“No.” I step back, giving him a firm shake of my head. “I’m waiting for someone.”
Hisgrin flashes me a chipped front tooth. “You can do better, babe. Dance with me.”
I give him another sharp, shake of my head. “Not interested.”
Ignoring me, he reaches out, fingers digging into my upper arm as he tries to drag me onto the dance floor.
I jerk my arm away. “I saidno.”
Dancing bodies blur in my peripheral, the music warping and spinning, just as Ryder materializes out of the crowd.
Slamming our drinks down on a nearby table, he shoves his body between me and Greasy Guy.
With a growl, Ryder’s eyes flash in warning. “She said no, asshole.”
“What’s it to you, pretty boy?” Greasy Guy sneers.
Ryder’s answering smile is so close to deadly, it’s a wonder the other guy doesn’t drop dead on the spot. “You sure you wanna find out?”
It happens so fast, I don’t have time to blink.
The other guy moves to shove Ryder, but Ryder is much faster.
Crack!
One punch lands square across the other guy’s jaw. Greasy Guy staggers back into another table, knocking over the occupants drinks with a crash.
Shouts erupt all around us and someone screams as drinks start to fly.
Greasy Guy lunges, his swing flying wild when Ryder ducks. Grabbing the bastard by the jacket, Ryder throwshim against the bricks. The asshole lands with a thud, rattling the framed photos hanging on the wall as he slides to the floor.
Then two of the guys’ friends come running and try to jump in.
Big mistake. Huge.
Whirling around, Ryder drops one guy with an elbow to the sternum while deftly dodging the other’s wild swing. The crowd scatters, forming a circle around the brawl as someone yells for security.
“Ryder!” I shout over the chaos, but he’s in the zone, moving methodically. Lethal and cunning, his practiced moves make my stomach flip.
The second guy catches him with a glancing blow to the cheek. Ryder barely flinches, responding with a lightning-fast combination of fists that sends the man stumbling backward into the crowd.
Blood roars in my ears as I watch him fight, defending me with all the deadly grace I imagined he would have—it’s terrifying and thrilling all at once.
As Ryder catches one of them with a brutal right hook to the ribs, the second guy seizes his arm, and that’s when I see red.
Without thinking, I snatch my empty glass from the table and smash it over the second guy’s head.
With a howl, he clutches his bleeding forehead as he stumbles away.
Finally, the bouncers barrel in, dragging bodies apart, yelling about calling the cops. People scramble across overturned chairs, sliding through pools of alcohol strewn across the floor.
Taking my hand, Ryder yanks me against his side.
“Time to go, kitten.”
Muscling us toward the door, he weaves us through the chaos. He’s obviously done this before, turning his body into a wall between me and everyone else trying to escape.
We burst out into the cool night air, panting as the door slams behind us.
