Page 27

“No harm done,” the guy awkwardly laughed, stepping away from me.

“Not unless I catch you around her again.”

Fear slowly snuck in, almost crippling me. The last thing I wanted or needed was Jamie getting into trouble over me. I wasn’t worth that.

“Hey,” I called, catching his attention. “Leave it alone. He was just heading back inside the bar, right?” My eyes darted to the jackass. I was pleased at the fear spread across his face. His eyes were so wide, they were nearly bulging. Sweat beads slowly trickled down his temples, and his eyes danced between Jamie and me, as if he were a prisoner nervously awaiting a sentence.

“Y—yeah,” he fumbled over his words.

Thankfully, Jamie seemed to calm down a notch. At least, he calmed down enough to let the asshole walk away from the situation unharmed. I heaved a sigh of relief once I felt there was a good enough distance between them.

“You good?” Jamie questioned, looking me over.

My body shook lightly as an icy wind brushed around us. Jamie quickly shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around my shoulders. I wasn’t sure what had me shivering, the incident or the weather. Either way, I was overjoyed that Jamie seemed to have good enough home training to allow me his coat.

“Come on.”

Without thinking twice, I accepted his hand, allowing him to lead me to his car. Climbing inside felt like submerging yourself into a warm bath on a freezing day. I nearly melted right into the seat.

“Thank you,” I managed to get out once my teeth stopped chattering. “And to answer your question, I’m fine.”

“Does shit like that happen all the time?” The concern in his voice was touching.

“People can get a little pushy,” I admitted. “But tonight is the first time I’ve ever experienced something like that. I don’t know what his deal was.”

“The bar doesn’t have security this late?”

“We’ve never had a reason to. Not that I’ve seen since I’ve been here. Customers are never usually this rowdy.”

“Just because something hasn’t happened, doesn’t mean that it won’t ever happen. I’m sure that you and Xi aren’t the only women working here and⁠—”

It wasn’t until he said her name that I remembered Ximena was covering for me.

“Shit!” I hissed, hurriedly snatching the coat from around my shoulders and hurriedly opening the car door. “Mena’s going to kill me. I told her I was coming right back.”

“Hold up,” Jamie followed and gently took hold of my hand. “Let me walk with you.”

I smiled softly at his request. His protectiveness was adorable.

“How are you getting home?” he questioned, as we headed to the door.

“I drove.”

“Do you have anyone who can follow you, just in case ole boy is on some bullshit?”

“Jamie, it’s⁠—”

“I know, I know. It sounds like I’m being crazy overprotective, but shit happens. Bitch ass niggas don’t like to be told no and do stupid shit to try and get what they think is their power back.”

“I’m closing tonight,” I said, just as we reached the door. “I wouldn’t dare ask someone to wait up until then just to follow me home. I appreciate the concern, but I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”

Reaching for the door handle, Jamie snorted. “Right. What time does the bar close again?”

Just as I opened my mouth to argue, he shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t even trust your mean ass to tell the truth. I’ll just ask Xi. And I’ll be back to make sure you get home safe.”

There it was again. The protective nature oozing from him. Normally, I’d be put off by someone forcing themselves into my business without my consent. If he was anyone else, I’d tell him where to go and exactly how to get there. But, it was hard to be annoyed at him.

Jamie seemed to genuinely care. That’s what made all the difference.