Page 6 of Trouble Walked In

She gave him a pained expression and whispered, “I don't know if I can do this. I've been getting groped at all night, Ronan.”

Anger and regret flared across his face as he said, “Fuck. I'm sorry. That's... Let me fix it.”

Before she could speak, he raised his voice and said, “The next one of you fuckers that touches her is going to leave with a broken hand! She's mine.”

Moira's eyes shot up to Ronan's in shock. She knew that this was just for show, but his words still made her heart pound. Getting involved right now wouldn't be the best idea, but every time he touched her, she felt more than ready to throw caution to the wind.

His gaze locked on hers as he tightened an arm around her momentarily and gave her a squeeze. Anger and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on flashed in his eyes again. “Let me know if you have any problems, baby,”

Baby? Her voice shaky, Moira went with it and said, “Sure thing.”

Mikey gaped and said, “Ronan. Man, I didn't know. I didn't realize.”

“I heard her telling you she wasn't interested all the way from the bar. This is your only goddamned warning. Keep your fucking hands off things that don't belong to you.”

Chapter Five

Ignoring the warning bells in his head entirely, he tugged her the rest of the way into his arms and crushed his mouth down on hers. She froze for an instant before she went completely pliant, melting against him with a moan. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he deepened the kiss, his tongue lazily tangling with hers.

Maybe it had just started out as a way to protect her from unwanted advances, but the moment her soft body pressed up against him, instinct took over. He gathered her close and devoured her mouth until the hoots and hollers of his customers broke in. He pulled back from her, slightly out of breath, and said, “If anyone gives you any problems, let me know.”

Eyes wide, she nodded and said, “Thanks.”

Without another word, he strode back to the bar and resumed pouring drinks. He couldn't help but grin when he saw Moira standing there in a daze. He watched in amusement as she blinked and then started to pick up the empties on the table.

Ronan tensed when he saw Mikey speak to her. She gave him what might pass for a smile and then nodded. Before long, he got back into the rhythm of pouring drinks and lost track of Moira. Plenty of folks lingered at the bar and gave him questioning glances. He couldn't much blame them, though. He hadn't ever publicly laid claim to a woman. Clearly, people wanted to know who she was.

He remained tight-lipped for the rest of the evening and he kept his hands to himself. Seeing Mikey put his hands all over her had stirred a protective instinct that he didn't quite understand. He'd been tempted to put him through a wall. A part of him had recognized her this morning in bed as a potential mate. He didn't even want to consider what that meant.

An hour or so before closing, it finally slowed down enough that he could check on Moira again. When she made her way behind the bar with more empties, he nudged her and asked, “Better?”

“Yeah,” she said. “The job isn't half bad when the customers aren't trying to feel me up.”

He winced and said, “I wish you would've said something. That's unacceptable. I guess I gave my customers a bit too much credit. I'm sorry.”

“Don't worry about it, Ronan. I handled it. Mikey was the first person that really stepped over the line. I appreciate your help with it.”

“Let me know if anyone else gives you any trouble,” he stated.

“I doubt that's going to be an issue,” Moira said, flushing. “Um. I think you scared the shit out of everyone with your whole crazy alpha male she's mine outburst, Ronan.”

He couldn't help his smirk when he said, “Figured it was the easiest way to make sure everyone left you alone.”

“It was pretty hot,” she admitted, reaching out to trace a finger down the snaps at the front of his shirt. Her eyes were locked on his when she continued. “Also, effective. Mikey apologized to me after you left. Gave me a nice tip, too. So thank you.”

He watched her for a moment, uncer

tain how to respond. It wasn't exactly a blatant invitation, but he could work with that, he realized. Instead of reacting, he slid the two mixed drinks down the bar as she popped a lid off a bottle, then said, “Ran out of Yeungling. Steer 'em elsewhere if you can. I'll put in the order tomorrow for it.”

“Sure thing, boss,” she said as she moved the drinks on to the tray. “Crew cut's gonna be sad. He's been pounding them back all night.”

Moira was something of a surprise. She'd been on her feet constantly since four in the afternoon when he'd opened the bar. He'd watched her move effortlessly from table to table, bringing customers water with their drinks when they'd had too much. She'd pulled her own beers when he'd been in the weeds. Ronan acknowledged that he would have been in a mess of trouble without her tonight.

He hadn't really been looking for a waitress, but he considered her predicament and his own staffing situation in the spur of the moment last night. He would admit that his judgment had been somewhat cloudy where Moira was concerned. He was glad to see he hadn't created a bigger problem.

By the time closing rolled around, he was more than ready to kick everyone out on their asses. It wasn’t that he was really tired so much as he was tired of dodging questions about his new waitress. He'd made it a policy to never fuck patrons, so with the exception of a few friends, no one was used to seeing him with a woman.

Ronan watched her as she wiped up tables and acknowledged that there was something different going on here. When she bent to pick up a stray bottle cap, he had to hold back a groan. He knew with absolute certainty that he needed to be buried inside her before the night was over.

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