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Aurora’s pleading has my patience wearing thin. He’s wasting his time begging for a second chance while he’s tipsy.
“Why? So you can get paid to fuck someone else?” he snarls.
Typical immature bullshit. His desperation has turned to anger, and I’ve reached my limit. My dominant instincts take over, urging me to protect her from his toxic behavior.
I step out in front of them. “All right, Jackson, enough.”
He squints. His reaction time is slow, and his eyes are glazed.
I reach out to Aurora. “Come here.”
A sense of victory comes over me when she obeys, taking my offered hand and sliding out of the seat.
Jackson’s left alone at the table. His jaw sets, and his nostrils flare. A shadow passes over his gaze, and I get another glimpse of the rage hiding inside the body of a hockey legend.
He emerges from the booth and towers over Aurora with aggression. She visibly trembles, and I encircle her waist with a protective arm. His dark glare fixates on me, and if looks could kill, I’d be slaughtered.
He’s almost my height, but I’m bulkier. He doesn’t stand a chance intoxicated. Maybe sober, he could hold his own, but not right now.
“Nice to meet you,Ethan Blackwood.” His words are meant to sound threatening, but with his slightly slurred speech, it’s anything but.
I gesture for Aurora to sit, and then I face him. “We’ll see each other again, Jackson. I guarantee it.”
He holds my stare. “I’m sure we will.”
Without taking my eyes off him, I slide into the booth, and he storms off toward the bar, where a few players are gawking.
Aurora places her hands on her chest. “I’m sorry. I?—”
Her voice cracks, and the instinct to care for her comes over me again.
“Don’t apologize for him.” A bucket of champagne and a pitcher of water now sit in the middle of our table, our dishes cleared away.I pour her a glass of water and set it in front of her. “Drink. Relax. I’m not upset with you, and I want tonight to last.”
With a soft, “Thank you,” she brings the glass to her kissable lips.
She’s all I’d ever need in a woman. Sincere. Appreciative. Obedient.Needy.
The lights dim to signal the evening entertainment, and I draw Aurora closer, pulling her between my legs and wrapping my arms around her. “Just breathe. Okay?”
She settles into me, resting her head on my shoulder.
Our connection is palpable, blurring the lines between right and wrong. I want to protect and care for her. I’ve never wanted that with another person, but I know I want it with her.
Shit, that sounds crazy, but I’m inexplicably drawn to her. She fits perfectly with my jagged edges.
We wait for everyone to take their seats, and I tackle the elephant in the room. “You dated Jackson O’Reilly? That’s impressive.”
Eyes the color of whiskey gaze back at me. “It’s impressive I survived, nothing more.”
“How did you meet him?” I run my hands over her bare arms. Jesus, her skin is soft.
She leans into me and sighs. “At a season opener party. I was on a date with another player.”
“And let me guess? He saw the most beautiful woman with someone else and had to have her?”
She snorts. “Pretty much.”
“Then what? Something happened? He didn’t get his way and took off?”