Page 164 of Screwged for Christmas

My ice princess gripped the arms of the chair she sat in so hard, her knuckles turned white.

I picked up my pace.

She gave in to the fear for a brief second, panic sliding through her eyes. But then something happened. Her expression changed, shuttered, hiding her emotions from the guys. She stood up and squared her shoulders, facing down the men.

Pride swelled in my chest as I watched the shift she made from bratty sorority girl to warrior ice queen. She knew she wasn’t going to get help from herfriends, but every line of her body told those five douche bags she wasn’t going down without a fight. Fierce protectiveness clawed its way through me.

These assholes might have thought they had the upper hand against someone half their size, but they had no idea the world of trouble they’d bought themselves as they moved toward her. Their daddies wouldn’t be paying their way out of things this time. And it would be my pleasure to teach them that lesson. The hard way.

My woman.I didn’t stop to think of where that thought came from. I just got the first guy in my crosshairs and landed a solid fist against a firm jaw.

Two hundred pounds of college frat boy hit the deck with a thud.

Before he struck the ground, his closest buddy joined him, grabbing at his broken nose.

“What the fuck, man?” he squealed.

“Call your daddy and tell him to book a plastic surgeon for your pretty face ASAP, douche. I’ll leave a note at the front as to why when he shows up to collect your sorry asses.”

I took a stance in front of Evie, blocking their view, my voice dripping with venom. She didn’t need to see the bloody mess lying at my feet.

My jaw clenched and I narrowed my eyes, willing to let them make the next move and knowing I would finish anything they started. Not to anyone’s surprise, the three remaining wannabe bad-asses hauled ass, leaving their buddies to fend for themselves.

“Some friends,” I grunt, giving the one with the bruised jaw a shove with the heel of my shoe.

I straightened my cuffs and smoothed out a few invisible wrinkles.

“Pussies.”

The rest of the party-goers stared at us, slack-jawed and a little out of sorts. Rich preppy people didn’t like the hands-on part of some jobs.

Tough shit.

“Same goes for you,” I throw at Evie, turning on my heel. “Some group of friends you’ve got yourself involved with.”

Dismissive brown eyes leveled on mine.

I had half a mind to call the local authorities and make a nuisance report. But the snowfall grew dense and if I wanted to get us off the side of this mountain, I didn’t have time to play babysitter for everyone. Besides, I’d taken care of things the best way I knew how—direct and to the point.

I gave myself a brief moment to savor the look of satisfaction that crossed my ice princess’s face as she took in the sight of the guys withering at my feet.

“Okay. Time to go.”

CHAPTER 2

EVIE

Gabriel’s hand came out in offering or me to follow and I batted it away.

“Are you insane? What the everloving hell are you doing?”

The mountain of a man towered over me in this crazy expensive suit looking like he walked off a photoshoot for GQ and maybe he did. I haven't seen Gabriel Dyson in over three years, so who knew what the man did nowadays.

Bounty hunting didn’t seem like his cup of tea, but then again, I never was a good judge of character.

Back when I first started appreciating the male physiques and husky voices he would come around the house and spend hours with my father talking business. My father even went as far as to call him a friend, but right now he was being a major pain in my ass.

Pain or not, he was also a six-foot-three-inch perfect specimen of muscled manhood. His dark hair has fully grown out from the close-cut I last saw the former Marine sporting. I much preferred this version.

---