Jacked Up (Bowen Boys #4)(34)

Jack gritted his teeth and kept quiet during the ride.

When they made it to the bar, the parking lot was full. Not good.

After entering the establishment, his fears were confirmed. The place was packed. As in to the brim with rockabillies.

“This is what you understand by low-key?” he demanded, holding her by the arm. “We’re going home.”

For the first time today, Elle looked panicked. “Jack, this is important to me. My brother Jonah loved this band. I haven’t missed one of their jam sessions for two years. I can’t start now.”

Fuck, f*ck, f*ck.

He could deal with sassy and belligerent Elle without batting an eyelash. But vulnerable Elle he was not ready to handle. It tugged at the wrong part of his body. At his heart.

If he’d learned anything in the last fifteen years in the field, it was that thinking with his cock would get him killed. Thinking with his heart would get him killed even faster.

“Half an hour,” he grumbled against his better judgment. Crowded, enclosed spaces like this one were a security nightmare.

Once they hit the main floor, he had to reassess his first impression; it wasn’t a security nightmare but an all-around clusterf*ck that, judging by the level of alcohol flowing around, had been going on for a while.

Elle shrugged off her coat and he realized that some shiny white inscriptions and flowing lines had appeared on her body. Fuck him, she had UV tattoos, the ones that only were visible under black light. Fantastic, like she wasn’t visible enough.

“Elle!” someone from a big group sitting at the counter yelled, waving at them. Kai was already there.

It took a while to get to them, because she seemed to know everyone.

“Hi, guys,” she greeted when they reached them.

Jack got introduced to a bunch of people as Borg and then Elle proceeded to ignore him.

“Going to dance,” she said, leaving her beer on the counter.

He watched at the crowded dance floor. “No dancing, pet.”

He knew the second he said it that it was a mistake. Right on the money. She smiled at him deviously and sashayed to the dance floor.

Fuming, he watched Elle dancing. Watched as all the men around were eating her with their eyes. And who could blame them? She was so f*cking sexy, those white inscriptions and lines on her legs playing off her dark dress, seeming to flow as she moved.

Then the music changed to a slow song and Kai approached her. Fuck no.

“Step aside,” Jack found himself growling.

Kai lifted his hands and let out an amused smirk, stepping back while Jack took her in his arms, holding her harder than need be.

“I thought you said no dancing.”

He loomed over her and fought to get the words out from between his clenched teeth. “What the f*ck are you doing? Do you want me to kill every man in this place?”

“Why would you?”

“Because all of them are looking at you and fantasizing about f*cking you.”

“And? What is it to you? You walked away from me yesterday, remember?”

Before he could assess the wisdom of speaking the truth, he blurted it. “I find it f*cking difficult not to think of you as mine.”

Surprise left her speechless for a second, but then her expression twisted in anger. “Start learning then, buddy, because I am not yours and it was your choice. Live with it. Besides, if f*cking from behind is all you can offer, any woman will do. We are all alike from the back. I told you I’m sorry you’re stuck with me and this is such a burden you can’t even look at me, but—”

He grabbed her by the arms, their noses almost touching, and growled low. “You think I can’t even look at you? I want you so f*cking badly I can’t even breathe.”

She faced off with him, going on her tiptoes. “Well, I hope your ninja training includes holding your breath for long periods. Or let me ask at the counter, they might have an iron lung somewhere. Either way you said your dick is not in charge here, so order it back to its cave and don’t waste my time.” And wrenching away from him, she took a step back.

“You dancing, doll?” a guy that had been eying Elle asked.

She turned to Jack. “Doll. Not pet. Doll.” Then she smiled at that mofo and answered, “Sure, I’d love to.”

That was it. That belligerent Elle he could deal with without remorse.

He yanked her away from that * and threw her over his shoulder. The crowd might have thought it was staged because they started to cheer.

“Jack! What are you doing?” she screamed, fighting to get free.

He gripped her even harder. “Quiet, pet.”

“Let me go,” Elle yelled, hitting his ass. She tried to incorporate herself so he dipped her even lower. “Bastardo! Lasciami andare!”

She could call him whatever she wanted. Curse and scream and thrash. He was not letting her go.

He marched to the truck and put her down, trapping her between the door and him. She was spitting mad, those gorgeous black eyes of hers flashing fire.

Her breathing was labored, her chest falling and rising rapidly over her wide neckline. She was magnificent.

For a couple of seconds they were both silent, staring at each other.

Her voice was deceptively low and it trembled with fury. “Do not presume you can manhandle me because you got inside me. That doesn’t give you any rights.”