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Slimy hands grab me by the waist and cage me against an equally slimy chest, causing my breath to lodge in my throat. Claws scratch the walls of the sealed well at my center. The darkness lurking within it begging to be freed—to protect.
Jonathan. Fucking asshole.
He squeezes me tightly to his chest.
“How about you stop playing hard to get and let me fuck you on this bar right now in front of everyone?” his words are a slur as he bends his head down to kiss me.
The shock wanes, and I fight to get out of his grasp. I try pushing off his chest, but he is squeezing me against his body so tight I can’t get any leverage to move.
You’ve made a big mistake, Creepy.
I raise my knee to drive it into his balls, but Jonathan’s head is yanked back with such force I think his neck may have snapped. His hold on me disappears abruptly and I fall backward, slamming into the bar before landing on the ground.
I look up to see that Theo has a fistful of Jonathan’s hair gripped tightly in his hand as he pulls the man backward and spins him so they are face-to-face. Theo grasps Jonathan’s shirt in one hand and with the other, punches him so hard blood shoots from Jonathan’s mouth, spraying droplets on the back wall.
Theo’s hand comes to Jonathan’s throat and squeezes as he lifts the man off his feet. Jonathan struggles to breathe. Suspended in the air and kicking his feet, he tries to wiggle out of Theo’s grasp.
Jonathan is not a tiny man, none of the guards are, but Theo makes him look like he is as light as a feather.
The rage flaring through Theo’s eyes is primal. Something I have never seen before and never expected to see on his face.
“I told you not to put your hands on her! I’ll punish you for defying a direct order from your captain,” he declares angrily, his voice demanding.
He looks terrifying.
The act of pure animalistic rage should horrify me. I don’t need Theo to protect me, but I can’t fight the ache growing between my thighs as my pulse increases from watching him come to my rescue. There is something so arousing about Theo pummeling Jonathan to oblivion.
Something is seriously wrong with me.
Theo drops Jonathan, causing Jonathan’s knees to slam into the floor, leaving him gasping for air.
“Leave now before your punishment is any worse,” Theo says sternly as Jonathan promptly crawls away to his friends who are waiting at the door.
Scurry away, little man.
Theo watches Jonathan leave before turning and bending to me on the floor. His hands slide along my body, checking for injuries. His touch leaves sparks on my skin as he goes.
“I’m fine, Theo. My body may have a few bruises and so may my ego, but otherwise I’m well,” I say, trying to be reassuring.
His still-blazing eyes meet mine and his hands halt on my upper thighs. It takes all my self-control not to open my legs wide for him.
“I’m sorry, Vivienne. He had no right to grab you like that, and I am sorry I didn’t make it to you faster. And—”
I place both my hands on his face, cupping his cheeks, forcing him to stop his unnecessary apology.
“You protected me twice tonight and even punched a man for me. You have nothing to be sorry for. You’re not responsible for the failures of other men. You’re a good man, Theo. Thank you for being my knight in shining armor tonight.”
His eyes finally soften, and the anger seems to ebb.
Harvey steps through the back door, finding us on the floor behind the bar.
“V, what happened? Are you ok?” he asks while rushing toward me.
Theo doesn’t budge from in front of me, blocking Harvey’s way.
“I’m fine, Harvey. That creepy guard, Jonathan, thought it was a good idea to put his hands on me. Theo showed him how bad of an idea it was.” I smile at Theo, my hands still on his cheeks.
“There’s blood on the wall. I would say that was a hard lesson,” Harvey says, sounding impressed. “Thanks for keeping her safe for me, Captain.” Harvey pats Theo’s shoulder.
