Page 87 of What About Love

He bowed to Angie gallantly. “Obviously, you two have things to work out. If it doesn’t, find me the next time,Angeline, and we’ll finish our dance.”

“There won’t be a next time,” T declared, to which Arturo smiled faintly. He inclined his head to Angie and disappeared among the crowd of dancers who were now standing still, watching the show.

T took her hand. “I’m taking you home.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she protested, yanking it away. “Besides, I’m having fun and want to stay.”

“You’re drunk and don’t know what you want.”

“Ha! That’s rich coming from you, Mr. On-and-off-like-a-light-switch. I’m fully aware of what I want, and I know I don’t want you.”

He pulled her against his chest and bent his head to her ear. “That’s not what you said while I was fucking you against the wall a while ago.”

Her indrawn breath was the only reaction she allowed herself before demanding coolly, “Let me go. You seem to be very good at that when it suits your purpose.”

Knowing she was drunk and hurting didn’t diminish the sting of her words. Without loosening his hold, he stared down into her flushed, angry face. Neither was ready to back down until abruptly Angie looked away.

“Why are you doing this?” In the eerie silence of the bar, the music and conversation having come to a near standstill as their drama unfolded her whisper carried. “For whatever reason, you’re determined to be alone, to live a cold, solitary existence without love in your life. I don’t pretend to understand it and you sure as heck won’t let anyone in. But this has to stop, please.”

He closed his eyes as he focused on the words so similar to Cap’s. It was a cold, lonely existence and, as he imagined his life stretched out before him, without someone to share it with, without love, without Angie in it, his heart wrenched painfully. He opened his mouth to say exactly that, to say he was ready to give love a chance again because he felt more strongly for her than any woman ever, when the band started up.

“I’ve been lonely...”

His head came up at the lyric and turned toward the stage. Elena, in the spotlight was staring at them as she sang the old classic rock ballad. He listened for a moment to his truth in the words.

“T?”

Frowning, his gaze dropped from the stage but collided with Dex, who stood in his line of sight at the edge of the dance floor. Arms crossed, he stared back at T and shrugged as if to say he didn’t know how his wife did it. How she always seemed to have the exact song for every situation.

He turned to look back at Angie, just as Elena hit the chorus of Heart’sWhat About Love.

She, too, had turned toward the stage, staring at her friend in wonder. Appreciating the serendipity of the moment, he laughed. Then he bent at the waist, wrapped an arm around her thighs, and with his shoulder in her belly, lifted her.

“Put me down, you ginormous Neanderthal,” she squealed, sober enough to register the smiles and laughter all around them. “You don’t own me.”

She kicked her legs and beat her fists against his back in outrage.

“Not yet, I don’t, but once I get you home, I’m going to see about changing that.”

“Oh, no you don’t, you fickle feckless Lothario! I’m not going through this again.”

“Yes, you will, darlin’, because I’m going to make it worth your while.”

“Of all the conceited, arrogant—” Her cries of protest turned into a startled yelp as his big hand came down with a hard swat across her upended ass cheeks.

“Be still, before I give you more of what you’re asking for.”

To the delight of the onlookers, he carried her off the dance floor and down the aisle separating the lounge and the bar. As he neared the doors, he saw Cap standing with Megan. His friend wore a smug look on his face, while hers was filled with concern.

“Way to take matters in hand, bud.”

“Captain! This doesn’t look consensual and from what she told me earlier—” When he opened the door for him, Megan protested loudly, “Tony, he can’t just carry her off!”

“Angel, I remember us in similar circumstances about three years ago. You were protesting louder than your cousin, if I recall, and you know how that night ended.”

Megan was quiet for a moment, remembering, surely, before she called to Angie as T toted her by. “Call me in the morning, at least, so I know the barbarian didn’t break you.”

T heard every word and knew Angie had correctly processed it through her alcohol haze when she pushed off, her hand pressing into his lower back for leverage. “You mean you’re just going to stand by and watch him take me away?”

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