Page 9 of Cold Snap
“You know, same shit, different day.” I give him a half-hearted smile.
“Pretty intense about your friend, huh? She doing okay?”
“Yeah, she’s…good. Waylon’s making sure of that.”
He laughs and I feel…nothing. It’s like a stranger laughing. No chills, no inner warmth, no breathing changes. I’m dead inside for everyone but Landry. Damn it.
He takes the end of my hair, which happens to be by my cheek, and gives me a cocky grin. And suddenly he’s gone, and I’m standing in front of a pissed off Landry. He’s staring at me like I was the one flirting with a blonde goddess and not the other way around.
“I told you, Teresa.” He points his finger at me, pissing me off to no end. Who does he think he is?
“You told me what? That you were going to police me so I can’t have fun. Why don’t you go back over to the bar and finish taking your blonde to bed.”
“What?” Like he doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about. Whatever. I know what I saw.
“You mother fucker!”
Oh, shit! I know that voice! I turn to find Waylon chasing after…Tommy and my bestie are standing on the dance floor with liquid dripping off her. I move without thinking and go right to her, pulling her off the dancefloor and grabbing napkins and trying to do as much damage control as I can. It doesn’t matter how angry or sad I am; I’m Oakley’s ride or die and always will be.
And if I focus on my friend, I won’t have to really check in with myself to find out how devastated I am over Landry and his fucking overinflated sense of protectiveness riding to the rescue. I’m not being put in the fucking sister zone by the only man I want to drag my clothes off and make love to me.
And I’m not letting my friend take shit from some asshole who is too stupid to realize what a good thing he had. I’m over men and their stupidity. And I’m over this stupid night!
Chapter Seven
Landry
Isaw the moment that asshole tried to put his hands on Teresa. Fucking Aarons! I should have realized my threatening him wouldn’t have stopped him from making a go at her! And what the hell was she even talking about when she told me to take some blonde to bed? The only fucking person I’ve even remotely thought about taking to bed was a short, little brunette that won’t stop dressing to give me a coronary.
I also see the moment Oakley walks up to Tommy and decks him. I’m moving before my next breath, but it’s not fast enough. My little firecracker is going off and taking care of her friend.
She hits one of the guys in the dick with a well-placed knee, sending the guy to the floor and balls her fist up to hit another one. By the time I have her around the waist, she’s kicked one of the men lying on the floor and is raising as much hell as she can. Even though I have a firm grip on her and she is off the ground, she still manages to kick the spit out of one of the men who hangs out with that asshat!
“Waylon!” The best thing for everyone involved is to take Teresa and Oakley out of the bar and away from the fight.
“I’ve got her.” I look over to see him tossing Oakley over his shoulder.
I hold Teresa to me and fight to keep my anger even and under control. The last thing this situation needs is for me to lose my shit and break a mother fucker for trying to touch her.
“Terry!” Even over Waylon’s shoulder, Oakley finds a way to push herself up and ask after her friend, endearing herself to me.
“I got her, Oakley! You two go!”
Waylon turns, “You sure, man?”
“Positive. Go!”
The warm body in my arms vibrates against me with so much anger she can barely hold it in. “Put me down, Land! You have no right to touch me!”
“Bullshit!” I pull her to the back of the room, where I have an office with a door. Why does her denying me the right to touch her piss me off so damned much I could spit fire? “You hotheaded little…”
“You keep your hands off me! Those bastards deserved what they got!”
I put her down in my chair and yank open one of the desk drawers. She doesn’t see the handcuffs until I slap one on her. When she realizes I’ve locked her to the chair, she goes nuclear.
“What the absolute fuck do you think you are doing?! You psycho! You can’t hold me here like this!”
Well, sweetheart, I’m pretty sure I just did.
