Page 54 of Preacher Man

What derailed him from every-fucking-thing was seeing her sitting on the customer side of the bar, being flirted with by one of his own prospects. Thoughts of whispering hot dirty persuasive words of seduction fell out of his brain, to be replaced hotly by murder and more murder and did he mentionfuckingmurder?

That cocksucking knucklehead.

A foreign sensation building in his chest, like an infected stab wound he'd only just discovered. Not a heart attack, per say, but something in that region as he halted dead center of the doorway, blocking the entrance tall as a tree, nothing else held his gaze as tight as seeing the prospect leaning into Ruby’s space like he was Hugh goddamn Hefner, the kid was only missing the smoking jacket.

Now as a rule, Preacher didn’t start trouble in Otis’ place. For one the man was alright and he liked the Renegade Souls so the club played fair in his establishment, plus the kitchen made the best fire-wings he'd ever tasted, you don't shit where you eat, and Preacher liked eating those wings.

A few summers back when Otis was having trouble with a booze supplier Rider had stepped in and sorted it for him, with a smooth persuasive talk that might have included a bit of violence and a finger being cut off. But all ended well and Otis had his suppliers back on track and he’d paid the club well. So, the guy was okay, and Preacher didn’twantto smash his bar to pieces, but the need. Oh, the fucking need for it rested right there under his ribs. It pounded, it bled into his eyes. He let his feet walk forward, a prowling menace with one target in mind; the kid who made the most perfect cup of coffee for him every morning. It was a sacrifice well worth it if he didn’t stop giving Ruby the eyes and the small grin and the come to bed smolder.

That little coffee making bastard.

“You can do that, really? Amazing.” Ruby’s voice, all soft and sweet and amused kicked Preacher in the chest. She wasn’t buying this act, was she?My god.Now he was really going to kill the kid. He’d use Lawless’ tool bag and chop him up into small pieces and feed to the coyotes. He heard coyotes loved knuckleheads for snacks. When she laughed, Preacher’s brow folded in a frown. Territorial growls got swallowed up by the noise of the bar.

“Oh yeah, right over the handlebars, couldn’t walk for a week.” The prospect laughed.

“Amazing.” She said again. The same smile she’d given him last night but for a whole different reason. Preacher was about to re-enact that not walking story, but making it a permanent fixture in the kids’ life.

"Hey, Dix?" His voice granite, barely holding onto his jealous temper as he watched the prospect trying to work his wiener-pointing magic on Ruby.On fucking Ruby. Smiling at her, touching his fingers to her inner wrist. That little cocksucker I'll bury him.

He swerved around. "Yeah, sir?"

Sir. Asshole.He liked the sir's the prospects gave him. usually. Not today. Ass-kisser. He scowled, turning his eyes flat, pinning the kid.

"Go back to the club, don't you have toilets to scrub or summit?"

"I got all the crap done Prez told me to do." Look at that, Preacher thought to himself, the younger man not taking the hint. And he’d been clear enough; get the fuck gone.

Oh, but Ruby was, she was doing her own beautiful scowling at Preacher. He ignored her for now or he'd do something wild like shove his tongue down her throat, claiming her.

"Take a hike, prospect," he knocked his skull ring on the bar. And for good measure, because he was a jackass, he added "this one," he pointed to Ruby whose eyes had turned to dirty little gorgeous slits. Damn, he could fuck her right now. Just shove that scrap of material she called a skirt up, and take her hard, fast and filthy against the bar, just how she liked it, let every man there hear how she screamed for him. "Is off limits to you, prospect."

"What?"

"WHAT?" Added Ruby. "You're absolutely crazy. Don't listen to him, he's senile, you don't own me, Preacher."

"Prospect..." His timber serious, holding Dix's eyes.Go ahead, kid, try to backchat a member, see how far that gets you. The thing with prospects was the moment they signed on for a club their life was not their own until they had that cut on their back. If a member said jump the prospect was meant to ask, "off a tall building or cliff?"

"You got it, Sir. Sorry, darling." He smiled all sweet as fuck at Ruby.Shithead. Preacher ought to thump him in the temple, let him have a nice long nap. The kid slid off his stool before he strode over to the table with the other twoSoulsprospects who were happily laughing their asses off at him.

Good. Now he didn't have to disembowel the kid. He liked Dix after all. Good coffee maker and he did call him sir. He liked that. Maybe in a hundred years, he'd stop wanting to kill him.

"You're a giant fucking man-asshole, do you know that? You don’t own me. And where do you get off doing that?" Ruby glared, her voice turned down in a dark hush so ears nearby couldn’t flap and listen in. There was a lot of gossips in Armado Springs. And it wasn’t always the chicks.

Too late, since it seemed as if the entire bar was watching them now, watching as Preacher claimed her.

"Yeah, Ruby. I got a lot of fucking nerve," he grinned unrepentant, using one arm to lean against the bar he cocked his head to the barman. "Bring me a bourbon and a vodka and coke for the spitting lady."

"Fuck you and your drink. Don't bring me anything, Tom," she told the guy who bounced his gaze between him. Unless he was stone deaf he’d heard their exchange so far. "Where do you get off telling who can talk to me?"

"We had a thing, Ruby, you gonna deny it or that you want more?"

"Honestly, you're something else, a psycho comes to mind and I don't have time for psychos, thanks. Tom, I need a ride home, can you take me?"

"Sure, babe, let me just tell the boss----"

“What’s wrong with your car?” Interrupting, making sure to have her eyes by leaning in her space, drinking in the vanilla scent. Damn, he wanted in her, in herdeep. One amazing night and they were here fighting when they could be doing something much more pleasurable with their time.

“I forgot to fill the tank.” She scowled, turning away from him and faced Prince Charming. “Tom?”

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