Page 14 of Not Catching Love

My nerves are exploding so hard I’m worried for a second I’m being hit with a stomach flu. But it passes. And Derek is still up there in a harness and pants too tight for words.

I have no idea if he’s a good dancer or a bad dancer, but he sure as hell is a sexy dancer, and my tongue swipes over my lips as I watch him.

Derek? Derek is someone I could have sex with. I’m not sure where the lines are with my comfort levels and why him and not Seven when they’re both huge protectors in my life, but thinking about Derek’s hands on me makes me shivery. And it has nothing to do with the fact that every time I see him, he’s disinfecting them.

Probably.

Maybe.

Who fucking knows, but sex or no sex, I know how he makes my heart ache.

All I have to do is picture his big arms and how intoxicating it would feel to be buried in them.

My lust snaps when a man with overinflated muscles climbs up onto the platform beside the cage and runs his hand over Derek’s calf before continuing up his leg.

“What. The fuck. Is he doing?”

Now, normally, I do my best to be sweet Xander. Like a puppy. Or a kitten. If I’m cute, people will want to keep me.

But I never learned how to share as a child, and now, a filthy little gremlin lives inside me.

And seeing that man’s hands on Derek?

The gremlin is activated.

I’ll sooner pull off my Derek’s head than let someone else play with him.

“We’re in a club. Guys touch,” Seven says, like I haven’t caught the scent of blood.

“Over my dead body.”

I push forward into the crowd of people around me, my friends calling after me as I disappear. It’s easy enough to give them the slip when I’m shorter than almost everyone here, even with my platform sneakers on. The same sneakers I use to stomp the feet of anyone who gets in my way.

The swelling heat is making me sweaty, and I need to get off this dance floor before my makeup runs or my hair gets sticky. Especially if Derek is going to see me like this.

I reach the platform and climb up to where the guy is now rubbing both of Derek’s legs as Derek rolls his hips toward him. If there weren’t bars around my man, I’d bite his fucking dick off. Before either of them see me, I grab Mr. Handsy from behind and yank him away. I might be small, but I’m stronger than I look—and I’m a sneaky motherfucker with no issues catching someone by surprise.

Whatever it takes.

The guy, caught off guard, loses his footing and hits the platform with athudthat can almost be heard over the music.

“The fuck?” he shouts, springing back to his feet, but before he can take a step, Derek steps out of the cage and puts himself between us. The man goes for me, but Derek’s hands catch his chest, and I almost swoon at how Derek holds him back. “Walk away.”

“That little fuckwit pushed me over.”

I give the asshole my devil smile and blow him a kiss from behind Derek’s back.

“You’re fucking dead!” He lunges for me, and Derek catches him as Seven and Madden show up. The raised platform isn’t big enough for all of us, but that doesn’t stop Seven from joining us and hauling the guy from Derek’s grip.

“Touch my brother, and I end your life. Got it?”

Seven is a scary motherfucker. Head and neck tattoos. Angry red hair. Absolutely enormous size. Sweetest heart in the world, which this guy has no way of knowing about.

It’s very obvious who’s coming away the winner in this scenario. The man, flushed in the face, jerks himself away and jumps from the platform, flipping me the bird as he disappears into the crowd.

As soon as he’s gone, I ignore Seven’syou’re in big troubleglare and redirect to Derek as he turns to face me.

“Xander? What the hell are you doing here?”

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