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The man gave me a look of mock pity. “Sheis not sweet. The only person she looks out for is herself.”
“Oh, you can’t mean that,” I said, turning on my Texas drawl. It usually helped to disarm.
“I do. Now kindly move so Gwen and I can have a chat.”
“I can’t do that.” If I’d had on my cowboy hat, I would’ve flicked the brim up, a sign that I wasn’t afraid and sure as hell wasn’t backing down.
“She has something that belongs to me, and I want it back. If she returns it, we’ll call it even,” he said. Not believing him for a minute, I narrowed my eyes, enjoying this little charade. “You the one who gave her the shiner?” The answering sneer told me all I needed to know. “I don’t give a damn if she did take something of yours. A manneverlays a hand on a woman.” I nudged Sonya with my ass, urging her to start distancing herself. I was about to get in a fight, and damn if I didn’t look forward to it. The only thing that would make it any better was if Easton were here to help me take these two motherfuckers out.
The goon was solid muscle, but his boss would be easy enough to eliminate. Without waiting, I smashed the woman-beater in the nose, the sound of bone crunching a prelude to the blood that sprayed like a geyser. He doubled over, holding his beak, and I focused on the muscle, landing a jab to his kidneys. Anoofescaped him, but he was barely deterred. I shoved him into his boss, who fell to the ground with a shriek.
A woman pushing a baby stroller toward us crossed the otherwise quiet street without making eye contact. A face peered out the window of the bar, but the few other people around pretended not to notice the fight going on.
An uppercut, a blow to the jaw, and another to his nose had him staggering. He still landed a punch square on my cheek, which only pissed me off more. Sam got in on the action, biting at his pants leg and ripping them. I gripped the giant’s shoulders and kneed him in the stomach while he was distracted, using a leg to sweep his out from under him. He landed on the sidewalk with a thud, and I put my boot on his throat.
“Let’s call this even. What do you say, boys?” The suit wheezed as the muscle gasped for air. One hard shove, and it would be all over. “Do you want to keep this guy? He’s shit at being a bodyguard,” I said, the suit looking up at me, blood covering his face and hands. “A broken nose hurts like a motherfucker.” I pretended to be sympathetic as a whimper escaped him. “Forget you ever knew her. If you even think about her, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do.”
I applied pressure to the goon’s throat, and he gasped for a few seconds before I let up. When I turned my back and walked away, I whistled as though I hadn’t just beat the shit out of the two of them. Sonya was nowhere in sight, which was both a relief and a concern. If those two found her before I did, that black eye she’d had would be nothing. I whistled for Sam and headed in the direction of Paths of Purpose, half convinced she’d never show up there, but about six blocks into my trek, a hand darted out and dragged me into an alley.
“Fuck me,” she demanded breathlessly. Sam jumped on her, his paws on her stomach. She kissed his nose. I snapped, and he sat beside us.
“Thought you were at your limit for the day,” I teased, letting her touch me wherever she wanted. I never did that with other women. It felt good, like she was possessing me with every caress.
“I didn’t saytalkto me. I saidfuckme.”
“Sugar, I do believe you deserve better than an alley, and we’ve got a head start. We should take advantage.”
“I intend to,” she said, moving toward the buttons of my shirt.
I caught her wrists, and she glared at me, almost consumed in her mission to have me. I dragged her against me so she could feel just how much I wanted her too, hopefully softening the blow that we were not doing this here and now. “Tigress, when we get home, I promise you can have your way with me.”
That didn’t placate her in the least. In fact, she seemed incensed. “I want you now.” She had my shirt half untucked from my jeans. Exhilaration shot through me that she wanted me this desperately.
I pressed into her, halting all movement. “Is there anything you need from Paths of Purpose?” I asked darkly, praying to God she’d say no so I could take her back to the apartment and lose myself in her.
Desire turned to anger, a defiant lift of her chin indicating she wasn’t going to make things easy.
“You’re going home with me,” I informed her before she got any of her own ideas.
“The hell I am,” she fired right back.
This was going to be a monumental argument, but one I would win. “I’m not letting you out of my sight until I’m sure those two are no longer a threat.”
“And how do you propose to do that?” She attempted to move her hands, but I still had her wrists shackled above her head.
“Let me worry about that.”
“I’m going back to the shelter.”
“No.”
“You have no say whatsoever. I’m safer there than with you.”
We’d promised each other truth, and she was dishing out brutal honesty. It fucking stung. “I can’t protect you there.”
“I don’t need your protection.”
I swear the woman would argue with a fence post. “We’re not going to fight over this. You’re coming with me. That’s the end of it,” I said firmly. I had no idea what she was going to do next, but I covered my junk in case that was where we were headed.
