“You do way more than that for all of us, and every last one of us appreciates it too,” I called after him.
“Appreciate me with one of those decadent crab cakes the next time you make them, and this time, don’t skimp on the creamy garlic butter sauce,” he said, chuckling as he yanked open the door.
“You got it,” I replied before it banged shut behind him.
“Ready to get cleaned up so we can go home and do absolutely nothing for two whole days besides nibble yummy things and veg out in front of the television?” Murry asked.
“Hell yeah.”
At home, we tended to indulge in long, hot showers that grew steamy in ways that had nothing to do with the heat of the water. Here, we had enough respect and consideration for our fellow dancers to not only shower together to conserve water but also to wash each other quickly and get the hell out without using up too much of the hot water supply. It took time to blow-dry our hair too, but my motorcycle didn’t offer much of a wind buffer, even with helmets on, so that was one step of our routine we never rushed through.
Outside, the night was cooler than normal, due to the storms that had been rolling through the region all week. The much-needed rain had been nice, even if it meant we’d had to use a ride share to get to work instead of riding in on my baby. I was glad the storm systems had moved west of us, because I neededa bit of wind therapy after dealing with some of the assholes who’d been in the club tonight. We’d just reached the bike when I noticed Murry hadn’t zipped his jacket up, so I turned to do it for him when someone grabbed my wrist and twisted, yanking me a half-step away from him.
“You got me tossed out of there, you little shit,” the guy growled, and damn if it wasn’t the bastard who’d smacked my ass.
“I’m about to do worse than that if you don’t fucking let go of me,” I snapped, tugging and twisting my hand, trying to pry my wrist free of his bruising grip. Only in the heat of the moment, I couldn’t remember anything of the self-defense lessons Murry had shared with me.
It was a good thing he was there, even if I hated him being in the line of fire. It was clear that the asshole didn’t see him as a threat, either, because he just scoffed when Murry snarled at him to let me go and gripped tighter.
“If you don’t take your hand off of him, I will break every bone in it and your jaw to your boot,” Murry said, grabbing the guy’s wrist.
You could see the shock in his eyes when Murry hit some pressure point that forced him to turn me loose, then spun him around and gave a hard enough shove that the guy wound up sprawled face-down on the pavement, not that Murry stopped there. He issued a swift kick between the guy’s legs for good measure, just to ensure he didn’t get back up before we took off. We didn’t bother buckling our helmets properly, just shoved them on our heads before I fired up the bike and got us the fuck out of there, Murry clinging to me as we barreled up the street.
The moment we got home, I whipped out my phone and shot a text to Phoenix, telling him what the fuck had taken place, though I was certain the guy was long gone by then. Meanwhile, Murry paced, muttering threats and curses beneath his breath, hands still trembling from the adrenaline rush. As soon as I hit send, I carefully removed his helmet and set it on the back of the bike so I could frame his face with my hands.
“Thank you,” I murmured as I leaned in and brushed a kiss across his lips.
“What the fuck is wrong with people? Like, seriously, it’s like their wires are all fucked up! It shouldn’t be an issue to walk from the door to the fucking bike without someone popping out of nowhere getting grab happy. How do they not get that stripping is our job, not an invitation to treat us like fucking sex dolls or something?”
“Breathe, Murr,” I remarked, keeping my voice low in the hopes that it would get him to lower his before one of our neighbors poked their heads out of their window to see what was going on. “Just take a moment and breathe.”
One or both of us would likely snap at them and instantly regret it, since we actually enjoyed living in harmony with other people in the building, unlike some of our dealings with the folks at the rooming house we’d lived in before here.
“What I’d like to do is take a sledgehammer to that son of a bitch’s fingers, so he’ll think twice about putting them on someone again without their consent.”
“Hopefully, the boot to the balls you gave him will have the same effect.”
“It better, or so help me, I will make him sorry he ever even thought about touching you.”
“No, you won’t,” I declared, putting a bit of bass in my voice in the hopes that it would get him to settle down and focus for a moment. “You will let Phoenix do what he does best if the asshole shows up at the club again.”
“Fine, but from now on, whether we think there is going to be an issue or not, we let him walk us to your bike,” Murry replied.
“Agreed. Now, let’s head inside, and I’ll rub your feet while you find us a movie to watch.”
I felt the tension start to drain out of him at the promise of a foot rub until he finally nodded.
“I’d love that, but I want to take a look at your wrist first, okay?” he said. “How does it feel?”
“A little sore, but no real harm done.”
“There better not be.”
“I swear, sometimes you’re as bloodthirsty as Phoenix.”
“Only when it comes to you.”
3
