Sage nodded, weaving her way through the crowded bar.
Why would I be jealous of another woman? I didn’t get jealous. Likeever. I may have been raised surrounded by cowboys, but I could be a girl’s girl. While some women were catty and territorial, I never felt that I had to be. I was trying to rack my brain, but I don’t think I ever once felt as though I had to compete with another woman for a guy’s attention. Maybe it was because I never had to work for it or really didn’t care to try. I was always 100 percent myself, and that typically attracted plenty of men to choose from.
With Reed, though, all that went out the window. Seeing a woman on Reed’s arm … it made me feel things I wasn’t used to. Hell, it even pissed me off more. I mean, she had great tits, and I don’t think I would have faulted her one bit for showing them off. Fuck, I’d do the same thing. There was no reason for me to hate her, other than the fact that she wastouchingReed. And he waslettingher.
I felt as if I were about ready to blow a gasket. All these feelings needed to go somewhere, and I was never one to keep them bottled inside. I was ready to fling open the gates and release the hounds, so to speak.
Reed ducked his head to whisper something in her ear, and I felt like I was so close to losing it.
My hand clutched around the now-empty bottle, and I wanted it to crack and splinter until it shattered in my grip. I wanted to feel the sting of it cutting into my flesh and the blood oozing down my arm, if only it meant to distract me from this fuckingfeeling. Or … chuck it at his head. That would work, too.
“Grab my ass again, and you’re going to get a knee in the fuckin’ balls.” Sage’s voice cut through my thoughts as she returned with our beers. My gaze swung to where she stood off to the right of our table.
“Come on, baby.” Some cowboy was nearly rubbing himself against her like a feral cat.
Her hands full of beer, she elbowed him in the ribs to push him away.
The hell if I was going to let my friend get groped by this jackass who didn’t take no for an answer. I shot to my feet and hurried to help, taking my drink to free up one of her hands.
She stepped to the side, allowing us both to face this prick head-on. He wasn’t a bad looking guy, but he had a porn ’stache that told me he thought he was God’s gift to women. My nose wrinkled at the pungent smell of his cologne, like he fucking bathed in it.
“You heard her, douchebag. Step the fuck off,” I told him.
“This has nothing to do with you, sugar,” he said snidely, glaring at me.
“Don’t call me sugar, asshole. Touch my friend again. Idareyou.” I took a step closer, putting myself between him and Sage, my boots nearly bumping his. He was several inches taller andmaybe had fifty pounds on me, but I could still inflict some damage if I had to.
“Lina, he’s not worth our time. Let’s go.” Sage put a hand on my elbow, but I brushed her off.
I was wanting a fight. Ineededto fight. To let out this anger bubbling inside me and prove to myself that I wasn’t some damsel in distress. I could rescue myself—and my friend while I was at it—if the situation called for it.
The dude stepped closer, and like a knee-jerk reaction, I tossed my full drink in his face and watched his eyes flash red as the beer dripped down his now-hardened expression, the bottle shattering at his feet.
“What the fuck, bitch!”
I raised my arms, about to push him, when a strong arm wrapped around my middle, lifting me off my feet, pulling me back against his hard chest. I immediately started flailing, my legs kicking and arms swinging. I wanted to hit this asshole in his ugly mug. I wanted to kick and punch whoever was brave enough to hold me back.
No one should ever fucking hold me back.
16
reed
Lina thrashed in my arms as I pulled her away from the asshole I was now shooting daggers at. He had planted his feet and clenched his fists at his sides, like he was prepared to swing.
“You fucking going to fight a woman?” I barked.
Christian, Kale, and Chuck were already rushing over. Christian went straight to Sage, while Kale and Chuck bracketed either side of this dumbass, ready to drag him away if need be.
“Get this guy out of here,” Chuck ordered one of the bartenders who was ramming through the commotion of the bar to reach us.
“Let go of me!” Lina cried, pushing on my arm to loosen my hold.
“Neither one of these bitches are worth it,” the motherfucker said, shrugging off the bartender’s grip and turning to head out of the bar.
“Stop fighting me,” I growled in her ear.
“Then get your fucking hands off me.” Lina pushed at my arm again, her feet no longer kicking.
