Page 57 of Reaper & the Lioness
“We’ll take care of this, VP,” Merrick said as he tapped Reaper’s outstretched arm. “You get back to enjoying the party with Eva. Wouldn’t want to get blood on that pretty little outfit of hers.”
“Honestly, it looks like Eva could have handled this on her own.” Hatchet chuckled. “I’d like to know how she planned to use that blade next. Or maybe where.”
Merrick shot Hatchet a warning glance, his expression unyielding. “It’s not her job to hold dick weasels like this accountable. It’s ours. We’ve got this.”
Reaper released the prospect, and he crumbled to the ground. He delivered an aggressive kick to Danny’s ribs before turning to draw me into his arms.
My glare at Danny remained cold before I shifted my gaze to his eyes.
“What happened?” Reaper demanded.
I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. “Oh, you know, just teaching Danny here about consent and personal space.”
Reaper’s jaw clenched.
I sighed and gave him the rundown. “He grabbed my ass, and when I pushed him back, he told me I couldn’t dress likethisand then play hard to get. He came back toward me, so I pulled out my knife. In hindsight, I should have brought a gun, but I’m not sure where I’d carry one in this outfit.”
Reaper’s eyes darkened further, not amused by my attempt at humor. “Get him out of here,” he commanded as Merrick and Hatchet picked Danny up. “Strip him of his cut. Make sure he spends the next month thinking about his mistake with every breath he takes.”
Hawk nipped at Danny’s heels as Merrick and Hatchet dragged him away. Reaper tightened his arms around me. I could sense the tension in his body.
“Hey, I’m okay. Really. This isn’t my first rodeo with handsy assholes.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“No, but I can handle myself.”
“You were nearly shot,” he countered.
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration. I had it under control. Besides, isn’t that why I have you? To watch my six when I’m busy being a badass?”
That finally got a small smile out of him. “You’re impossible.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer for a kiss. “Yeah, but you like it.”
The entire clubhouse watched. “All right, boys, the show’s over,” I said as I glanced around the room. “Unless someone else wants to take me on?”
I twirled the switchblade in my fingers, and the tension broke. Laughter rippled through the room, and conversations resumed. The party atmosphere returned nearly as quickly as it had stopped.
Reaper reached for my switchblade and stepped toward the bar.
“You need to give her your property patch, man,” Bones muttered to him as we moved past. “If she’d been wearing your colors, Danny wouldn’t have even thought about touching her.”
Reaper stiffened beside me and tightened his grip on my waist. I glanced up and caught a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes before he masked it. I turned to face him to broach the subject, but before I could speak, Thane clapped Reaper on the shoulder.
“Damn, brother. Your girl’s got some fire in her.” He grinned at me. “I didn’t like that prospect anyway. You did us a favor, weeding him out.”
Linc approached the bar as Reaper splashed bleach onto my blade. “You know those are illegal in most states?”
I scoffed. “They’ve been legal in Texas since 2013.”
Linc grinned as he glanced back at his brother. “I think you’ve truly found your match.”
Reaper handed the blade back to me. “Having a knife is smart. But maybe we should get you something with a bit more range.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you offering to take me gun shopping?”
“Maybe. We’ll see how you handle yourself at the range, first.”
