Page 11 of Vicious Temptation

He doesn’t.

“No, thanks.” I turn back to the clerk. “Could I still use that phone?”

Apparently, being ignored isn’t enough to discourage him because he steps closer.

“Come on. Don’t be like that.”

His sour breath turns my stomach.

“I said no.”

“You don’t mean that.”

His hand starts to lift, like he’s thinking about touching my arm, but he’s about to learn how much I fucking mean it. I shift my weight, already deciding how to put him on his ass without breaking anything important. Jail sounds exhausting tonight.

“What the fuck did you just say to her?”

I hear Thiago before I see him, and so does the drunk. His grin disappears as his attention moves past me.

“Hey, I’m sorry, man,” he says quickly. “Didn’t know she was yours. Can’t let a pretty little thing like her walk around alone.”

His eyes drag over me again, and I resist the urge to spit.

Thiago steps between us. “Back up.”

There’s nothing easy about his voice anymore.

“I didn’t touch her.”

“I said back up.”

The guy hesitates, then stumbles away. I leave them to it and push through the door, stepping outside into what’s left of the rain. By the time I reach the truck, the downpour has faded to a light drizzle.

I wait beside the passenger door until Thiago comes out a few seconds later and unlocks it.

“Why were you still here?” I ask once we’re both inside.

“You think I was just going to drive off without making sure you were okay? I noticed that asshole the moment you walked in.”

I stare at him, unsure what to do with that. He doesn’t know me. I’m just someone he met by the road, and he still stayed because he noticed something was off and wanted to make sure I walked back out.

I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, always have been. But the fact that any of it mattered to him gets to me more than I want it to.

“I guess he should thank you, then.”

Thiago looks at me. “Him?”

“Yeah. He was about to have a worse night than I was.”

He shakes his head, but this time, he’s smiling.

“You’re scary, you know that, Remi?”

I roll my eyes at how quickly he takes advantage of finally knowing my name, but I can’t completely deny that I like hearing him say it.

“Good,” I say. “That means you’re paying attention.”

He starts the engine.