“What?” I asked, my brow furrowed in confusion. “Um, no, I don’t think so.”
“Come on, let’s get you some for that lethal weapon you’ve got there.” He hooked his arm around my shoulders and led me to the car.
“Peas?” I asked. “Why peas?”
“Works better than ice,” he said, starting the ignition. “Because they’re small, which makes it easier to wrap around your hand.”
I buckled my seat belt with my left hand. “Sounds like you’ve done this before.”
“I’ve been in my share of bar fights,” he said with a sly smile. “None quite as epic as this, though. What were you thinking?”
“Honestly, I don’t even know,” I admitted with a laugh. “I think my rage caused me to blackout.”
He started in the direction of the supermarket just down the street. “That guy was like, three times your size. You could have gotten yourself killed.”
I pinned him with an accusatory stare. “Oh yeah? What about your touch-her-and-die move?”
He bit back a grin. “Wewere a bit more evenly matched.”
“Whatever,” I said. “I just couldn’t let that asshole talk to you like that. Those awful things he was saying…”
“To be fair, they were true,” he said, his voice growing soft.
“First of all,” I began, “you’re not a drunk. You don’t even drink.”
“I did.”
“Well, you don’t anymore, and that guy was a dick for judging you, anyway. Fuck him.”
“And Jax always was the favorite,” he said. “Being the lead singer and all.”
“So?” I said. “That band wouldn’t have been the same without you, and you know it.”
He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “It means a lot that you stood up for me. But please don’t risk your life for me again.”
“Hmm,” I said, pretending to think. “No deal.”
“McKenzie,” he warned.
“What if we get mugged and I need to use my taser to ward off a burglar?” I asked. “Or you get kidnapped, and I’m the only person who knows, forcing me to use my particular set of skills to save you.”
He snorted. “Thanks, Liam Neeson, but I’ve got it handled.”
I pursed my lips as he pulled the car into the lot and parked. “Fine. But only if you promise me the same. No more throwing guys against walls at bars.”
“I can’t promise that.”
“Why not?” I countered.
“Because I can’t be responsible for what I’ll do if someone threatens you,” he said, gripping the steering wheel. “When I saw that fucker step up to you, something inside me snapped.”
Butterflies wearing boxing gloves fluttered around my stomach. “Really?”
Luca’s Adam's apple bobbed as he worked to swallow. “Don’t act so surprised. I care about you.” A weighted silence fell over us, our eyes locked. There’d been a palpable energy between us when we’d been dancing back at the tavern. A current so strong, I could almost see it with my naked eye. Had he felt it too?
After another second that felt like a lifetime, he cleared his throat. “I mean, we’re friends. Obviously, I care.”
My heart sank, but I forced a defiant smile over my mouth. “Then it looks like we’re at a stalemate, buddy. Because I’m never just going to stand by while someone treats you like that.”
