Page 27

“I heard him ask her to dinner,” Rafe said, his voice low and edged with rage. He kept his eyes on the far end of the bar where Billie Ann was laughing with one of the regulars, but his focus was firmly on Thorne. “Even with the noise and music, I heard it all. Perks of being a predator.”

Thorne raised an eyebrow in agreement but didn’t interrupt.

“She said no,” Rafe continued, jaw tightening at the memory. “Firm and clear. But he didn’t like that. He kept pushing, then grabbed her arm when she tried to move past him.”

Thorne’s smirk faded slightly, his expression sharpening. “And she asked him to let go?”

“She did.” Rafe’s golden eyes darkened, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Twice. When he didn’t, I stepped in.”

Thorne glanced around the bar, as if scanning for signs of a scuffle. His mouth twitched. “Well, I don’t see any blood stains on the floor, so I take it he backed down before things got messy?”

Rafe’s gaze narrowed, his shoulders tightening as his Jaguar stirred restlessly beneath his skin. “He didn’t back down right away. Not until I made it crystal fucking clear that if he didn’t let go, he wasn’t walking out of here on his own legs.”

Thorne let out a low whistle. “Damn. You went full Alpha on his ass.”

“Yes,” Rafe growled, his eyes drifting back to Billie Ann. She was still smiling, but there was a tightness in her posture that only someone watching closely, like Rafe, would notice.

Thorne nodded, thoughtful now. “You think he’s a problem?”

“I think if he touches her again, he’ll have one,” Rafe growled, then tried to get control of his emotions.

They stood in silence for a beat, both men watching the woman at the heart of it all. Rafe felt a raw, instinctive need to protect what was his. She was his. And even if she didn’t understand the depth of that bond yet, he did.

“Are you thinking he had something to do with Davey?” Mac asked with a frown.

“It’s one of the possibilities,” Rafe replied, hoping that wasn’t the case because Billie Ann would feel responsible for her stepfather’s death.

“I’ll have a talk with Jack Crow and see what I can find out,” Mac said, waving Zelda over. “We are going to head out. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“Yeah, we’re leaving also.” Thorne slapped Rafe on the shoulder. “Call if you need anything.”

Rafe nodded, watching them go. Frank yelled out “last call,” making everyone moan, but the bar emptied quickly, one by one. His gaze scanned the bar, seeing Macy cleaning up, but he didn’t see Billie Ann. As soon as Rafe approached the bar, Frank looked up.

“She’s in the kitchen,” Frank informed him as if he knew exactly what Rafe was going to ask.

“Thanks,” Rafe said as he nodded to Frank and made his way toward the back.

He pushed open the swinging door to the bar’s small kitchen and immediately froze. His eyes locked onto Billie Ann, who was on her tiptoes, arm stretched high into a cabinet. Her skirt hadhiked up, revealing smooth, toned thighs and just the barest hint of her perfectly rounded ass.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as heat flooded through him. He knew he should look away, he even tried, but there wasn’t a force on earth that could’ve stopped him from taking in every inch of her.

He stepped forward, slow and purposeful, until he was directly behind her. Without a word, he slid one arm around her waist, pulling her against him as he reached past her to grab the item she’d been trying to get. He heard her gasp, her body stilling under his touch.

“I’ve got it,” he said, voice rough as gravel.

“Rafe…” Her voice was a soft whisper.

He set the bowl down on the counter in front of her, then leaned in, his mouth finding the soft curve of her neck. He pressed a slow, heated kiss on her soft skin, his lips lingering as he breathed her in. She smelled like vanilla and something uniquely hers that made his head spin.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he whispered against her skin.

She leaned back just a little, resting against his chest, her breath coming a bit faster now. “Probably the same thing you do to me.”

Rafe turned her gently in his arms, his hands settling at her hips. He looked down at her, golden eyes burning with intensity. “You’re dangerous,” he said with a half-smile.

A flush colored her cheeks, but her hands came up to rest against his chest. “I don’t try to be,” she said shyly as she peeked up at him under lowered lashes.

“And that’s what makes it so fucking sexy,” Rafe growled then took her lips in a kiss that promised many things...good things.