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“Your woman,” Laughlin scoffs. “If she were your woman, the papers wouldn’t be flashing your picture with some blonde bimbo from the other night. Or was it two? I can’t keep up with you. Doesn’t look too good on you to be cheating on ‘your woman.’”
I’m moving before I can think about what I’m doing. With his shirt in both of my fists, I pull him close, leaving only a breath between us. “You listen here. I don’t give a shit what you saw or heard. Dakota is mine, and no one fucks with what’s mine. Do you understand?”
“Chance, he’s not worth it.” Dakota’s voice is raised behind me, but I can’t pay attention to that now. All I care about is Laughlin’s fearful beady blue eyes.
“What are you doing?” Wyatt asks, putting his hand on my shoulder.
Breaking my gaze with the weasel, I look around to see we are drawing a crowd. Some have their phones out recording. Others are flashing pictures. I know it’ll be all over the internet and local gossip pages within the hour.
Dropping my hands, I let Laughlin go, causing him to stumble back into his date. With the blonde’s eyes wide in panic, she holds her arms out to stop Laughlin from crashing into her.
“Let’s go, babe.” I turn to Dakota, straightening my shirt. “I don’t like the company in here tonight.”
“Yeah, it’s shocking who they let in,” she says dazedly, glaring between me and the others. I don’t miss the way she stands straighter with her chin held high.
I turn my back on Chadwick, letting him know I’m done with him wasting more of my time. It’s then I notice the bartender with his hands on the bar, eyes narrowed at Dakota. I don’t know what it is with this woman, but she seems to draw trouble wherever she goes.
“I thought I said no more trouble from you, Dakota. What was that?”
“It wasn’t me this time, Mark.” Dakota smiles.
“Don’t blame this on her.” I point my finger at the man. “What do I owe you for all three of our tabs?”
“Nothing. It was about time someone put that jackass in his place.” The bartender smiles. “Just don’t make it a regular occurrence, okay? Last thing I need is the cops called over some dumbass shit.”
“Noted.” I throw a hundred-dollar bill on the counter. “Come on, babe. Let’s get out of here.” I hold my hand out to her. My heart rate kicks up as she places her hand in mine. I love she doesn’t hesitate to place her hand in mine, and I’m not sure why.
“Babe?” The bartender asks Dakota with a raised eyebrow.
“Don’t ask,” she responds with a shake of her head, grabbing her purse from the bar top and following me.
Wyatt grumbles something under his breath, which I’m sure is a curse at me, before he downs the rest of his drink and falls in behind us.
I lead Dakota over to my black lifted truck out front, opening the passenger door for her. I tilt my head as she stops walking, staring at me as she stands stock still in the middle of the parking lot. One of her hands clutches the strap of her bag, the other at her hip. Wyatt stands behind her, giving me the same questioning look over her shoulder.
Fuck me, they aren’t going to make this easy.
“What’s the problem, princess?” I find my temper simmering at the surface after my encounter with Laughlin. I don’t want to take it out on Dakota, but she’s the one that dragged me into this shit.
“You’re the owner of Whiskey Canyon Ranch,” she says with her eyes wide.
“The one and only.” I grip the door, letting the cool metal under my skin centre me.
“Like, the billionaire Chance Declan.”
“Yes, we’ve established this. I’m not sure what my bank account has to do with any of this, though.”
“Sorry.” She gives her head a shake as she walks toward me. “This just isn’t how I was expecting my night to go.”
“I think it’s safe to say the same goes for all of us.” I look into her whiskey-coloured eyes for a moment longer before nodding my head at the open door. “Are you get getting in, girlfriend?”
“I have my car here.” She slips her hand into her purse, pulling out a key.
“Give the keys to Wyatt. He’ll follow behind us.”
Wyatt curses and kicks at the ground, but I don’t care. He’s the one that’s trying to push me to go with the dumbass idea of finding a fake girlfriend, so he’s in this just as much as I am.
“Look, I’m very grateful for what you did back there. I panicked when I saw Laughlin and his newest fling, but that’s it. We’re out of the bar now.”
