Page 33 of Protective Heroes

I took a stance in front of Evie, blocking their view, my voice dripping with venom. She didn’t need to see the bloody mess lying at my feet.

My jaw clenched and I narrowed my eyes, willing to let them make the next move and knowing I would finish anything they started. Not to anyone’s surprise, the three remaining wannabe bad-asses hauled ass, leaving their buddies to fend for themselves.

“Some friends,” I grunt, giving the one with the bruised jaw a shove with the heel of my shoe.

I straightened my cuffs and smoothed out a few invisible wrinkles.

“Pussies.”

The rest of the party-goers stared at us, slack-jawed and a little out of sorts. Rich preppy people didn’t like the hands-on part of some jobs.

Tough shit.

“Same goes for you,” I throw at Evie, turning on my heel. “Some group of friends you’ve got yourself involved with.”

Dismissive brown eyes leveled on mine.

I had half a mind to call the local authorities and make a nuisance report. But the snowfall grew dense and if I wanted to get us off the side of this mountain, I didn’t have time to play babysitter for everyone. Besides, I’d taken care of things the best way I knew how—direct and to the point.

I gave myself a brief moment to savor the look of satisfaction that crossed my ice princess’s face as she took in the sight of the guys withering at my feet.

“Okay. Time to go.”

Two

Evie

Gabriel’s hand came out in offering for me to follow and I batted it away.

“Are you insane? What the everloving hell are you doing?”

The mountain of a man towered over me in this crazy expensive suit looking like he walked off a photoshoot for GQ and maybe he did. I haven't seen Gabriel Dyson in over three years, so who knew what the man did nowadays.

Bounty hunting didn’t seem like his cup of tea, but then again, I never was a good judge of character.

Back when I first started appreciating the male physiques and husky voices he would come around the house and spend hours with my father talking business. My father even went as far as to call him a friend, but right now he was being a major pain in my ass.

Pain or not, he was also a six-foot-three-inch perfect specimen of muscled manhood. His dark hair has fully grown out from the close-cut I last saw the former Marine sporting. I much preferred this version.

The second he entered my personal space and shielded me from the beating those boys took, my body tingled. A dark, forbidden part of me surfaced with buried fantasies. Between me and my journal, it was no secret I lusted for him and his gorgeous rugged, bad boy looks. The same buried part of me that craved for him to be the one to show me the world, teach me how a man loved a woman, and all that rom-com movie mushy stuff my fifteen-year-old heart thought the world revolved around.

Then I grew up and realized while the lusting was real, the fantasies would stay my filthy secrets. Locked away between the pages of some book I scribbled in years ago.

But I’m no longer that young girl. I’m a woman now.

I smile to myself. And he’s still unlike any of the boys in my life who want to be men. No, Gabriel is the real deal, all male and right this second he has those sexy dark eyes of his pinned to mine in a battle of wills.

This ought to be fun.

I flick my sunglasses into place and reclaim my spot on the lounge, stretching my legs out, with no plans on moving anytime soon.

“You don’t even have to tell me. My father sent you to fetch his petulant child.” I move my hand to shoo him away. “You can run along now, Captain. I have no intentions of going with you. But nice try. Merry Christmas.”

The temperature inside the atrium sat around a balmy eighty degrees when I first claimed my spot. But as the afternoon wore on the faster the heat faded and the more I wanted to return to my room. My brow furrowed for a minute because Mr. Suit here was making it damn hard to enjoy my vacation.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted hotel security attempting to do their job. Might as well have been cardboard cutouts. One scowl from Gabriel and they all tucked tail and skittered away.

Great.

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