Page 70 of If You Loved Me

“Let me go,” I grunted, trying to pull my wrist free, but he held firm.

He sneered. “I always get what I want, brat. And right now, it’s you. Don’t think I don’t enjoy seeing you squirm.” Bringing his face to my neck, he breathed in deeply. “I fucking love it.”

Dread had my stomach sinking down to the pavement as alarm bells rang out in my mind. All the little moments when he made me feel uncomfortable on our dates had been my intuition telling me this guy was no good. He was rotten to the fucking core and now he had me pressed against him.

“Let me go!” I yelled, stumbling to break free from him, but he only laughed as he wrenched me close again.

A car door slammed from somewhere behind me. “Get your fucking hands off her.”

Ranger.

With Jones’s grip still firm, a sense of comfort came over me. Safe. I was safe with Ranger here. I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

Craning my neck over my shoulder, I saw Ranger walking toward us with menace in every step. His fists were clenched at his sides. Disdain rippling off him.

“Who the fuck are you?” Jones asked, loosening his gripon me only slightly. “Oh wait,” he chuckled. “You’re that dumb fuck who LeRoy sent to prison for ten years.”

A snarl ripped from my throat. I didn’t care if he still had his body pressed against mine, it pissed me off that he would demean Ranger.

The sound I made grabbed his attention. His ice-blue eyes landed on mine as realization swept over his face. “Ohhh. I see. You’re the kind of little rich girl who likes sleeping around with the trash of society to get a fun thrill. I wonder what your mother would—” A gurgling sound emanated from his throat.

“I said, get your fucking hands off her.” In a single moment that happened too quickly for me to register, Ranger went from standing a few feet behind me to squeezing Jones’s throat until he couldn’t speak. Clawing at Ranger’s hand, he let me go.

As fast as I could, I darted behind Ranger. Every muscle in my body shook with the understanding of what would have happened if I hadn’t asked him to pick me up. I would have been all alone with Jones. Completely at his mercy.

Ranger stepped closer toward Jones, keeping his hand tight around his neck. “I should fucking kill you for touching Sarah. For not letting her go when she told you to.”

Jones’s eyes grew wide as he tried to suck in air. He was panicking. Part of me relished the idea of seeing him struggle.

“I should fucking kill you,” Ranger repeated and I could see the darkness sweeping over him. He would do it if it meant protecting me from harm. Maybe Jones did deservefor something terrible to happen to him. He touched me without my consent, forced me into his body, and wouldn’t let me go. Would he do that to other women?Hashe done that to other women? The thought made bile rise in my throat.

Flashes of Ranger’s sorrowful face when he told me about his time in prison had me reaching out to touch his arm. Jones deserved to suffer. But at what cost to Ranger? The last thing he needed was for someone to round the corner and see him pinning Jones to the brick wall with his hand around the guy’s throat. I wanted Jones to pay for how scared he’d made me feel. But not at the expense of Ranger’s freedom. Not at the cost of having him disappear from my life to live behind bars.

“He’s not worth it,” I whispered, drawing closer to his back. I rubbed his bicep up and down, his hand shaking around Jones’s throat. “Don’t let his stupidity take you away from me. I need you, Ranger. I…I don’t want to go through this life without you by my side.” The words were raw in my throat as I spoke the truth.

Ranger kept his grip firm but slowly turned his face to look at me. His blue eyes blazed with fury. Jones was just like LeRoy and this was a chance for Ranger to get his revenge. To protect what was his.

“Please,” I coaxed, running my hand down his arm until it settled over his wrist. “Just take me home.”

Something flashed in his eyes at the wordhome. His nostrils flared as he closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them, he looked at Jones and pressed him further into thewall. “You’re lucky she was here to stop me. If I see you anywhere near her ever again, I’ll make good on my promise. You won’t see the fucking light of day, I’ll bury your body so fucking deep in the ground no one will be able to find it.” With a final shove, Ranger dropped his hold on Jones who bent over clutching at his neck, gasping for air. Without a second look at us, Jones scrambled away into the parking lot.

Ranger was quiet as he looked down at me.

“Thank you,” I told him before wrapping my arms around his waist, taking in his scent of leather and sweet grass.

His shaking palm found the back of my head, his lips kissed my hair.

“I hate what he did to you, Sarah. I couldn’t stand the fear in your eyes as he held you against him. I shouldn’t have let him go.”

“Shhh,” I crooned, squeezing him tighter to me. I held him close, letting the warmth of his arms draw away the remnants of my fear.

When I leaned back to look at Ranger’s face, his eyebrows were drawn together in a pained expression. I reached up, smoothing his skin until the wrinkles were gone. “You being here with me means more than seeing Jones be punished.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I can’t lose you, Ranger. Not when we haven’t had any time. Not when we’ve just begun.”

Tears hit the back of my eyes as I pressed my cheek against his chest. His large hands splayed against my back. “You won’t lose me, sugar. I promise I won’t let that happen.”

The cotton of his flannel was soft against my face as I nodded against him. “Okay.”

We stood there, holding one another for a long while. “Take me home?” I finally asked him, my lips grazing a button on his shirt. I wasn’t quite ready to let go of him.

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