“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
His mouth bruises back to mine with a snarl from his lips. I’m hardly aware of him tossing money on the bar for the drinks. But I’m very aware when he scoops me into his arms and storms for the door.
His lips don’t leave mine the whole time.
9 Colt
We’re laughing our asses off as we trip out of the bar. You’d think we were wasted, but I’m sober, and she’s had maybe a sip of her drink. I set her down outside, and I groan as I slam her up against the wall. She gasps into my lips, kissing me eagerly as my hands slide over her waist.
She’s still wearing that sundress from earlier. And all I can think about is ripping it off her again. This time though, I’m not stopping with just my mouth.
I pull away, grinning at her. My heart is racing like I’m a damn teenager. That’s what she does to me. She makes my heart work again. She makes me work again.
I turn and nod at my truck, parked right outside the bar. “Want a ride?”
She grins and nods eagerly. “Very much so. But hang on, let me go make sure mine is locked. I’m right around the corner.” She blushes as she raises up on her toes and kisses me softly. “I’ll be right back.”
I grin hungrily as I watch her skip around the corner. Forget about this complicating things. To hell with the worry that this’ll fuck things up for either of us, or both. All I know is, there’s not a single fucking scenario where Tansy MacInyre doesn’t end up in my bed tonight. Not a chance.
“I said get away from me!!”
I freeze, senses tuning as I hear the woman yelling around the corner.
“Stop it!!”
I see red. It’s Tansy.
In half a second, I’m charging around the corner of Pritchard’s. My eyes narrow as I see Tansy halfway down the block, backed up against the wall of a building. My eyes shift to the guy moving threateningly towards her with a scowl on his face.
He steps towards her, and I’m running again, towards them. He tries to grab her, but that’s when I slam into him like a fucking truck.
“Stay the fuck away from her,” I snarl. I send him sprawling onto the sidewalk before I back away, keeping myself between her and him.
The guy groans and stumbles as he gets to his feet. He glares at me, and then sneers at Tansy past me.
“Is this fucking him, Tansy?!”
I bristle. Who the fuck is this guy?
“I need you to leave, Jeff.”
Well, that answers that question. My lips curl into a snarl when I realize the scrawny prick in front of me is Tansy’s ex—the man who was stupid enough to lose her. But hell, I could shake his hand for that. But for threatening to physically hurt her when she was leaving him, I want to beat his ass into the ground.
The fact that I just walked in on him trying to touch her at all? Well, that makes me want to kill him.
“You’re Jeff?” I growl quietly.
“Yeah, motherfucker,” he spits. “And who the fuck do you think you are? She’s here, what, a week? And you think she’s just going to marry you?”
I glare at him. Jeff hisses at her past me.
“Yeah, that’s right, bitch. I come here looking to patch shit up between you and me. And I find out from the guy at the fucking gas station that you’re marrying the motherfucking Marlborough Man here?”
I smirk. I wasn’t lying before. This town gossips like it’s a full-time job. But then the fact that he just called her a bitch hits me. I hiss as I take a step towards him.
“I think it’s time you left, Jeff.”
“I think it’s time you licked my balls, douchebag.”
My jaw clenches. “Careful what you say next.”
This guys seems to be on a bad decisions bender. Losing Tansy is the top of the list. But saying shit like that, to me? I wrinkle my nose. I’m not a hyper-aggressive asshole. But I also don’t take shit from people. And I certainly don’t take one ounce of it from pieces of shit like Jeff here.
“Yeah? How about this? Fuck you, bro. Go fuck a horse or something, because this doesn’t concern you.”
I curl my hands into fists. “See, there’s where you’re wrong. This very much does concern—”
Tansy screams as Jeff pulls a blade out of his jacket. He leers at me as it flashes in the streetlights glow.
“This concern you too, asshole?”
I say nothing, and he takes it as a win. That’s a mistake.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Now me and this fuckin’ whore here have unfinished shit to—”
Yep, there’s my line in the sand. And there he goes leaping right over it. This isn’t the first time someone’s pulled a weapon on me. But insulting Tansy? Nah, not fucking happening.
Without blinking, my fist jabs out and connects right between his eyes. Jeff makes a gurgling sound. He staggers, looking dazed as the blood streams from his broken nose. His eyes suddenly harden and narrow on me.
“You’re going to pay for that! And you’re gonna pay for trying to steal my—”
I hit him again. This time, he goes right down, landing on his ass as the knife hits the ground. I kick it away into a storm drain. With a snarl, I’m on him, yanking him up to me by the collar as I growl savagely into his face.
“She was never yours,” I hiss. “You never deserved her. You never had her.”
He blinks in pure fear, staring up at me.
“You’re going to get the fuck out of this town. You’re going to forget about Tansy entirely. And right now, you’re going to get your pathetic ass up and walk the fuck away. Or I will make damn sure you’re not able to
