Page 2 of Fiercely Protective

“I’m so sorry,” she said in a soft voice as she tried to move away.

I kept my hold on her waist and took the drink from her hand before giving her a disarming smile hoping to ease her nervousness. “No need to be sorry, love. That drink is bitter. Let me get you something smoother that I think you will enjoy more.” I looked toward the bartender, who immediately stopped whatever he was doing and rushed over. “Champagne, the best.” As if I had to state the obvious. I always insisted upon the best.

He nodded his head and rushed to get the drink I requested, and I turned back to her. “Without running the risk of spouting some nonsensical cliché, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

Her lips curved into a smile, and I sensed that some of the unease she was feeling when I first approached was dissipating.

“Wow, that is terribly cliché. Do you say that to every girl that comes in here?”

“No, just the ones that look like you.”

Her grin was irresistible, and I found myself drawn to her.

“Nice come back, but in answer to your question, I have an interview here tomorrow for a job, a waitress position.”

Her voice was strangely melodic and soft, and I found myself wanting to hear her speak my name.

I leaned closer to her, the space between us felt like a chasm I had to cross.

She bit her lips to stifle her shy grin. “A few of my friends, well more like work acquaintances, from my previous place of employment, suggested I come here with them tonight and check the place out. They thought it might help with my interview.”

The predator in me sprang to life at her words. “A job? Well, I hear the guy that owns the place can be a real asshole. I hope you are prepared to deal with a man like that.”

She laughed softly again, and I found myself unable to pull my gaze from her perfectly kissable pink lips. I had a strong urge to touch her, to discover if her skin was as soft as it looked.

“I have heard that too, but it is also rumored that he pays well, and with tips, I could make twice as much as I was making working at my previous job, working as a hotel night clerk. For a decent job, I can put up with quite a lot. No matter how big an asshole the boss can be.”

“Interesting. Why did you leave your former place of employment? Was the pay that bad that you would choose to work in an environment like this instead?”

She looked down and shifted from one foot to the other, then turned back to where the group she had arrived with was talking and drinking. Completely oblivious to her.

“There were other factors, but sometimes change can be good. Right?”

I nodded as the bartender returned with the Dom Perignon I suggested. I handed her the glass. “Try this, it’s not as bitter as the drink your friend bought you.”

Just speaking his existence caused the man to materialize at her side once again, and I felt the possessive asshole in me come to life once more.

He leaned closer to her before narrowing his eyes at me. “Hey buddy, you need to move on, the lady is with me.”

Stains of scarlet appeared on her cheeks as embarrassment rushed over her. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and looked down, avoiding the scrutiny in my eyes. “Brad, it’s ok. He just bought me a drink, and it’s not like we came here on a date. We came in a group as friends.” She glanced back up at me with an apology on her face.

The man beside her squared his shoulders, as anger flared in his eyes. “It doesn’t matter that we came in a group, you are with me, and this guy needs to go look somewhere else for a piece of ass.”

I heard her sharp intake of breath and congratulated myself for maintaining my composure, something I was rather proud of since my inner beast wanted nothing more than to cave in this asshole’s face. I stepped forward ready to do just that when she moved between us.

“Brad, you are kind of being a dick. He just bought me a drink and was being nice, and as I said before, we aren’t here together on a date.”

My hands clenched into fists and my security was already walking toward us to intercede. But when he reached forward and grabbed her wrist, causing her to shriek and suck in a breath of air, my arm shot out, and my hand wrapped around his throat. The people that surrounded us were watching intently, some out of morbid curiosity, and others hoping to have something to gossip about tomorrow. I pushed him back against the bar and leaned in closer, struggling to control the rage building inside me. I had put up with this asshole longer than was normal simply because I did not want her involved in an altercation.

“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Her. Again.”

As I squeezed harder, he reached up, clutching at my fingers as they dug deeper into his flesh. I was hoping to draw blood, to see the panic in his eyes as he struggled to draw breath. Even though his mouth was open, he couldn’t speak, his eyes begging for mercy and pleading for release.

My hold tightened, the urge to end his life right now growing stronger by the second, but suddenly Blaze was beside me. His deep familiar voice broke through my fury. “Let him go.”

“Get this piece of shit out of here and make sure he knows not to come back.”

When I released the douchebag, he would have fallen to the ground if Blaze had not been there to catch him and drag him from the club. The people around us, some stunned, resumed their frivolities. I turned back to my lost little angel standing behind me, her face had gone pale, her eyes wide, and she hadplaced a hand over her chest to calm her rapid heartbeat. The shock of what she had witnessed had wiped her smile away.