Page 41 of Rancher's Heart

“I sleep in my own room when Parker is home. I like being close to him, and he’s never seen me with anyone, so I wanted to ease him into it.” Griff squeezed my leg, and I wondered if that was to shut me up. A quick glance around the room made me think they believed what I was saying. I needed to stop talking. The hole I needed to dig myself out of was already big enough.

CHAPTER 23

GRIFF

The Fencepost was full tonight. The nine of us made our way back to the table where we always congregated. Elle was relaxed at my side, her fingers laced through mine. I couldn’t help squeezing her hand. She looked up and smiled at me. Nora had called to make sure Lydia saved it for us. “Okay, what’s everyone drinking?” Kipp asked, as he pulled out the chair for Nora.

“Beer,” the girls said all at the same time. Elle went to sit, but I pulled her to me and placed a kiss on her lips. Not just any kiss, one that would burn the bar to the ground. People hooted and whistled as I buried my hand in her hair and slipped my tongue between her lips.

Pulling away, I smiled as she turned a lovely shade of red. “I’ll be right back.” Elle nodded and plopped down into the chair. As I walked away, I couldn’t help but smile at the bubble of laughter that erupted from our table.

“So, I hear you’ve got that NILF living with you,” a voice from beside me said. I’d seen him around before, but I didn’t know who he was. The smirk on his face was irritating, and he turned and looked over to our table.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, a NILF.” He said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Nope, can’t say I do.” I looked over at Lydia and held up two fingers, and she nodded.

The man giggled. Like an actual twelve-year old girl giggling. “Like a MILF, but a NILF. Nurse, I’d like to fuck.”

Slowly, I looked at him, wondering if he really said that. “What did you say?”

“NILF, I bet she’s a good fu–” The man didn’t have the opportunity to continue because I hit him with a right hook.

His head snapped to the side, and when he looked back at me, I could tell he was fired up on adrenaline and cheap beer. “You’re going to fucking regret doing that.” He caught my jaw with a punch of his own, and I saw red.

I rolled up my sleeves. “The only thing I’d regret is not doing it again.” The people around us moved back, and gave us space. He lunged at me. Punch after punch was thrown. Most of his didn’t connect and I’d gotten a few good shots in, but he was refusing to back down. I grabbed him with my right, grappled with him for a moment or two, before punching him in the stomach with my left hand. Pain seared through me on impact, as white hot lightning shot through my fingers up to my shoulder.I stumbled back while he dropped to the ground, and curled into a ball.

“Break it up, assholes.” Lydia said, standing on top of the bar with a baseball bat over her shoulder. She didn’t even come up to my shoulder when she stood beside me, but I’d seen her wield that weapon before and I wasn’t about to be on the receiving end.

Ryder lifted Lydia off the bar and she walked over to stay between me and the man on the floor. “Go sit in your corner, and think about what you did, or I’m kicking you out.” Her blue eyes flicked to Ryder, and she arched her brow.

“Come on, Rocky, you made your point,” Ryder said as he pushed me to the table. Grabbing the beer, I took a swig and pressed the cool glass against my eye. Our group was silent, and the other patrons were slowly going back to their conversations.

“What the fuck, Griff?” Elle asked when we got back to the table. Reaching up, she pulled the beer away, inspecting my eye. She rummaged around in her purse, and got her phone out. Turning on the flashlight, she shone it in my face and narrowed her gaze. “You’ll survive. What was that all about?” She asked through gritted teeth as she threw her phone back in her purse.

“No man is going to disrespect you and get away with it,” I growl as I take another drink of my beer, pulling out the chair for her. “Not while I’m around.”

She sat, and I took the empty space beside her, but she was tense, and even in the dimly lit bar, I could see her cheeks flush. Her hands were clasped in her lap and she hadn’t even reached for her beer. “Excuse me,” Elle said to the table as she pushed her chair away from the table and moved toward the door without a glance back to me.

Nora, Fallon, and Kristin, all shifted and I held my hand up for them to stop. They turned and frowned at me before taking their seats again. “I did this. I’ll check on her,” I said as I set my drink down and weaved my way through the dancers as I made my way to the exit.

The night air was cool and I hadn’t realized how hot I was in there. Looking around the parking lot, I spotted her heading to the truck. “Elle, wait,” I called, but she kept walking.

“Griff, we’ll talk about this later,” She said as I got close to her. Reaching out I wrapped my hand around her arm gently, and she finally stopped walking and turned. “What were you thinking?”

People walked by us on their way into the bar, and I pulled her out into the parking lot so we weren’t the side show for everyperson who walked in. “I was thinking I was defending your honor. That fucker called you a NILF.”

“What’s wrong with that? I’ve been called far worse by patients.” She scoffed.

“You do realize it means nurse I’d like to fuck, right?” I crossed my arms and grimaced because of the pain in my shoulder.

“Of course, I know. So let me get this straight: it’s okay for you to call me woman but I can’t be called a NILF?” Anger flashed in her eyes and she went to walk by me.

Reaching out, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her to me, so my body was pressed up against her back, and there would be no missing my arousal. Lowering my head I whispered, “I call you woman because you’re one hell of a woman, babe.”

“Don’t call me that,” she spat at me.

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