When we got back to my place, we walked in on Chet and one of the new girls going at it on the couch.

“Damn, man, you’re just now tappin’ that?” I asked as I threw open the refrigerator door for a drink. “She’s been here since last night. The one you fucked two days ago dropped panties for you in the first hour. You’re getting rusty.”

I winked over at Patience when the girl got pissed and climbed off of the couch. She pulled her dress down, grabbed her stuff, and slammed the door behind her.

“What the hell, man? When did you become a cock blocker?" he yelled as he buttoned up his jeans.

“I'm not a cock blocker. I'm a ball buster. Do that shit in your bedroom when Snowflake’s here or I’ll display my ball-busting skills.” I threw his shirt at him and he caught it in the air.

He mumbled something that I’m sure was rude as fuck as I grabbed Patience’s hand and took her to my room.

We decided to do the club scene for the night, and I got the pleasure of watching her slip into a sexy little summer dress and sandals. She didn’t need to show a bunch of skin to be sexy; she just was.

After showering together and then getting dressed, we met the boys out in the main room and left together. I took my own car just in case the boys decided they wanted to pull an all-nighter and Snowflake and me wanted to go home for fun.

The night was good. Getting drinks wasn’t an issue for me, and I made sure Patience got whatever she wanted from the bar. An hour into the night, she was buzzed and dancing freely on the dance floor as I watched from the bar.

Every now and again, a girl would come up to me and flirt, but I let them know real quick that I was taken. I noticed a few guys checking out my snowflake, but as long as they were just looking and not touching, I was fine with that. She was mine. Let the fuckers envy me.

She made summer look like seductive innocence. She didn’t know what she was doing, but with that cute summer dress sticking to her sweaty skin and her sandy hair bouncing all around her face, the men were bound to look.

I slow danced with her a few times and watched from afar as she and Finn danced together a few times. I’d had a good bit to drink and was seriously considering slowing down so I could drive home safely. If by some chance I didn’t sober up fast enough, I could just grab a cab to the house, no biggie.

I turned to put my final empty bottle on the bar and when I turned back, my eyes collided with some strange guy who was slowly dancing his way up behind Patience. The liquor in my system sparked a fire in me that spread throughout my entire body, and once he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her roughly against him, I was off of my barstool and making my way across the dance floor.

Patience clawed at his arm the way she’d done mine so many months ago, and the fear in her eyes was my undoing. I pulled his arm away from her and spun him around to face me.

“If you touch her again, I’ll kill you,” I said with so much force I shocked myself.

“Listen up, asshole. This has nothing to do with you.” He pushed me square in the chest and my pulse jumped.

He’d pushed my go button and I was down for kicking some major ass. I lifted my fist to put it straight through that fucker’s ugly face, but Patience grabbed my arm and stopped me

“Stop it, Zeke. You’re drunk. Please, let’s just go home so you can sleep this off.” She dug her fingernails into my skin.

I was turned on and pissed off at the same time, but hearing her say the word home soothed me some. I looked down at her tiny hand against my inked-up skin and then I looked at her face. She was afraid. I wasn’t sure if she was afraid for me or for the guy I was about to fight, but I didn’t like seeing her scared.

I nodded down at her and started to back off. My fist ached to feel his cheek, and I wanted to take that ache away, but then I felt Patience softly kiss the top of my hand and I knew I had much better things I could be doing besides fucking around with a douchebag like him.

I turned my attention to her and her blue eyes sparkled.

“Let’s go,” I said as I ran my hand down her back and cupped her ass.

“That’s right, you little punk ass. Listen to your bitch and go home.”

My control snapped and I went straight in for the kill. I grabbed him by his collar and tried to put my fist through his face. His blood spattered everywhere, including Patience’s pretty yellow dress, when my fist hit him.

It felt amazing to hit something. I hadn’t done it in so long. I wasn’t as angry as I used to be, but old demons are hard to kill. Hitting him was like a trigger. Instantly, I was transported back to a time when fighting was my only release, and I could feel the beast inside me ripping through.