Playing for Keeps (Neighbor from Hell #1)(32)

His words were cut off when Brad shook his head. Mitch looked at Jason and nodded. The man clearly wasn’t ready to hear any of this. Jason wasn’t aware his friends were talking. He couldn’t focus past the idea of another man touching Haley.

His Haley.

“Please stop!” a woman screamed as they pushed a still frighteningly quiet Jason inside.

They spotted a familiar looking tall woman being held back by two women who were trying to calm her down while they looked nervously at a small group of men. Suddenly the group parted.

All three men stood in shock as Haley hit, well sort of slapped with her fists in a windmill type fashion, a large man who looked more pissed with her assault than actually hurt.

“You don’t ever touch her again!” Haley yelled as she continued her weird ass assault.

“Shut up, bitch!” the man said, shoving Haley away. She stumbled backwards and hit the floor, hard.

Jason saw red as everything around him blurred into a haze as he focused on the man that just put his hands on Haley. Without a word he stalked over to the son of a bitch and punched him in the face, sending him slamming back into the bar.

The man bent over in agony, cupping his nose. “You broke my nose, ass**le!”

“If you ever lay another finger on her I will kill you. Do you understand me?” he promised with barely restrained fury.

The man tried to glare, and winced. Finally he nodded.

“Good,” he said slowly, turning around. “Whoa!” he gasped as his little grasshopper ran into him as she attempted to renew her cute little attack.

“Haley!” he said, trying to snap her out of it. She ignored him, trying to swing at the guy or whatever the hell she was doing. With an exasperated sigh he threw her over his shoulder and headed for the door.

“You’re lucky, Ted! Next time I will kick. Your. Ass!” she yelled.

Jason gave her bottom a patronizing pat. “I’m sure you have him quaking in his drawers, my little grasshopper. No need to scare him.”

She grabbed the waist of his jeans to help push herself up so that she could glare at the bastard. “Ass whooping! Next time I’m not holding back!”

“Tell him to watch his back!” Mitch suggested, laughing.

Jason nearly rolled his eyes when Haley did just that. He released a weary breath. “Let’s get you home before you have the man wetting himself.”

“You’re lucky, punk!” she yelled, making him grin. She was so damn cute.

****************

Haley grunted and kicked the covers off of them.

“Are you going to whoop the sheet’s ass as well? Should I run to safety?” Jason asked, biting back a huge smile that was threatening to take over.

“It’s hot!” she said in a cute little whiny voice. “And stop making fun of me. I totally kicked ass tonight,” she said with a sniff. “They might even ban me from the bar after tonight.”

He blinked. “For what?”

She flopped on her back away from him. “What do you mean for what? I started a brawl!”

“Really? When?”

“What do you mean when? You were there. You saw me kicking some ass!”

“That thing you were doing with your hands?” She nodded. “I thought you were having a seizure of some kind.”

She gasped and gave him a playful shove. “Jerk! I totally kicked his ass and I could kick your ass.”

He looked at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. The entire bed shook as he laughed, probably harder than he’d ever laughed in his entire life. Tears streamed down his face as he gripped his side as a cramp started.

“Hey! Stop laughing at me! I’m a major threat damn it!” her serious tone had him laughing harder. Damn, she was really killing him here. “Keep it up and I’m going to kick your ass with my fists of fury!”

Somehow he managed to laugh harder. He really didn’t think it was possible, but he did.

“That’s it!” Haley snapped. She sat up and quickly straddled his h*ps and grabbed his arms. She tried to pin his arms by his side of his head. His laughter became more controlled as he quickly turned the tables on her and rolled over, pinning her beneath him. He didn’t bother pinning down her hands. Really, what was the point? He’d seen her in action after all.

“Alright, my little grasshopper, kick my ass. I’m ready,” he said, grinning. He made sure to keep his h*ps raised. No point in torturing himself, especially since she was only wearing a tiny camisole and pink cotton panties.

She began pushing at his chest, trying to shove him off. When that didn’t work she tried to kick him and he thought she may have tried to give him a good old fashion Indian burn on his arm.

It was just sad.

“Come on, my little grasshopper, I’m ready any time you are. Show me some of that fury.”

Haley shoved and pulled harder, but still he didn’t move.

“Seriously, I’m ready whenever you are,” he said, smiling down at her.

She groaned loudly as she increased her attempts. Still she couldn’t budge him.

He couldn’t stop himself from taunting her. She was just so damn cute. “Aw, is my little grasshopper getting tired? Where’s all that fury gone? Come on let’s see those moves-“

She cut his words off with a kiss, surprising the hell out of him. It was a quick gentle brush of her lips over his, but it knocked him on his ass. Haley dropped her head back on the pillow staring at him while she worried her bottom lip nervously.