“I see them.”
One of the girls from that crew saunters up behind Bri and bumps her arm on the way to the bar. Not hard, but hard enough. Passive-aggressive and bratty, the kind of move thatcomes from someone pissed she’s not the one people are staring at.
Bri doesn’t react. Not at first.
Then she turns slowly, sips her drink, and says something. I can’t hear what it is, but it’s got Ansley barking out a laugh and the girl turning red as hell before stalking off like her ego just got kicked down a flight of stairs.
God, I love that mouth on her. Too much.
One of the frat boys edges closer again, this time trying to look slick about it. I recognize him, same one I warned earlier. Guess he didn’t learn.
He leans in like he’s gonna say something smooth, but before he gets a word out, Bri shifts away, still dancing, still smiling, but it’s cold now. Controlled.
She’s warning him.
And that should be the end of it. But some people just don’t know when to quit. He reaches for her arm. And that’s when I move. I’m out of my chair before Rev even finishes his sentence. “Shit, here we go,” He mutters.
I cross the floor in long, hard strides, cutting straight through the bodies between us. The second his hand brushes her, I’m there. I grab him by the front of his shirt and slam him back against the edge of the bar, my voice low but sharp enough to cut.
“I told you once,” I growl, my face inches from his. “Touch her again and I’ll break your fuckin’ arm.”
The whole bar goes still, the music suddenly background noise to the sound of me breathing through my teeth and him trying not to piss himself.
Bri stands behind me, quietly. I don’t have to look at her to know she’s watching. To know she’s not afraid.
I don’t let go until the guy nods, fast and panicked. “Okay, okay, I got it.”
“Good.” I shove him back toward his friends. “Get the fuck out.”
He scrambles, dragging his pride behind him, and I turn to find Bri still standing there, drink in hand, completely unfazed.
She tilts her head at me. “I had it under control, you know.”
I exhale through my nose, adrenaline still humming. “Didn’t look like it.”
“You didn’t even give me a chance to light him up.”
I step closer, low voice meant for her alone. “I don’t want you having to light anyone up, Bri. I don’t want you anywhere near that kind of shit.”
Her eyes spark, chin tilting. “Maybe I like being near it.”
I lean in, close enough to feel the warmth of her breath. “Maybe that’s the problem.”
She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t blink. Just stares up at me like she’s daring me to do something stupid.
And I’m one heartbeat away from doing it. From closing the distance. From forgetting why I’ve stayed away for so long. But I don’t. Not yet. I back off slowly, jaw tight, pulse hammering. “Stay close tonight,” I mutter.
She smiles, soft and wicked. “I always do.” And that right there? That’s gonna get me in all kinds of trouble.
The music kicks back up like nothing happened, but the energy in the room shifts. A little tenser. A little quieter. Like Perdition itself knows a line just got crossed and no one’s dumb enough to test it again.
I keep standing there a second longer, watching Bri as she takes another sip of her drink, completely unbothered. Unshaken. She could’ve been rattled, most would’ve been. But not her.
She’s fire in a red top, sipping vodka like it’s apple juice, and looking at me likeI’mthe one playing with matches.
Ansley leans over and says something to her, probably giving her shit, and Bri laughs, all light and heat and damn near knocking me out with one look.
I should walk away. I should turn around, go sit my ass back down next to Rev and pretend like none of this got under my skin.
