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I glared at the stranger, planting a plastic smile on my face. “Thank you but I doubt my girlfriend would approve.”
“Bring her along, baby.”
“You know. Mygirlfriend?”
The drunk seemed insulted. Then the happy-go-lucky smile on his face suddenly disappeared. “What the fuck is wrong with women?”
“Hey. Leave the lady alone,” the bartender called.
“Don’t tell me what to do, buddy,” the drunk snarled, jerking me against his sweaty body.
That was it. I shoved my hands against his chest, shocked the man’s hold was strong enough I didn’t budge. While my angle was off given how tightly he was holding me, when I jammed my palm under his jaw, my brutal action snapped his head enough I managed to get away.
“I think you need to go sleep it off,” I hissed, turning around on purpose and walking away.
“Only if you’re underneath me,” he called.
At that second, I heard a hard thud followed by a second. When I jerked around, the sight of my mystery lover with his hand wrapped around the back of the asshole’s neck, the man’s face smashed against the top of the bar, had me momentarily stunned.
“You should know better than to treat a lady with such disrespect,” the Russian snarled.
“Yeah? Fuck you.”
I knew as soon as the jerk made the comment, the Russian was going to react violently. He bashed the guy against the thick wood a second time, leaning in. Whatever he whispered to the man I knew had terrified him.
Oh, my God. The moment he lifted the asshole’s head, I could tell by the enraged expression on my mysterious lover’s face that he could easily snap the man’s neck. I was angry, incensed.
Thrilled.
Excited.
And clearly out of my fucking mind for finding such reprehensible behavior remotely attractive.
“No, sir. Never again, sir.” It was funny how the near assailant was no longer slurring his words. A little scared straight perhaps?
“Get the fuck out of here,” the Russian snarled, tossing the man back by several feet. When the guy tripped, pitching backward into the pool, almost everyone in the area clapped, cheering on the act of violence.
“The man has a set of balls,” the bartender huffed, and I wasn’t certain which man he was talking about.
“What the hell were you doing?” I asked, not bothering to walk any closer. Butterflies churned in my stomach, yet every muscle was tingling from a combination of anger and desire. This craziness made me lightheaded.
“By the looks of it, keeping you from getting assaulted,” he answered. “You should know better than to entice a man the way you do.”
“What? Are you crazy? I was doing nothing more than enjoying my… my vacation. Who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can’t do anyway?” Was he kidding? One night of hot sex and he thought he owned me.
“It’s obvious you were blinded to the fact that man meant you harm.”
Harm. What?
“From that man? I’m more likely to be fed on by sharks in the middle of the pool.”
He came closer, adjusting his jacket as if roughing up some jerk had been hard work. “I have no doubt you have incredible capabilities, Stephanie. However, did you happen to notice the man had a gun positioned beneath his colorful shirt?” His words dripped of disdain as he threw a look into the pool.
I followed his gaze, noticing the outline as the asshole climbed out of the water. “I can protect myself against almost anyone carrying a loaded weapon.”
Chuckling, he nodded to the bartender and within seconds two glasses of golden liquid were slid across the bar. “No, it’s obvious that you can’t. A woman alone on an island isn’t an acceptable choice.”
I was flabbergasted, glaring at the drink in his hand as I tried to think of a comeback. The arrogance of the man was astounding. “I don’t want your drink.”
