I drop my tools and march over to her before I even realize what I’m doing. I slide up next to her, wrap my arm around her waist, and tug her back against me.
If Odette is surprised by it, she doesn’t react. Instead, she sinks against me, like I’m a comfortable blanket and she’s been searching for me on a long winter night.
“How’s it going over here?” I ask, staring each one of them down, especially the one who dared to lay a hand on her.
“Holy shit,” one says, staring up at me with wide eyes. “You’re Noah Stevens.”
“LiketheNoah Stevens,” another speaks up.
“As in the guy who scored a hat trick in game seven of the Stanley Cup Final in double overtime, giving the team a win, Noah Stevens.”
They all seem completely starstruck. I think I might actually enjoy this if it weren’t for the fact that these guys were just flirting with my girl.
My girl.
Fuck. There I go again, saying Odette is mine when she’s not.
Still, it doesn’t stop me from tightening my hold on her.
I’m jealous.
It’s strange. I’ve never been like this before, not with Chelsea or any of my other ex-girlfriends who came before her. I was never bothered by this stuff. But seeing these guys fall all over the woman pressed against me? I don’t know. It brings out a side of me I have never experienced.
One of the guys takes his hat off and thrusts it toward me. “Can you sign this? I can’t believe I’m meeting you right now. I mean, I knew when we booked this gig that you owned the place, but I thought it was just like one of those celebrities owning a brand sort of deal, you know? I didn’t think that you would actually be here.”
I almost feel bad for my possessiveness.Almost.
“Guys,” Odette says, holding her hands out to stop him. “While I’m sure Noah here is very flattered by your admiration, this is still his business, and he’s kind of in the middle of work.We’rekind of in the middle of work. We have a rehearsal, so let’s get on with that so you can get out of here. We still have a lot to set up for the wedding, and we’re burning daylight.”
The guy looks a little dejected, but nods anyway, putting his cap back on his head.
Odette ushers them away and then turns toward me. She’s so close I can see all the different shades of blue in her eyes, and they’re absolutely gorgeous in the warm summer light.
She’s grinning up at me, and all it does is pull my frown deeper.
“What.” It doesn’t even come out a question.
She laughs lightly. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
I narrow my eyes, not believing her. “I didn’t like the way they were looking at you, okay?”
“They were just being nice, is all.”
“Being nice my ass,” I grumble. “I know being nice, and they were being way more than justnice. They were looking at you like you were a piece of meat.”
“They were not. You’re overreacting.”
“I’m not. I promise you I’m not. I see you, Odette. I know what those curves do to a man.”
“Oh?” Her fingers dance along the hem of my plain orange T-shirt. “Care to elaborate on that at all?”
She blinks up at me, and I know what she’s doing. She’s toying with me. She’s trying to rile me up.
And fuck if it isn’t working.
“Odette ...” I warn. “I am not beyond pulling you to the back side of the barn, pressing you up against it, sinking my cock into you, and letting those assholes hear every damn moan that leaves you because of me.”
She gulps. She knows from experience that I’m being completely serious. I don’t know what it is about her, but I lose all sense of myself and do things I would normally never do, like fuck her outside. We could have easily been caught, but I didn’t care.
