I don’t remember hitting anything. Weird. “Thanks for stopping to help.”
“Every princess needs a knight to come to her rescue.” He stands and shifts closer until I’m caged in between him and the back of the SUV.
Why couldn’t it have been Dorian who stopped?
I shuffle back a step. “The tire’s in here.”
He doesn’t even glance at it. “Maybe we could have dinner together. Talk about your grandma’s house. Get to know each other.”
“I don’t?—”
Philip gently grips my upper arm, stopping my retreat. “I won’t bite.”
CHAPTER FOUR
DORIAN
“Get your hands off her.” My low growl barely sounds human, but he can’t mistake my meaning when I grab the back of his shirt and jerk him back a few steps.
Philip Weeks, the slimy realtor I’ve seen in town, sputters until he sees me.
“B-b-beast.” He gulps.
Beyond him, Lisette’s shoulders sag. A tiny smile forms on her lips when our eyes lock.
A surge of heat barrels through me, knowing she’s relieved to see me. Not frightened.
I step between her and Weeks, keeping her tucked securely behind me. She’s so tiny. My body completely blocks his view.
Philip straightens to his full height, tilting his chin back to glare at me. “I was helping her.”
“Looked different to me.”
“I was offering comfort. She was shaken from the flat. Tell him, Lisette.”
I feel the press of her palm on the center of my back. My breath hitches tight at the contact.
“He did stop to help,” Lisette says, inching out from behind me. She waves toward her vehicle. “I didn’t have a jack.”
The smug bastard smiles. “She has all the help she needs.”
Not from this asshole. I step into his personal space. “Damn right. Me.”
“But—”
“She’s under my protection. Understand?”
Philip shoots a panicked look between us. “Lisette?”
She hands his jacket to him. “It’s okay, Mr. Weeks. Thanks for stopping. Dorian will help.”
“Dorian? You know this Beast?” He sneers the word.
I stiffen.
Lisette offers me a shy smile. “We used to be best friends.”
We will be again. I’m not letting her go until that’s settled.
