The man smirked. “Aw, sweetheart—”
“No.” Her tone rang with a force he couldn’t argue with.
Customers at a few nearby tables looked over before returning to their conversations. Summer forced herself to breathe and walk away again. Causing a scene in the middle of a packed bar wouldn’t help anybody.
When she saw him get up and stumble to the restroom, she took the chance to deliver his fries. But minutes later she was serving a nearby table and fingers snagged the back pocket of her jeans.
That did it.
She whipped around so fast that fury blurred through her vision. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
The man actually laughed.
From the corner of her eye, she spotted a tall figure. Then everything blurred.
One second Summer stood there, seething and humiliated.
The next Vander had grabbed the man by the front of the shirt and ripped him out of his chair like he weighed as much as a Wyoming cloud on a summer day. He propelled him three steps backward and slammed him against the wall hard enough to rattle the framed beer signs.
Everyone in the vicinity went dead quiet. Only the thump of music and boots filled the silence.
Vander’s long fingers wrapped around the guy’s throat. Pure violence rolled off him in controlled waves.
Her stomach wobbled, but not from fear. In awe.
The drunk man clawed at Vander’s wrist. “What the fu—”
“If you touch her again”—his voice carried around the room as a low growl—“you’ll be eating with a straw.”
No one moved.
Vander leaned closer, his calm demeanor making the threat worse. “And you’ll need somebody else to hold your dick when you piss.”
Summer gulped.
Holy.
Shit.
The guy’s face paled.
Vander released him abruptly, but his fists remained curled. The man sagged against the wall, gasping.
Summer heard a few whispers spreading around them. Then the drunk grabbed his jacket and left.
Vander turned to her, the fury gone from his expression, leaving only the pinch of concern. “You okay?”
Adrenaline and hot desire collided in her veins, pumping through her bloodstream and leaving her breathless. She nodded once because her brain temporarily stopped functioning.
Somebody muttered, “Damn.”
The noise of the bar quickly resumed around them.
Vander stepped closer but didn’t touch her. “You wanna go home?”
She searched his eyes, drinking in the protective fury layered behind worry. The way he could shut his anger down that fast was both terrifying and impressive.
She managed a small shake of her head. “I have a few hours left in my shift. I’ll be okay.”
