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“Whoa!” I gasp as he yanks me by the wrist and climbs halfway over the bar to pull me in for a kiss. “Hey!” I shout and manage to free myself from his grip.
“Come on, you want it, I can tell,” Kyle manages, slurring his words.
“I certainly do not want it. Now get the fuck off me!” I snap.
People are starting to notice and Kyle clearly isn’t smart enough to know when to stop as he’s about to come over the bar to try again.
“Hey, dude, cut it out.” Travis tries to get in his way, but Kyle is stronger.
Not strong enough for what’s about to happen, though.
Orion jumps over the bar—I didn’t even see him coming—but he now stands between Kyle and me. A hulk of a man, dark and menacing, as Kyle hits the brakes hard, the color instantly draining from his face.
“I believe the lady said no,” Orion’s voice thunders throughout The King & Sword, and the bar noise goes quiet.
Everything has come to a sudden halt. Kai and Drake sit comfortably in their booth, but their gaze is locked on us. The air thickens with a deadly threat as they await Kyle’s reaction.
In the meantime, all I can do is stare at Orion’s massive back, unable to move or say a thing. I can hear Kyle’s ragged breathing, his whimpering voice as he takes a couple of steps back.
“I’m sorry, Orion, I didn’t know she was taken,” he manages.
“It’s not a question of whether Nadia is taken or not. It’s a question of consent and whether she gave it to you,” Orion replies bluntly. “It’s painfully clear to everyone in this room that she didn’t give you her consent, so why the fuck do you think it’s okay for you to just walk into my bar and behave like an animal?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not enough. Get the fuck out of here. And leave your prospect patch at the door. You’re done,” Orion shoots back.
Kyle stares at him in sheer disbelief. He’s been trying so hard to get in their good graces. Drinking and pitching his future role as a club member. I doubt he has much else going on in his life otherwise he wouldn’t be in here acting like a mongrel.
My pulse is racing, but I keep my chin up and watch as Kyle nods slowly and walks away. He does as Orion commands, taking the patch off his vest and leaving it on a table on his way out.
As soon as the doors close behind him, it’s like the planet has begun spinning again.
The music kicks back on, people return to talking, laughing, and drinking, and Travis and the others dive back into work.
I exhale sharply as Orion turns around and locks eyes with me.
“Are you all right?” he asks, his voice low and remarkably calm. It sends the sweetest kind of shivers down my spine.
“Yes, thank you,” I reply, managing a smile.
“You’re off-limits, Nadia,” Orion replies. “The prospects will be warned from now on.”
His words are a mix of command and protection, making my heart flutter. “I appreciate that,” I say, still feeling the adrenaline ebbing away.
Orion nods, his intense gaze lingering on me for a moment longer. “Just doing what’s necessary,” he says, then turns to rejoin Kai and Drake.
I can only nod once and stare as he walks away. Oddly, the farther he gets, the colder I feel. His body heat from a short distance was enough to make me boil on the inside. I can only imagine the effect he’d have on me if he were closer if he touched me.
I shake the thoughts away and try to go back to work, but I keep stealing glances, trying to figure out what Orion meant when he said I was off-limits.
Did he mean off-limits to just the prospects or to everyone, including himself? I’m guessing the latter. These guys have the utmost respect for my father, and I know he’d burn everything in his path if anybody besmirched his precious daughter.
Not long after the incident with Kyle, Paddy heads upstairs to get busy with one of his regular girlfriends. Unlike most veteran club members, he’s still single and loving every second of it. Travis said that Paddy was in love once a long time ago, but that the girl married another guy.
Orion, Kai, and Drake also withdraw upstairs with what’s left of their whiskey, and I can’t help but look around, wondering where Carla is. I spot her lingering by the jukebox, pretending to go over the song list, yet I can see she’s got one eye on them.
“Give her a second,” Travis mutters while we’re both wiping glasses with dry clothes. “She’s gonna go after them.”
