Page 20 of The Dom's Sinful Desires
“I just want to talk to you, and you won’t stay still.Your husband’s not here, so maybe we can go have lunch.”
“And I’ve told you...”
A feral growl caught their attention.“No, she didn’t bring her husband, but she brought me, you little fucker,” Drew growled, and gripped the man around the neck and lifted him.“Don’t you ever touch her again.”He shook the man.
“Drew!Don’t do that.He’s harmless, a pitiful excuse for a man.Please stop.”
Hailey was hanging off Drew’s arm, trying to get him to lower his arm and release the man before he killed him.She was amazed that it didn’t seem to faze him that he was lifting two people with one arm.
“Drew, stop, he’s turning blue.”She released his arm and wrapped her arms around his waist.“Drew!Please, look at me,” she begged in a broken, fear-filled voice.
Drew glanced down at Hailey clinging to him, pleading out loud and silently with her eyes.He took a shuddering breath and released the man, to have him drop on his ass to the floor and grab onto his own neck while he gagged and gasped for breath.
Hailey tightened her arms when she realized he was still fighting the anger that coursed through his body and tried to calm down.Her hands roamed up and down his back in a soothing motion and softly whispered to him.“He’s no one.He’s just a nuisance I’ve had to deal with.He’s harmless.”
Drew took a shuddering breath and pulled her against his chest, propping his chin on top of her head.
“I hate that you have to deal with that crap.You’re never coming to town by yourself again.What’s Adam done to fix this problem, because it’s not working?”
Hailey stiffened.
“Hailey?”He pushed her away enough to see her face.His eyes narrowed at the guilty look she tried to hide from him.“He doesn’t know, does he?”
Hailey bit her lip, looked down at the ground, and shook her head.She pressed her fingers of one hand to her temple, where a tension headache started to grow.
“No, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell him,” she pleaded.
Drew watched dispassionately as the man picked himself off the floor and hastily raced from the store before Drew turned his attention back to Hailey.
“You know I’ll tell him.I can’t keep this from him.The man had his hands on you, and you were telling him to stop.I actually should have killed the fucker.”
Hailey laid her hand on his chest.A trickle of sweat snaked down her spine at the thought of Adam knowing about it.It was going to cause so many problems.“No, he’s not worth you going to prison for.”
“Who is he?”
“His name is Joey.His father owns the bank in town.”
“And why did he have his hands on you?”
She swept her hair out of her face, shaky and agitated.
“Since I came to town, he’s...I don’t know what to call it.Fixated on me for some reason?”She shrugged.“I can usually just ignore him.”
“And the reason you didn’t tell Adam?”
Hailey held her hands out in a plea for him to understand.“Because he does all his business with the father.I don’t want him to have a hassle with the father.He doesn’t have time, and I’m not afraid of Joey.So, I’ve stayed quiet.”
“Do you know how badly you’re going to get punished?”he growled at her.
Hailey sighed and then nodded.
“Is there a problem here, honey?”
Drew’s head whipped around to stare at the man in the uniform who stood several feet away with his hand on the butt of his revolver in the holster.“Who the hell are you?”
Hailey raced in front of Drew and pushed at his chest when he took a menacing step towards the deputy.
“Stop, Drew.This is Deputy Stevens.He works for the Madison sheriff.”
