Page 61 of Indulge
The guy coughs, dazed, blood pouring from a cut above his eyebrow.
“You don’t fucking touch her,” Rowan growls, voice like thunder. “Ever.”
The whole bar is watching, and my heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.
“Rowan.” I tug harder, stepping in front of him. My hand lands on his chest, and his breathing finally starts to slow.
He looks at me completely wild, angry, protective—and it hits me that he’d burn down the whole room if anyone laid a hand on me again.
The man scrambles off the floor, clutching his face before staggering away.
Rowan wipes the blood off his knuckles and laughs bitterly. “Guess karaoke’s over, huh?”
I can’t help it, I start laughing too. The tension breaks just enough for me to breathe again.
“Remind me to never piss you off,” I say, still catching my breath.
“I can’t see that happening, sweetness.” He smirks, brushing his hand over my cheek.
And I swear, for a moment, the whole room disappears.
27
ROWAN
The song changes again, this time to something heavier, the kind that rattles your ribs. Bella’s still smiling, cheeks flushed from singing, eyes bright.
She reacted to my outburst well. My temper gets the better of me sometimes; usually it’s Reggie who stops me from going too far. But this time, she pushed through and got me out of it.
I glance behind her and see them coming.
The same idiot who thought he could touch her, now with two of his mates. They swagger through the crowd, the sort of men who’ve never had to back up a threat. Until now.
“Didn’t appreciate you embarrassing my friend,” the tall one says, shoving me lightly. “We were just being friendly.”
I laugh, stepping in front of Bella, hand on my gun under my jacket. “Then learn what friendly looks like before you start putting your hands on people who didn’t ask.”
The one who spoke first sneers. “What, you her boyfriend?”
“Something like that,” I say. I’m not, but if the word keeps their hands off her, I’ll wear it.
He takes another step, the crowd shifting to give us space. “Maybe she doesn’t need you talking for her.”
Before I can answer, Bella slides in front of me. “Maybe I don’t needyoutalking at all,” she says.
It catches them off guard, the accent, the fire. One of them laughs, a sound that grates. “Feisty little wh?—”
I’m already moving before he finishes the word. He reaches out, and I shove his arm away, hard. The second one lunges. I duck and drive my shoulder into his gut, sending him stumbling back into a table. Glass shatters. People shout. All I care about is Bella.
As I glance behind, she grabs a bar tray from a nearby stool and swings it at the tall one’s wrist as he reaches for me. The smack echoes. He yells, clutching his hand.
“Stay down,” she snaps.
For a second I freeze. She’s magnificent like this. Messy, fearless, eyes burning. Fucking beautiful.
The third guy tries to grab her from behind, and I’m already there, yanking him off her. I don’t think. I move. A quick strike to his ribs, enough to knock the wind out of him. He crumples, gasping. He stumbles and lands a messy punch, knocking Bella straight over.
I see red. My fists smash into his face, over and over until he’s unconscious.
