“Someone’s gotta save you from your own bad decisions,” I mutter, never looking away from Frat Boy.
“I was doing just fine,” she says, voice smug.
He finally takes the hint, hands up, backing off with a muttered, “Whatever, dude.”
Smart choice.
He slinks back to his crew, and I watch him go, jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth.
Bri turns in her seat, crossing her legs slowly, and looks up at me. “Was that necessary?”
“Just tired of watching guys who wouldn’t last five minutes in this world think they’ve got the right to put their hands on you,” I say, my voice low.
She arches a brow. “So it’s about respect?”
“It’s aboutyou,” I snap before I can stop myself.
That catches her off guard. Just for a second. The smile falters. Her eyes flicker.
I lean in, just close enough that only she can hear me. “You keep pokin’ the bear, Bri. One of these days, he’s gonna bite.” I say, walking away before I say something I’ll really regret.
Because if I stay too long, I’m not gonna stop at a warning. I’m gonna find out exactly how far she’ll push me. And how far I’ll go to make hermine.
I stalk back to the table, my jaw tight, heart still punching against my ribs like it’s got something to prove. Rev doesn’t say a word, just lifts his beer and watches me sit back down, smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth like he saw the whole damn thing. Which he probably did. “Handle it?” he asks, voice low and amused.
I grunt, leaning back in my chair and grabbing my bottle. “Idiot tried to put a hand on her.”
Rev whistles under his breath. “Still got all his teeth?”
“For now.”
I take a long pull from my beer and watch the crowd, but my eyes keep drifting back to the bar. Bri’s laughing again, brushing off the moment like it didn’t rattle her at all. But I saw the shift, just for a second, when I told her it was about her. When the teasing stopped and something real cut through the bullshit.
SheknowsI’m toeing a line I swore I wouldn’t cross. And she’s just daring me to step over it. She turns her head then, eyes catching mine across the bar like shefeltme looking. There’s a spark there. A challenge. A soft little smirk that says she’s not backing down.
Goddamn. She doesn’t even have to try. Doesn’t have to dress like that or toss her hair or smile like she wants to start a fire just to watch it burn. Sheisthe fire. Wild and sharp and bright enough to blind a man if he’s stupid enough to look too long. And I can’t stop staring.
Rev takes a swig and says, “You ever gonna admit she’s got you by the balls, or you gonna keep pretending you don’t care until someone else makes a move?”
I glare at him, but he just grins like he’s been waiting to poke this particular bruise. “Drop it,” I mutter.
“I’ll drop it when you stop lookin’ at her like she’s the only thing in the room worth bleeding for.”
I don’t answer. Because he’s not wrong. And that pisses me off more than anything else tonight.
Across the bar, Bri raises her glass to her lips, that red top glowing like a damn warning sign under the neon lights.
I’m already in too deep. And she knows it. Problem is, once I cross that line with her, there’s no coming back. Not for me. Not for her. And if anyone thinks they’re gonna put their hands on her again? They’re not walking out of Perdition in one piece.
Rev goes quiet beside me, finally taking the hint, but I can still feel that smug energy radiating off him like he’s just waiting for round two. I ignore it, keep my eyes on the room. I’m not looking at her again, I’m not. I need space. Air. Something to pull me out of the mess I keep letting her drag me into with one damn look.
But then she starts dancing. Not grinding. Not putting on a show. Just that light sway, drink in hand, laughing with Ansley like the music’s hers and she doesn’t have a care in the damn world. She always moves like that. Free. Like no one’s watching, or like shewantssomeone to be.
And yeah, everyone’s watching. I see the way the eyes in the room shift toward her. The subtle ones. The not-so-subtle ones. The group of college kids eyeing her like they’ve forgotten I already gave their buddy a warning.
I lean forward, elbows on the table, muscles tight. I’m close to snapping already, and the night’s not even halfway over.
“Blade,” Rev says low, like he already knows.
