Total pages in book: 204
Estimated words: 193115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 966(@200wpm)___ 772(@250wpm)___ 644(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 966(@200wpm)___ 772(@250wpm)___ 644(@300wpm)
“You okay?” he asks, putting himself in front of me, trying to hamper my view.
I crane my neck to look past him. “Yeah.” My eyes widen when a man moves in on Ava, taking her in a hug. The fuck? It’s too much of a friendly hug for him to be a stranger. So who the fuck is he?
My feet are moving before I can convince them otherwise. “Whoa.” Sam laughs, somehow managing to hold me back. “You said you’d be cool.”
The guy kisses her cheek, and I growl, fighting against Sam to get free. “I’m cool,” I bark, struggling in his hold. “Let me the fuck go.”
“No way,” Sam argues, knuckling down, tightening his grip. “She’s just talking to him.”
Just talking? I’m watching, and I can see the way he’s looking at her. Fuck me, the rage. “I’m fine,” I say as Drew arrives and holds out a bottle of water. “So fine.” Sam’s right. I can’t steam on in there and cause a scene. That would go down about as well as a bottle of vodka right now. I’d kill all hopes of making amends. Be cool. Be cool. Be cool. The guy reaches for her arm and strokes it. Be cool.
“Oh boy,” Drew murmurs, and I’m gone, charging through the crowds like a rhino, my rage irrepressible. Get him. Kill him. Claim Ava. My hand is out in front of me of its own volition, and his neck is soon in my palm. I slam him into the nearest wall and get up in his face, snarling like a rabid dog.
I have no words. Can’t talk through the unbridled violence consuming me. All I’m capable of is constricting my hand. He touched her. He can’t touch her. No one can touch her. Only I can touch her. No one will take this piece of heaven from me. I search for some self-control. None. “Keep your fucking hands to yourself,” I hiss.
I can hear Ava’s voice, yet it’s a muffled white noise. Fuzzy. Unclear. But then I feel her on my skin, her small, smooth palm stroking my bicep. Touch. I blink my vision clear, realigning my attention on the fucker currently held in my grip.
“Who the fuck are you?” I demand, not easing up, not appreciating that he probably can’t talk with me squeezing his throat. “Who?” I yell.
“Matt,” he squeaks. “Ava’s ex.”
My snarl is lethal. Judging by the way he was looking at her, he doesn’t want to be an ex. I hear more voices. More white noise. I can’t make sense of any of it. It’s just me and this dizzying rage.
“Jesse, my man, come on.” A hand takes my wrist, trying to ease me away. “Let go of him, for fuck’s sake.”
“Jesse,” Drew says, joining the party to calm me down.
I shake my head, frowning to myself, flexing my fingers and pulling away. The guy is gone like a shot, stumbling his way through the bar.
“Jesus,” Sam breathes. “I knew this was a bad idea.”
Drew scoffs, placing a bottle of water in my hand, giving me disappointed eyes. “What the fuck?”
“He was all over her,” I growl, turning to find her. “Where is she?” I scan the crowds, searching for Ava, my anger disappearing, being replaced with a panic of equal strength. Fuck, what have I done?
“Let’s take a timeout, shall we?” Sam sighs, taking one arm, Drew the other. They both lead me to the end of the bar, flanking me, and take up position, barricading me in.
“Drink,” Drew orders, pushing the bottle to my mouth. “And calm the fuck down before Jay throws us out.”
At the mention of his name, the man appears, assessing us all. “A disturbance has been reported. Nothing to do with you three, right?”
Sam turns on his charm, giving Jay a friendly slap on the shoulder. “Nothing but love, Jay. Nothing but love.”
“Good. Keep it that way.” He leaves, and my eyes go back to scanning the crowd, my hand slipping into my pocket to get my phone. What if she left? Has she left? Drew swoops in and plucks my mobile from my grasp. “What are you doing?” I ask, incredulous.
“Stopping you from doing something stupid.”
“Too late,” Sam mutters, swigging back his beer, clearly regretting coming here. “Sit your arse down.” He pulls a stool over and pushes me onto it. “You think that’s going to help your cause?” he asks, remaining before me, blocking my view and my escape.
I pout like a sullen schoolboy, dropping my eyes to my knees. What did they expect me to do? Watch while another man moves in on her? Not a chance.
“I’m no expert in the language of wooing, but I’d say you’ve royally fucked that up.” Drew gives me a consolation pat on my back, and I look up at him, irritated.