“You got a problem?” she asked lightly.
Butcher’s jaw flexed once. “Yeah,” he breathed.
Her pulse jumped traitorously. “What is it?”
His voice dropped lower. “That every man in that bar’s gonna look at you the way that I just did.” Princess blinked at him. He definitely caught her off guard, but she didn’t want to let him know that. A slow smile spread across her lips before she could stop it, and judging by the expression on Butcher’s face, he realized exactly what he’d just admitted to her. He thought that she was hot, and Princess knew that could only lead to one thing—trouble.
BUTCHER
Butcher knew that taking Princess to Wade’s bar was a mistake. Hell, he knew it the second Princess climbed into his truck wearing those tight black jeans and that dark red top that looked sinful against her skin. Maybe the mistake started earlier than that. Maybe it started the moment he offered her his spare room. Or maybe it started the second she smiled at him like she’d figured out exactly how badly he wanted her. Yeah, he was an idiot. Either way, by the time they pulled into Wade’s parking lot, Butcher was already halfway to losing his damn mind.
“You’re glaring at the building as though it wronged you in some way,” Princess observed from the passenger seat.
“No, I’m glaring at Wade,” Butcher corrected, staring at the man who was standing in front of the building, smiling back at them like a fucking loon.
She smirked. “Is it because he invited me out?”
“No, it’s because he’s annoying as hell,” he growled.
“You’re jealous,” Princess whispered under her breath.
Butcher killed the engine and sighed. “No, I’m territorial.” The words slipped out before he could stop them, and Princess went suspiciously quiet beside him. Shit. Butcher dragged hishand down his face. Ten years alone, and suddenly, he couldn’t keep a single thought in his head from ending up out loud around this woman.
“That's not any better,” Princess said softly.
“No, it’s not,” he admitted. She wasn’t his to be territorial about, and he needed to remember that. But for some reason, being around Princess had him living in a fog, and thinking about her with another man made him lose his damn mind. She wasn’t his—he just needed to keep repeating that mantra to himself. Not that it would do him any good.
Her laugh hit him square in the chest again as she opened the door and got out of his truck. He wasn’t sure if she was laughing at him or not, but none of that mattered right now. Christ—he was in trouble, and if he didn’t get his shit together, this woman was going to take things from him that he wasn’t ready to give up—mostly his tightly held control, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.
Butcher quickly got out of the truck and followed her into the bar. Wade had already gone in, and for that, he was thankful. The last thing he needed was another run-in with Wade. Their pissing matches were beginning to get on his last fucking nerve.
Wade’s bar sat right on the edge of town, all dark wood and neon signs glowing against the Mississippi night. Bikes lined the gravel lot outside, and the second Butcher stepped into the bar, he felt it. All eyes were on him. People seemed to notice him everywhere around here. It was one of the things that kept him home most nights. But tonight they noticed her too, and, exactly as he predicted, every damn man turned to look at Princess when she walked in beside him. Butcher’s mood immediately got worse.
“Well, look who finally left his cave,” Wade called from behind the bar. Yeah, he was going to stir up trouble, and the lastthing that Butcher wanted or needed was to deal with Wade’s shit tonight.
Music drifted through the crowded room while laughter and conversation bounced off the walls. The place smelled like beer, whiskey, fried food, and motorcycles. It was familiar—too familiar, and it had Butcher longing for something that he had given up a long time ago. For one dangerous second, it reminded him of Savage Hell back in Huntsville before everything went to shit. He missed his Royal Bastard brothers, even ten years later, and he had a feeling that might never end for him.
Princess stepped closer beside him automatically when a couple of drunk guys stumbled near the doorway. Her movement was subtle and instinctive, but it made something darkly possessive unfurl in his chest. Mine. The thought hit hard enough to piss him off, because she wasn’t his anything.
“Table in the back,” Wade called with a grin that said he noticed absolutely everything and somehow knew how uncomfortable Butcher was. Asshole.
Butcher guided Princess through the crowd with one hand against the small of her back, and Christ, touching her was another mistake. The second he did, heat climbed straight up his spine. She seemed to feel it too. He could tell by the way that her breath caught softly. Neither of them mentioned it—probably because if they did, this night would spiral completely out of control.
The waitress was making her rounds, talking to the rest of the guys, when he called her over. “Dedria,” he breathed, “this is Princess.”
“Hey there,” Dedria said, nodding at Princess.
“Um, hi,” Princess said.
“You two out on a date?” she asked.
“Oh, um, no,” Princess stuttered as though the idea disgusted her. Yeah, that hurt.
“Okay,” Dedria said, “are you ready to order, or are we just drinking tonight?”
“I’d love a burger, fries, and a beer,” Princess said, taking him by surprise. “Whatever you have on tap is fine with me.”
“What about you, Butcher?” Dedria asked.
