Xavier Cold (Hard Knocks #2)(35)

“You caught me,” the man admits. “I was looking for an excuse to talk to a pretty lady.”

Heat floods my face, surely making me blush, and I can’t tell if all the liquor or his simple compliment caused it. “That’s very kind of you, but I can’t accept you paying for my stuff. I have a boyfriend.”

“A really big, scary one,” Tyler chimes in from across the bar. “And he’s right behind you.”

My head whips around, and I spot Xavier standing just inside the door. His long hair is damp from a shower, and he’s changed into a fitted T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and boots. He’s no doubt here to find me since I haven’t been back to his house since we fought.

Suddenly, I fear for the man sitting next to me because Xavier gets crazy jealous when it comes to other men speaking to me. I don’t want him to go nutso on this guy who is trying to be nice.

The man, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to be the least bit worried. Matter of fact, he doesn’t even make an attempt to turn around and check out the man whom Tyler has warned him about. Instead, he fishes out his wallet from his back pocket and lays down a one hundred dollar bill.

My pulse pounds beneath my skin as Xavier’s eyes meet mine, and then his gaze flits over to the man next to me. Even from across the room, it’s easy to tell that his body has instantly stiffened. Then, he squares his shoulders and marches in my direction.

“Oh, shit,” Tyler says from behind me. “Mister, you should leave.”

The man shrugs. “I’ll leave when I’m ready, and no one will make me do so otherwise.”

“Your funeral,” Tyler mumbles as he walks to the opposite end of the bar.

Xavier stands in front of me, but his eyes are fixated on the guy while he flexes his fingers in and out. “Let’s go, Anna.”

It’s not a request but a command. After how he treated me today, I’m not ready to let his bossiness slide.

I fold my arms across my chest. “No. Maybe I’m not ready to leave. I told you before, I can handle myself.”

“Yeah, X. She said she’s got it under control,” the man taunts.

I know this isn’t going to go over well.

Xavier’s eyes narrow and his jaw muscle works beneath the skin. “Shut your f*cking mouth before I shut it for you.”

“Xavier!” I scold him, trying to grab his attention before he does something crazy and ends up in trouble yet again.

“Anna...” he growls my name in a sexy way.

At the moment, I refuse to admit how my body to reacts to him because I’m still mad at him.

“Let’s go. Now,” he adds.

The man turns around on the stool, wearing a shit-eating grin, and I want to order him to turn back around if he doesn’t have a death wish, but the man seems to be amused by Xavier’s obvious anger.

“What the f*ck are you smiling at?” Xavier barks to the man.

I’m instantly on my wobbly feet to try to stop this argument from getting out of control.

“I will f*cking end you right here, right now for f*cking with what’s mine.”

I place my hand on Xavier’s chest. “Don’t. Nothing is going on. Let it go.”

“The hell it’s not. I see exactly what’s happening here.”

“Stop,” I plead.

His gaze fixes on me.

“Let. It. Go,” I say my words slowly so that, even in my drunken state, they come out with enough clarity, so he knows that I’m not joking around.

“Anna, this guy...” He trails off, like he’s stopping himself from saying something that he really wants to say. “This f*cker needs to be taught a f*cking lesson.”

I shake my head. “He doesn’t. You need to control your temper.”

He narrows his eyes, and I can see the tension is not going to go away until I remove him from the situation. That means I need to give in and leave with him.

“Just stop, and I’ll go wherever you want.”

His eyes leave me for a brief moment. He stares down at the man behind me, like he’s debating on whether or not to walk away from the fight that’s brewing. When his gaze meets mine again, he wraps his fingers around my elbow. “Let’s go.”

I stumble a bit, my feet a little numb from all the liquor I just drank, as he begins to lead me outside.

Supporting all my weight with ease, he releases a small growl as we pass through the front door. “You shouldn’t drink without me. If I’m not there, what’s going to stop some motherf*cker from drugging you?”

We make it into the cool night air, and I swat his hand off me. “I had everything under control in there. No one in this place is going to hurt me, not with Quinn and Tyler on the lookout. You have to stop trying to save me all the time. This whole possessive thing is becoming a problem. Allow me to live, Xavier!”

His blue eyes narrow. “Live? If you call putting yourself in danger living, then excuse me for giving a f*ck and for ruining your fun.”

“Nothing was going on in there. If I were in danger, I would have known it,” I fire back, completely angry that he sees me as a silly twit who cannot take care of herself.

“That’s where you’re wrong, beautiful. This cruel world is far worse than you can imagine, and you wouldn’t know real danger if it bit you in the ass.”