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“I look at you like a friend,” she cut in, trying to keep her tone even, her voice calm. “A good friend. But that’s all I’ve got to give. I won’t ask you to let me go again, Frisco.”

Before Frisco could answer, another presence joined them. Rafe appeared at her side, moving with that dangerous grace that made people instinctively get out of his way.

“I suggest you do as she says,” Rafe growled, stepping in closer, his body a wall between Billie Ann and Frisco. His narrowed eyes flared with heat, and the low warning in his voice sliced through the buzz of the bar like a blade. “Or we’re going to have a big fucking problem.”

Frisco straightened, his smirk twitching into something less confident as he looked up at Rafe’s towering frame. “Didn’t realize she needed protection now.”

“She doesn’t,” Rafe said, his voice harsh and steady. “But clearly, you weren’t listening. I’m just making sure you hear her.”

Frisco’s eyes flicked to Billie Ann, and for a second, something darker passed across his face...resentment, maybe, or just wounded pride. He scoffed, but the edge of his bravado was dulled now.

Rafe didn’t move, didn’t blink. His body radiated tension, ready to explode if Frisco made one wrong move.

“She told you no,” Rafe said, voice quieter now, but twice as dangerous. “You don't put your hands on her. Ever.”

Frisco let out a breath, backing off with a forced chuckle. “Damn, man. You act like she’s already claimed.”

“She is.” He replied point-blank with no hesitation and no explanation.

The words landed hard, and Billie Ann felt their weight deep in her soul. Her eyes flicked up to Rafe’s, startled by the calm certainty in his voice.

Frisco looked between them, clearly caught off guard by the declaration. “That changes things,” he muttered, stepping back.

“Damn straight it does,” Rafe didn’t hold back. “So, you can either leave on your own two feet or be carried out. Choice is yours, Crow.”

Frisco gave one last look at Billie Ann, then turned and melted into the crowd, his swagger gone.

Rafe didn’t relax until Frisco was out of sight. Then he turned to Billie Ann, reaching out to brush his fingers lightly down her arm, checking her. “You okay?”

She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Yeah.”

He searched her face, his thumb grazing the spot where Frisco’s hand had been. “Next time, I won’t ask so nicely.”

“That was nice,” she said, trying for a light tone, though her voice trembled slightly.

Rafe leaned in closer, his mouth near her ear. “You haven’t seen me not nice, sweetheart.”

A shiver worked down her spine, and not from fear. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she met his gaze, heart clenching at the possessiveness simmering behind his golden eyes.

And the wildest part? She didn’t mind it one bit. Frisco was a friend, but he wanted something more, and at times, became really pushy to the point it made her uncomfortable.

“Frisco isn’t a bad guy,” Billie Ann said quietly, watching the front door swing shut in the wake of his dramatic exit. He’d spoken to a few of the Crow Shifters near the bar before stalking out, his jaw tight. “He’s just?—”

“A man who doesn’t take no for an answer the first time,” Rafe cut in, his voice low and edged with frustration. “Or the second, from the looks of it.”

Billie Ann turned to him, folding her arms across her chest. “He means well. We’ve known each other for a long time. He just...misreads things.”

“Misreads?” Rafe’s golden eyes locked onto hers, full of heat and a hint of the wildness that lived beneath his skin. “He had his hand on you. That’s not a misunderstanding. That’s a man who thinks he has the right to ignore your boundaries.”

She blinked, the fire in his voice catching her off guard. He wasn’t yelling. He didn’t need to. Rafe’s anger simmered just under the surface, protective and fierce.

“He’s not dangerous, Rafe,” Billie Ann said, her voice quiet, trying to soothe the storm brewing just beneath his surface.

But even as the words left her lips, her mind flashed back to the way Frisco’s eyes had darkened and how his smile had vanished, replaced by a look she didn’t recognize. That angry glare he gave her just before Rafe stepped in had chilled her. She had never seen that side of Frisco before.

“He was angry,” she admitted, her voice softer now. “I’ve known Frisco a long time. He’s always been persistent… sometimes too persistent. After I left for Lexington, he called, emailed, and even showed up a couple of times asking me to come back. Said this place wasn’t the same without me.”

Rafe’s jaw tightened. “That doesn’t mean he has a claim on you.”