How dare he interrupt my date with her.
“Hey there, beautiful,” Jason's voice dripped with insincerity. He leaned against her side of the table.
Ok, yeah. I’m going to kill him.
I wanted to wipe that obnoxious smirk plastered across his face. I cleared my throat, but he ignored my existence entirely.
“Didn’t think I’d be seeing you sitting with this guy,” Jason remarked.
Rude. The fuck is that supposed to mean?
My jaw tightened. Irritation surged through me while I watched Jason’s eyes rake over Rosalie. She shifted uncomfortably under the unwanted attention.
“Jason, we are in the middle of something.” Rosalie’s tone was firm yet polite, attempting to brush him off.
Jason waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, come on, I just wanted to say hi.” He leaned in, trying to catch her gaze. I knew what he was doing. “Rosalie, baby, come on.”
“Thank you, but no thank you. Please leave us alone,” Rosalie replied as politely as she could.
“She said she wasn’t interested. Back off Jason. Go play somewhere else, we’re busy.”
Jason’s eyes turned icy, sneering at me. “Busy with what? A boring ass lunch? Please. Rosalie could do so much better than you.”
My pulse quickened. He had no idea who he was messing with. How did this idiot think he had a right to disrespect Rosalie like that? The urge to defend her overtook all rational thought. I rose from my seat, and grabbed Jason by the collar of his stupid Vineyard Vines polo T-shirt. “Listen closely, Jason. I am only going to tell you once. You’re out of line, and if you don’t back the fuck off, I will make sure you regret it.”
Jason chuckled, clearly unphased. “What are you going to do, tough guy?”
He was about the same height as me, but I didn’t care; his beer belly wasn’t the slightest bit intimidating. This guy looked like he lived off Bud Light and Easy Cheese. “Back off before I show you.”
Rosalie looked between us, reaching out. She grabbed my forearm with delicate fingers. “Silas, it’s okay,” she muttered softly. “Can we just ignore him and go back to our lunch?”
The moment I felt her touch, a wave of calm washed over me. I looked at her, and my eyes softened. Turning back to Jason, I tightened my grip on him before letting go and pushing him away from us.
He’s not worth it… I need to cool it. I don’t want to scare her.
Jason rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as he turned away.
I watched him leave the restaurant with his buddies, and once he was out of earshot, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Turning back to Rosalie, my features softened. “I’m sorry about that… are you okay?” Sitting back down in my seat. I reached out for her hand, gently grazing my thumb across her knuckles.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she smiled, “Thank you for stepping in… I don’t know why he acts like that—like he has a chance with me—but I assure you, he doesn’t.”
“That guy doesn’t know how to treat a woman, least of all you. You deserve someone who?—”
“Treats me well? I know,” she interrupted, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “We didn’t even date all that long, but he thinks everyone wants him, which,” she leaned forward, “certainly isn’t true.”
Her touch was electrifying, and I wanted more. I didn’t care that I was greedy when it came to her.
She was mine; she just didn’t know it yet.
The waiter came to our table to take our orders. I gestured for her to go ahead.
“Could I get the 6 ounce steak with garlic butter please? Medium well, with mashed potatoes and broccoli on the side?”
I smiled, happy that she listened to my suggestion and ordered something more filling.
Ithink the date went really well, but I couldn’t shake off the interaction with Jason. The darkness within me couldn’t be ignored; it only grew until I satisfied its bloodlust. My mother always said my father had psychopathic tendencies. Maybe I got it from him. I never killed without good reason, though. I did what I had to do to ensure Rosalie’s safety. That was all. I did what I had to do for her sake. I was her protector, she just didn't know it yet.
I walked Rosalie back to her car, feeling the urge to keep her close just in case Jason reappeared for whatever reason.
