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“I think you’d better get your hands off her right now,” Damon’s voice is a predatory growl, and I feel my heart leap within me. He’s here. Everything will be okay now. Damon won’t let anything happen to me.
Randal narrows his eyes up at Damon, but he instantly releases my wrist. I pull it back to me and rub it with my hand, a motion that doesn’t go unnoticed by Damon. Fire flashes in his eyes as he looks back at Randal again.
“I’m going to give you until the count of three to get out here, or I swear to God I’ll break your worthless jaw.”
“Who the fuck do you think—“ Randal begins, but then Tony, the owner of the restaurant comes over. I look up and realize that every eye in the restaurant is on us.
“I’m not even giving you until the count of three. Get out,” his head jerks toward the door, telling Randal exactly where to go.
Randal looks between the two men before his eyes flit back to me accusingly. He would act like this is all my fault. That’s just the type of asshole he is. Randal is the king of gaslighting. Nothing is ever his fault in his book.
He mutters something under his breath that I can’t make out, but he heads for the door.
“Don’t ever come back here,” Tony calls after him. “No one manhandles my staff here.”
Randal doesn’t say anything as he exits, the little bell to the restaurant ringing in the dead silence as everyone watches.
My face heats at the stir we’ve caused, but then Tony splays his hands and grins, and everyone in the restaurant applauds like he’s a hero before they get back to their meals.
Damon puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me to the back office area where we’re joined by Tony a second later.
“You know that guy?” Tony asks me.
I nod before confessing. “Yeah, he’s my stepdad.”
Tony shoots a knowing glance over my head at Damon that lets me know Damon must have told him about Randal. While that might should anger me, it doesn’t. Instead, I’m grateful that I don’t have to explain it all again.
“Well, he won’t be coming around here anymore,” Tony assures me. “You want to take the rest of the day off?”
“What?” I ask in surprise before continuing. “No. No way. I’m fine. Really. I promise.”
“Hadley,” Damon begins, but I interrupt him.
“Damon, I’m fine. I won’t let him get to me. I can finish my shift.”
Damon’s eyes flicker with something that I think is pride, and Tony looks pleasantly surprised as well.
Tony nods at me. “Okay, then, if you’re sure you’re okay.”
“I am,” I reiterate. I’m not going to let Randal make me look like I’m a weakling. I might have run from him once, but I’m safe here. I’m not going to let him run me out of my job—even if the manager did offer to let me have the rest of the day off.
“At least go ahead and take your break,” Tony tells me.
“Okay,” I concede to that.
Tony walks away and leaves me and Damon standing together.
Damon reaches out his hand and strokes it down my hair before cupping my cheek. “You sure you’re okay, sweetheart?” His eyes look down at me with concern.
I take a deep breath and nod. “Yeah, I can’t say it wasn’t disconcerting seeing him again, but you guys handled it.” I smile up at him, but his jaw hardens as he thinks back on it.
“I should have snapped his neck,” he grinds out.
I place my hand on his cheek now, and he covers it with his own hand. “Nobody touches you,” he tells me, an almost feral light in his eyes.
“Nobody but you,” I confirm to him, sensing that’s what he needs to hear, and then his lips crash down on mine desperately.
He kisses me feverishly, leaving no doubt in my mind that this isn’t just any kiss. This kiss is a claiming. He’s possessively staking his claim on me, marking me with his lips, and that causes my knees to weaken.
