Page 17

Bethany started to smile, but another tingle surged up her spine, freezing her lips in place.
She heard a gasp beside her before Keely’s “Shit!”exploded in her ear.
As Blond Guy stepped forward, his hand extending to slide around Bethany’s waist, Zachary Savage materialized out of the darkness, pure fury vibrating from him.
“What the hell!”Blond Guy’s smile turned to a grimace of shocked pain as Zach grabbed the back of his neck, his fingers digging in deep.
“You lay one finger on her, and I’ll break every fucking bone in your body.”
6
Bethany stumbled out of the club into the smoky night air, her heart racing with equal parts anger and… oh God, she hated to admit it but… excitement.
Behind her, Zach’s heavy footsteps and Keely’s lighter ones came after her.She quickened her steps, sucking in desperate breaths.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”Zach snapped.She turned to face him and almost wished she hadn’t.
This close, his body, his face, stunned and dazzled her into near incoherence.
“I think the better question here is—who the fuck do you think you are, Savage?”Keely, suffering no such debilitating compunction, demanded.“It’s a free country.And she’s single.”
“No.She isn’t,” he snapped without taking his eyes off Bethany.She stared back at him.Fury, hunger and deep, dark possessiveness blazed from eyes turned almost black with his chaotic emotions.
“Zach,” she rasped, then stopped to wet her dry lips.“You can’t keep following me around?—”
“And you sure as fuck can’t go around hitting people, you know,” Keely flung at him.
Zach’s gaze didn’t waver once from Bethany.“Trust me, if I’d hit that asshole, he’d know about it.”The menace in his voice was unmistakable.
“Jesus.”Keely spread her arms wide in exasperation.
Zach turned to face her, hands on his lean hips, his jaw tight enough to break through concrete.“I trusted you to take care of her.You let me down.As of now, you’re relieved from that task.”
Keely’s mouth dropped open.“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Wait,” Bethany said as she finally managed to unglue her tongue enough to string words together.“What do you mean you trusted her to take care of me?”
Both Keely and Zach stared at her.Guilt flicked over Keely’s face, but Zach remained tight-jawed and unapologetic.
Her insides hollowed out.“Someone better answer me, right now.Did you plan tonight with him, Keely?”
Her friend flushed and shook her head.“No.Not exactly.”
“Then how… exactly?”
“He was just supposed to turn up and wish you a happy birthday.At least that’s what we agreed to.I had no idea he was going to turn into a homicidal maniac the moment another guy looked at you.”
Zach’s hands curled into tight fists at his side.
“He was doing a hell of a lot more than looking,” he growled, low and dangerous.
Keely stepped back, her eyes widening as her gaze flicked back to Bethany.“Let’s go back inside, B.”
“No—”
“Hell, no,” Zach barked.“The only place Bethany’s going is home with me.”
“If you think I’m letting you anywhere near her?—”