I grinned at the thought. “Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a good night. I’m just waiting for my wife to come out of the bathroom.” I thought I would be a nice guy and get rid of her so she didn’t have to deal with Vanessa.
I knew my baby was a little crazy when it came to me.
“Oh…you’re married?” she blurted. “I…I didn’t see a ring.”
I looked at my left hand and made a fist. “I don’t usually wear one with my line of work.” My eyes glanced to the bathroom, and I saw Vanessa step out, all curves in her tight black dress. Her eyes scanned the room then settled on me with the brunette. It took her a few seconds to deduce what was going on.
Yep, she was pissed.
I couldn’t wipe the smug look off my face. “Have a good night. My wife is on her way now, and she’s the jealous type…”
“Oh, gotcha.” She gave me a smile then walked back to her table to her friends.
She never told me her name.
Just as she walked away, Vanessa arrived and dropped into her chair. With pursed lips, irritated eyes, and a mood that could black out the sun, she wasn’t pleased by what she’d just seen. “Hitting on a man when his date goes to the restroom…real classy.”
I couldn’t even pretend not to enjoy this. “Your face is getting so red.”
“Is not,” she said defensively. “I just don’t appreciate people who pull that stunt.”
“What makes you so certain she was even hitting on me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Cut the shit.”
I got hard in my slacks watching how upset she got. She was even more possessive of me than I was of her.
“Let’s go.” She rose to her feet and snuck a look at the brunette who’d made a pass at me, who happened to be looking this way.
When I was out of my chair, Vanessa grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers together as she walked out of the restaurant. She’d never shared affection with me publicly, and we certainly had never held hands, but now our fingers came together. My hand was twice as big as hers, but they still lined up the right way. She pulled me out of the restaurant, like a horse pulling a carriage ten times its weight.
How could I not enjoy this little tantrum? It was hilarious.
We made it outside then walked to my truck, still holding hands. The brunette was long gone, but Vanessa didn’t hold her embrace.
“Are you always this jealous?”
“I’m not jealous.”
I cocked an eyebrow, seeing the way her nostrils were still flaring. “I thought you were going to throw a fist back there.”
“I should…to teach her some class. You don’t go after a man when his woman is in the bathroom. It’s rude and trashy. She’s lucky I didn’t dump that wine bottle on her head…”
I chuckled. “This is hilarious.”
“It’s not funny. I don’t care that she was hitting on you. I just think that was really rude.”
“If you get this upset every time someone is rude, then you must live a bitter life.”
She dropped my hand, her attitude flaring up. “How would you feel if some man hit on me while you were in the restroom?”
“That would never happen.”
“But what if it did?” she pressed.
“Trust me, it would never happen.” No man would be stupid enough to cross me. I terrified any man I came into contact with, and even if they thought Vanessa was their soul mate, they still wouldn’t cross that line. I was over two hundred pounds of solid muscle. I was a goddamn beast. Unless the man packed enough ammo for a war, provoking me was a death wish.
“And if it did, would you be upset?”
If a man hit on Vanessa while I went to take a piss, they would be dead. I’d smash their skull into the table until their brains turned into a dish to be served. Not only was she my woman, but the behavior would be disrespectful—and I didn’t allow that shit to fly. “Not sure.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re so full of shit.”
“Admit you’re jealous, and I’ll reconsider my answer.”
“I’m not jealous,” she repeated.
“Fine.” We arrived at the truck, and I opened the passenger door for her.
She stared at me in surprise. “I didn’t know you had manners.”
“Don’t get used to it.” I shut the door behind her and got into the driver’s seat. I started the engine, cranked the heat up so Vanessa wouldn’t be cold, and then drove back to my apartment.
She stared out the window as we sat in silence.
She shattered the quiet with her gentle words. “Alright…I was jealous.”
I grinned even though her words weren’t a surprise. “And I’d be even more jealous.”
She kept her gaze out the window, not looking at me despite her confession.