Vinny leads Tessa away, and my hackles rise.
“Sir, do you have your ticket?”
I glare at the valet, and he backs off immediately. I resume the show that I apparently have a front-row ticket to, but Vinny and Tessa are gone.
Unable to keep myself from chasing the fire, I weave in and out of the crowd, forcing tight-lipped smiles when needed, and round the corner.
My pulse skips at the sound of her voice.
The same voice in my ear that drives me absolutely fucking insane while we work tirelessly to fix the inconsistencies within my car.
“Vinny, back off.”
He chuckles, and my nostrils flare.
Did he not hear her?
“How long are you going to hold out on me?” he asks. “You give me a little taste and then play hard to get.”
“Youtooka little taste,” she says, emphasizing the wordtook. “There’s a difference.”
My ears grow hot.
Vinny slips his hand down the front of Tessa’s hourglass frame until he lands at her hip.
She grips his wrist. “Vinny.”
“Tess,” he murmurs.
His mouth moves to her neck, and rage mixes in with my rational thoughts.
She turns her head, panic evident. Our eyes snag, and for the first time, she doesn’t look at me with disdain. Instead, she’s looking at me with relief.
It fucks with my head.
I step forward, gravel crunching beneath my weight. “You speak English, yes?”
Vinny’s mouth hovers over Tessa’s delicate neck, and he turns slightly to look at me. I shove my hands into my pockets to hide my flexed fists from both of them.
I feign a calm composure and wait for his answer.
“Can’t you see that we’re a little busy?” he asks, moving closer to eliminate any space between them.
It takes one quick helpless look from Tessa in my direction for my restraint to break.
I stride toward them, Vinny’s edged jaw flexing the closer I get.
“Take your hands off my engineer.”
His guard drops, and Tessa takes full advantage. With the slit in her dress, she’s able to raise her knee and forcefully shove it in between Vinny’s legs. He bends at the waist, and a guttural noise follows.
Tessa slips out from his grasp, and out of pure instinct, I grab onto her arm and move her behind me so he no longer has the privilege of looking at her.
I don’t care that Vinny is incapacitated, I step in line with him and forcefully grab a hold of him. With my fingers digging into his arm, I shove him against the building wall. He flings my hand away but doesn’t dare swing at me.
I’m bigger and better than him, and he knows it.
“Don’t touch what’s mine,” I warn.
