Resist

I was jerked out of the cloud of lust by a fist slamming a drink bill on the table. I looked up and recognized the guys who sent drinks over when Greer was here.

Vaughn stood up. I saw his chest rise and just how imposing his frame was. The guys were dwarfed by his broad shoulders and the expanse of his chest.

“Who the hell are you?” he growled at them.

“She owes us money.” They pointed at me in unison. I could smell the beer on their breath.

I shrank in my chair, shaking my head. “I-I didn’t ask for the drinks.”

Vaughn wedged himself between the angry assholes and my chair. “Take your bill and fucking pay it.” He grabbed it from the table and shoved it the closest one’s hands.

I swallowed. What was happening?

“I can pay it,” I whispered.

He looked down at me. “I’ve got this.” His voice was rough and commanding. Holy shit.

I nodded.

“We’ll pay it with your credit card.” The idiot didn’t seem to realize who he was facing. I knew enough to put my wager on Vaughn.

Vaughn straightened his shoulders. “Let’s make things very clear here.” He looked at each of them. “Take your check. Take your fucking attitudes. Take your asses back to where you came from. She’s not paying.” With each word his voice grew lower and by the time he was finished speaking the jerks had leaned forward to listen intently.

I waited for them to retaliate, but instead they backed up and returned to the bar, exchanging dirty looks at us over their shoulders.

Vaughn cleared his throat and sat down.

“You okay?” he asked.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure who around us had seen the exchange.

“I did have to do that. You didn’t deserve it. And I wasn’t going to put up with those dicks treating you like shit.”

I needed to steady my breath. The adrenaline was pumping through me. I’d never had someone stand up for me like that. It had to be the sexiest thing I’d ever experienced. Was he real?

I saw his shoulders relax.

“And I thought you had given up bar fights.”

There was a naughty gleam in his eye. “That wasn’t a fight, sweetheart. You should really see me fight.”

The shiver running through me was wicked. He was right. He hadn’t laid a finger on either of them, yet the testosterone was dripping from his posture, his voice, his eyes.

“You wouldn’t have let it get that far though, right?” I didn’t know why I was questioning him. Would I have walked away if he had decked one of them? Would I be any less turned on by how he defended me? Was I worried that maybe he had once been involved in something illegal?

“I take things as far as I want.” His voice was low and even. “I set the limits. Always.”

There was an edge to Vaughn. On the outside he was calm, but there was a barrier he was willing to break through.

“Thank you.” I grinned.

“Not a problem.” He winked. “Anytime.” He checked over his shoulders and smiled when he saw the douchebags paying the tab.

“All right. So back to you. You were telling me about your move here.”

“Was I?” I couldn’t think of anything before Vaughn stood in front of me like a protective wall. The moment I actually enjoyed being the rescued damsel.

“Yes. Boxes and a new job,” he reminded me. His eyebrows rose playfully.