Page 72 of Tess, Property of Blaze

“Him,” he says, lifting his chin to point somewhere behind me. I look over my shoulder—some guy has his hands on Tess. I see red—she must think it’s me, because she’s swaying her body against his, practically grinding on the fucker. Anger blinds me to anything else happening around me, and I slam my beer onto the bar and storm over to dance floor. I tap his shoulder, and when he turns around, I strike him in the face, causing him to fall to the floor. I hear the girls screaming in the background, and I grab the guy by his collar and lean forward.

“Fuck, man,” he spits out, blood dripping down his chin. “What the fuck?”

I feel hands on my shoulders, pulling me back, but they’re not quick enough. I punch him in the face once more, and blood spatters everywhere.

“Fuck, you broke my nose. You fuckin’ asshole.”

“Blaze, please, stop. Please.” Tess is crying out to me, and the haze lifts at the sound of her voice. I shake out my hand, noticing blood on my knuckles. Fuck, it hurts.

“You touch her again, and I’ll kill you, fucker,” I spit out, blood still running thick in my veins at the vision of him laying a finger on Tess.

Tess steps in front of me then, blocking me from the asshole. “Blaze, baby, that’s enough. He didn’t know that I’m yours.”

My gaze pulls away from the man lying on the dance floor, moving to lock eyes with Tess. “Wait… did you just say that you’re mine?”

She smirks, and my heart just about jumps out of my chest. “Yes, baby. I always have been, and always will be.”

Suddenly the pain in my hand vanishes, just like that, and I grab her by the hair at the back of her head and smash my lips to hers, desperate to prove to her—and everyone else in the entire bar, the fuckin’ world—that she’s mine.

Whistles and catcalls surround us, and some people shout, “Get a room!”

Tess laughs against my mouth, and I pull back. “Does that mean you forgive me?” I say in a low tone.

She nods. “I do, but, Blaze?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I want Katie gone, she’s to leave the club. You hear me?”

I smile down at her. “Already gone, babe.” Earlier today when I went to the club, after Tess left me at the park, I told Quill that Katie had to go. He didn’t ask questions, I think he just understood. He’d told me that day that I’d regret it, and boy was he right.

“Good.” She leans in, letting her tongue come out to play with my lip ring.

My cock throbs almost painfully at the contact, and I growl, “You gotta stop that, babe, because I’m gonna take you right here and now.”

She smiles and bites down on her bottom lip. “What’s stopping you?”

My heartbeat thumps inside my eardrums, keeping pace with the fast-moving beat of the song now playing. I block out all the noise around us. “Don’t play with me, you know you can’t do that just yet.”

Her eyes sparkle and dance when she says, “I can, the doctor gave me the all clear.”

My eyes widen and my lips turn up in a wide grin. “Then what the fuck are we waiting for?” I pick her up then, and her legs wrap around me instantly. I cup the back of her head and take her mouth, kissing her till her lips are swollen and her lipstick is a beautiful mess. When we finally break apart, I glance around the bar, assuming that the boys have walked the asshole out since they’re notably absent, and the girls are standing around looking all dreamy-eyed at us.

“You two are so cute,” Jasmine says, and I smile at her then look at Tess.

“I wanna get you home, we’ve got a lot of making up to do.”

I hear the girls squeal in the background, but my focus is only as Tess, and I breathe in a sigh of relief when she says, “Yes, please.”

Without any other thought, without even saying goodbye to Jasmine, Lu, and Charity, I let Tess slide down my body, grab her hand in mine, and walk her out to my bike. Everyone watching will know exactly where we’re heading, and what we’re about to do, and all I can think is, you wish you were me.

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