Rules of Protection(67)

“Emily!” Jake grabbed my arm. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

“Sure, Jake, take up for your ex-girlfriend. If she doesn’t want anybody to think she’s a slut, maybe she shouldn’t be sneaking off with someone else’s boyfriend.”

Bobbie Jo came off mousy, but she struck back with the accuracy of a snake. “It’s okay, Jake. When little Miss Know-It-All gets through divvying up her time among all of my boys, maybe she’ll have some left over for you.” She got up to leave, but turned once more. “And if I’m the slut, then how come you’re the one not wearing panties?” She smirked as she walked away.

I tried to go after her and grab her by the back of her fake-ass blond hair, but Jake wouldn’t let go.

Cowboy positioned himself in my path. “No catfights.”

“Oh, now she needs both of you to protect her?”

“It’s not her we’re protecting. She would’ve wiped the floor with your ass. You’re lucky she walked away when she did, or we’d be pulling her off you right now.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right! What’s she going to do? Steamroll me with her tits?”

“Enough, damn it!” Jake squeezed my arm tighter, showing me he was serious. “She knows people in here and you’re not going to embarrass her, or yourself, by acting like this.”

I wrenched myself from his grip and walked away, ignoring him when he called after me. I sat at the bar. I hadn’t meant to take my anger out on Bobbie Jo, but my tolerance level for being around Jake without bringing up what I overheard him say to Cowboy had peaked the moment I came face-to-face with him. He didn’t care about me, just his stupid case. That was why he kept me at a distance. It all made sense now. I didn’t have anything else to say to Jake. If he wanted me to talk to him, then he’d have to break the silence.

After about ten minutes, Jake strode briskly toward me. I held my composure, pretending not to notice him. He stopped next to my seat. My eyes hovered somewhere around knee-level, waiting for him to speak. Instead, he snagged me by my elbow, ripped me out of my seat, and manhandled me across the room. I got a reaction out of him, but it wasn’t the one I wanted. Guess I’m not the budding genius I thought.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, unable to pry his fingers loose.

He shoved me into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind us. “All that because you were jealous?”

Knowing Cowboy opened his big mouth, I crossed my arms and turned away from him.

“Emily, I can’t read your mind by looking at your ass. Bobbie Jo is my friend, nothing more. I’ve told you already. I don’t understand why—”

I whipped around to face him, my eyes burning with heated fury. “I’m just one of your cases, right?”

“What?”

“It’s what you told Cowboy…that I was one of your cases.”

“I don’t know what you think you heard, but—”

“Don’t embarrass yourself by denying it. I know what I heard.” Then I tried to master Cowboy’s tone as I said, “You two should bang it out.”

“You didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, did you?”

“I heard enough—”

“Woman, get your head out of your ass,” he yelled in a holier-than-thou voice. “You don’t ever shut up and listen. Your mouth is like a runaway train—no f*cking brakes.”

“Up yours, Jake! Who do you think you—”

He grabbed my waist and covered my mouth with his. My hands went straight to his chest to force him away, but I might as well have been pushing against a statue. When his tongue nudged its way into my mouth, I couldn’t deny him access. Wasn’t much coaxing involved, anyway. It was an unguarded moment. I wasn’t prepared for the warmth of his lips or the heat of his hands.

Jake kissed me deeply, tracing my lips with his. He pressed his body into mine until he had me aching for him. I ran my fingers through the back of his hair, then down to his sleek shoulders, as he pulled his mouth from mine.

I swayed to the left, intoxicated more by his kiss than the alcohol. He steadied me, resting his velvety fingers against the pulse on my neck. I tilted my head back to look at him, reveling in my guilty pleasure and the intensity of his gaze.

He smiled lightly. “Do me a favor?”

“Mmmm,” I murmured, my head flopping lazily onto his shoulder.

“Apologize to Bobbie Jo.”

Moments before, my heart was in freefall with sixty seconds of pure bliss, but his words snapped me back to reality like a bungee cord. “Do what?”

“She’s forgiving,” he said.

“Screw her and her forgiveness. That’s why you kissed me? Because you wanted me to say sorry to your old flame? You’re crazy if you think that’s going to happen.”

I unlocked the door to the bathroom and marched out. Jake didn’t try to stop me, which bothered me more. Tears sprung from my eyes as I made it to the bar. I wiped them away, but more surfaced in their place.

Ox sat beside me and handed me a napkin. “Here, dry your eyes,” he said softly. “Want to talk about it?”

“No, I just…I cry when I drink.”

“Don’t we all,” he said, smiling, rubbing his hand on my back. “How about a dance? I haven’t got you out on the floor yet.”