondering when they’d be back.
A few minutes later, J.D. returned, but Anna Victoria wasn’t with her. His beast clawed at him, urging him to find out where she was.
“You’re back,” he said to J.D. “By yourself.”
“Yeah. So, what’s wrong with that?”
“I thought Anna Victoria went with you?”
“She said she was going to ask Tim for a drink of water,” J.D. said with a shrug. “Did you—”
Not bothering to wait for her to finish, he marched toward the main room. It was even more crowded now, and he stopped suddenly, as if an invisible barrier hit him.
Too many people.
Too noisy.
Hot, too hot.
Moving.
Feet stamping.
Pain.
He let out a soft growl and shook himself out of the daze. With a deep breath, he scanned the room. Sure enough, there she was at the bar. But she wasn’t alone. Some guy was chatting her up already.
Goddammit. She was too damn beautiful for her own good. Gritting his teeth, he marched over to the bar, not even caring about the heat and noise and the crowd.
“… I don’t think I’ve seen anyone as pretty as you around here,” the man said, sidling closer to Anna Victoria. Damon recognized him as one of the firemen from Blackstone F.D. He smelled feline, probably mountain lion.
“I just moved here and—” Her mouth clamped shut when her eyes landed on Damon. Blonde brows drew together, and she moved aside, even closer to that asshole. “Go ahead,” she said, motioning to the empty space at the bar.
He couldn’t say anything, so he just continued to stare at her.
She rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, then turned back to the man next to her. “As I was saying …”
Her dismissive attitude and the way she smiled at that other man made hot, searing jealousy roll up tight in his chest. “I don’t need a drink.”
Exasperated, she turned to him. “Then what do you need?”
Oh, he was going to show her what he needed all right. Without another word, he hooked his arm through hers and dragged her away from the bar. She let out a yelp, but he ignored her. When that bastard fireman tried to protest, he shot him a look that said, just try it, and the other man quickly backed away.
Despite her protests, he managed to maneuver her outside. The cold, biting air was a welcome respite from the stuffiness and noise inside.
“What the heck!” Anna Victoria screeched, disentangling her arm from his. “You … you … knucklehead! What do you think you’re doing?” Her chest heaved as she struggled to take in big gulps of air. “Wasn’t it enough that you humiliated me in front of other employees, but you have to do it out here too? You can’t control who I speak to when I’m on my personal time.”
His fists tightened at his sides. “You didn’t even know who that was.”
“That’s what you do in bars, get to know people,” she huffed. “Are you determined to make me miserable and ensure I never make friends? Did you want to isolate me so that I leave Blackstone?”
“Goddammit, that’s not what—”
“Then what the heck did you do that for?”
“That guy, and any guy in there, they aren’t looking to be your friend.”
“Ha!” She raised her hand in frustration. “I’m not a child, you know! And so what? I’m not allowed to have any friends? Who else am I supposed to be friends with, you?”
“I don’t want to be your friend,” he gritted out.
“That’s obvious. I—”
What he should have done was walk away. But instead, he gripped her by the arms and pushed her against the wall, caging her in. He couldn’t take it. She was driving him crazy, and it needed to stop.
“D-Damon?”
Wide pansy-blue eyes looked up at him. But he couldn’t smell fear on her. Only … excitement? He could
