“What the fuck, Reeves?”
I stood tall, adjusting my ball cap, and slowed my breathing. I might not have known what my immediate plans were with Marnie, but they sure as shit didn’t include having to fight off these two horny dipshits staring up at me like they’d never seen someone fly into a jealous rage before.
I leaned forward, palms placed calmly on the table this time, and stared down at them. I’m not gonna lie and say I didn’t enjoy seeing Parker shrinking back slightly.
“Right, listen up,” I began quietly. “No one, and I mean no one, is to go near Marnie Matthews. I don’t give a fuck if you are scheduled to see her. I’m canceling all the appointments now.”
Stone looked at me like my mind had gone the way of the orange juice. “Er, Reeves, I don’t think you can do that.”
“Watch me,” I snarled, knowing full well he was correct. I pointed to the open mouths of Ace and Parker. “And you two spread the word about it. No one is to go near her.”
“Um, okay…” said Parker, his tone the level of calm I’d failed to achieve, and whom I then decided in that second I liked better. “But you want to explain yourself?”
“Not really.”
I crossed my arms over my chest with a huff, realizing I may have just dropped myself into the deep shit-filled trench of club gossip, because there’s no way my outburst wasn’t going to get around. And while I didn’t give a fuck, I didn’t want Marnie dragged into anything.
“Jupiter, Shepherd will find out about this when no one is turning up to see this expert he’s brought in. You saw the email.”
I pulled my chair in and sat down. “I don’t read emails.”
“Well, it said that she’s new to the staff and all our schedules have been updated with sessions to meet her.”
“I’d definitely take a session with her,” smirked Ace under his breath, but not quietly enough.
My head whipped round with an ill-concealed snarl. “I will knock your head off.”
His palms shot up defensively. “Okay, okay. Chill.”
I was not going to chill.
It became clear no one was going to say anything else. Only thedrip, drip,of orange juice hitting the floor could be heard. I took a deep breath and rubbed my temples, willing my racing heart to calm. It had been years since I’d felt this level of rage over a woman. In fact, Marnie was the only woman I’d ever felt jealousy over.
In all my years since her, there hadn’t been one woman who’d ever piqued my interest enough to raise an eyebrow over, let alone my pulse.
“Okay, dude, what the fuck is going on?”
I looked up at Stone, then the two rookies sitting and gawping. Stone turned to them because we both knew I wasn’t going to speak in front of them.
“You two, breakfast time is over. Go find a mop or something.”
They shot up and ran off without any argument. Stone simply looked at me, crunching down on a piece of toast he’d picked up off Ace’s plate, then sat back and waited.
“Okay, but you keep my secret and I’ll keep yours.” I offered up the trade before I got stuck into the actual intel.
Stone gave a single nod, like he was fucking Mr. Miyagi.
“The girl I told you about earlier, the one I’m working on who doesn’t want anything to do with me?” I looked at him dead-on. “It’s Marnie Matthews, the new girl.”
He threw the rest of Ace’s toast down, picked up a napkin, and wiped his fingers clean. “Whoa, seriously? But she’s only just started here! How did you fuck it up already?”
I shook my head slowly. “No, it’s not like that. We were in high school together. She was my first girlfriend, the only girlfriend I’ve had. The only woman I’ve ever loved. I broke up with her the day I was drafted. It had to be done, but I’ve regretted it every single day since. I never thought I would ever have the chance to make it up to her, but then Penn Shepherd came to see me. I said I would only play for The Lions if he found her and offered her a job.”
“Holy fuck!” he yelled, then dropped his voice at my snarledshhh. “Sorry, but that was not what I was expecting you to say!”
“She moved here from Houston.”
Stone’s eyes opened wider. “What? Like me?”
