“If you don’t find your own way to the door, I’ll have to drag you there myself.”
The man didn’t back off. Instead, he moved closer. “I don’t want to hit a woman.”
Conan thought his teeth might crack.
But Alannah stood her ground, not giving an inch. “It sounds to me like you’re looking for an excuse to do just that.”
He’d give her two moves, then he was interfering. If she didn’t get the upper hand in two moves, Conan was going to paint this bastard’s face purple. Honestly, he might do it even if she did best him. He deserved no less for threatening two women over his own inability to conduct business.
The fight broke out as he’d expected. The man threw the first punch. Alannah dodged and missed her counterpunch. He landed his next one, propelling Alannah backward into a table.
Absolutely not.
Conan strode forward, more than prepared to ruin this man’s night.
Chapter Nine
Blood trickled fromher nose, but she couldn’t feel anything except fury. How could she haveeverconsidered courting this man? Clearly, her judgment was not to be trusted.
Worse, even with all her brothers’ training, Alannah knew she couldn’t win this fight. For all her talk of protecting Emer, she couldn’t do it when her sister needed her.
Emer.
The reminder of why she was prepared to take any number of blows brought her another wave of courage. Her sister was depending on her. Even if Conan came to aid her, she needed to keep going. One day soon, he wouldn’t be here to back her up.
Oran stepped toward her, winding back for another blow.
She shoved off the table, preparing to block it.
She never got the chance.
Instead, the satisfying sound of Conan’s fist connecting with Oran’s face interrupted their brawl. He didn’t give Oran a chance. The hits kept coming, one-two into his chest, another into his face, until he tumbled backwards, spitting out teeth.
Conan lifted Oran off the floor by his shirt, hauling him bodily to the door. “If you set foot in this building again, Alannah will kill you, and I’ll make sure she doesn’t owe the fine for it.”
Good Lord. A storm of emotions stirred within her, so many she couldn’t identify a single one as she watched the gorgeous giant defend her and respect her all in the same moment. He’dlet her fight. He’d given her a chance to hold her own before stepping in.
He’d believed in her enough to wait.
“Alannah!” Emer shouted, hurrying to her from where she’d been washing dishes. “Are you alright?”
Alannah shook those silly, girlish thoughts from her mind. It was because she’d bedded him that she had a soft spot for him. Turning to Emer, she hurried to put her sister’s worries at ease.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she assured her. “Are you alright? I’m sorry I let him get inside.”
“For heaven’s sake, Alannah!” Emer tsked. “I’m not the one who took a fist to the face. Let me get you a cloth.” She hustled back toward the kitchen.
After slamming the door on Oran and barring it, Conan rounded on her. The rage in his eyes dissolved into concern the moment he set eyes on her.
“Maybe I should have killed him.” His nose flared in anger, his jaw clenching so tightly she could see the muscles working.
It sent a familiar warmth straight through her, the memory of a sensation she craved but could not give into. It would be foolish to get too attached to a man just passing through—even one so interesting as Conan.
“He’s not worth the effort,” she told him, the pain finally settling in her nose. “Did he break it?”
Conan’s fingers gingerly ran the length of her nose and moved over her cheeks. “Luckily for him, he did not.” His squared jaw ticked tellingly. “So when you said he came by occasionally, what you meant was he threatened you nearly every day?”
Alannah swallowed, testing her own sore jaw. “Something like that, aye.”
