He yelps.
His friends go quiet and lean back in their chairs as if to distance themselves from what’s playing out at their table.
“Stand up,” I say.
“What the fuck?” he blusters.
I yank. He scrambles up, nearly knocking his chair over.
Stepping between him and the server, I shield her from his view. Behind my back, her breath catches. She’s so close I can smell warm vanilla and the faint scent of citrus from the restaurant’s soap on her skin.
I don’t let myself look at her yet. If I do, this man will leave in an ambulance.
“You will apologize,” I murmur.
“I…I’m sorry!” the asshole spits out, shaking. His face turns red as he tries to get out of my grip.
I hold back a grin. Now he knows what it feels like when a higher predator has control over him. And not surprisingly, he doesn’t like it.
I release my grin and let it turn feral.
The asshole trembles.
The waitress swallows. “It’s fine. I need to get back to?—”
“It’s not fine,” I interrupt, looking directly at her.
Andblyat.
Up close, she’s even more beautiful, with full lips made for sin and those green eyes glittering with unshed tears. The tears make me even more angry and my chest tightens with something fierce and possessive.
She’s too young, and too pure for a man like me. But I’ve never wanted anything more.
Blinking away the tears, she lifts her chin, and her gaze changes from defeated to defiant.
“I’ll take care of it,” I tell her quietly.
Her lips part, like she wants to argue. But then she nods and steps back, hugging her tray to her chest as though it’s shield.
I watch her for a moment, until she’s at a safe distance away from this creep. I lower my voice so only he can hear. “If you touch her again, or any other unwilling woman, the Kedrov family will teach you a lesson that has a long recovery.”
His eyes widen with belated recognition. He knows the Kedrov name. Knows what we are. WhatIam.
I release him with a shove. He stumbles, pale and shaking, and his friends suddenly decide it’s a great time to pay the check and leave. They throw cash on the table, grab the asshole, and scramble out of the restaurant as a group.
I turn to make sure the girl is okay.
She’s at the bar, hands trembling slightly as she wipes down a counter that’s already clean. Her chest rises fast, but she keeps wiping that counter. Tougher than she looks.
My jaw clamps tight.No woman should look that frightened.
I return to mine and Tyler’s table, but I don’t sit.
He looks at me like I’ve sprouted fangs. “What was that?”
“Business,” I say.
He swallows. “You, uh…you know that guy?”
