Well he wasn’t fucking getting my girl!

“What’s up dude?” The guy shouted up at me, taking a step back when I got between him and Layla. “I’m dancing here.”

My eyes narrowed. “Dance somewhere else.”

Layla pressed up against my back, her hands rubbing at my shoulders in an attempt to make me relax. “Jess, it’s okay. Dance with me and forget about him.”

I might have done just that if Preppy hadn’t opened his mouth again. “Sorry, dude. Didn’t know she was taken for the night. That’s one fine piece of ass you got…” He didn’t finish what he was going to say. He couldn’t. Not when my fist practically broke his jaw and he fell on his ass in the middle of the bar.

His friends, all six of them, rushed over to help him to his feet. All of them seemed to be as clueless as he was because the one in the middle tried to jump on me. Like Preppy, this guy was just as much a tool as the rest. He swung his fist directly at my chin, but I was quicker than him. Years of drumming gave me faster reflexes than most people. I stepped back, causing the guy to fall on his face with the force he had put behind his punch.

“Jesse!” Layla called a warning as two more jumped to the aid of their fallen friends.

Bouncers were pushing through the crowd to get to us, but I didn’t bother to wait for them. My fist connected with the first’s stomach, causing the air to rush from his body and he bent in half trying to suck in oxygen. The second got a cheap shot, and his fist connected with the side of my face. It hurt like hell, but it only made me angrier. I grabbed him by his expensive shirt and lifted him a few inches off the ground. “Your mistake,” I growled at him.

Our tussle had caught everyone’s attention, and even the band had stopped playing now. I heard someone shout out my name, “That’s Jesse Thornton!” But I ignored them as I slung the guy I still had a hold on to the floor and bent to punch him in the face.

“Jesse…” Layla was trying to catch my attention. The rest of the group was attempting to get their friends on their feet.

Four bouncers finally broke through the crowd that had surrounded us. One stepped toward me, but Layla got between them and me. “It wasn’t his fault,” she defended me. “That guy…” she pointed to Preppy. “H…he was manhandling me. Jesse was just protecting me. Then these guys…” She pointed to the three that were still on the ground, two of them groaning. “..tried to jump him. He was just defending himself.”

“Layla?” One of the other bouncers stepped forward and frowned at Layla.

She stiffened when the guy come closer. “Oh. Hey, Kyle…” She gave him a small, tight smile. Her reaction made me take a closer look at the bouncer. Not quite six feet with some well-defined muscles, he had a chip in one of his front teeth and a scar just above his left eye.

He wasn’t much to look at, but the way he was looking at Layla made me think that he had seen her without her clothes on. That thought alone made me take a threatening step toward the guy. Layla’s arms wrapped around my waist to stopped me. “No,” she whispered. “Calm down.”

I took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm my rage. She sighed and turned enough so that she was facing the bouncers again. “We were just trying to have a good time, Kyle. These guys started the fight.”

“It’s fine, Layla,” Kyle told her. “This lot has been causing trouble left and right all night long. You and Thornton go back to enjoying your evening.” They were pushing the preppies to their feet and out the door. “It was good seeing you. Call me sometime.”

“Umm…sure,” she murmured as the bouncers walked away and everyone around us tried to act like nothing had happened. The band started up where they had left off, and I had to give them points for playing it cool like that.

“Friend of yours?” I couldn’t help asking as I glared after the bouncer named Kyle.

She snorted. “Kyle? No. He was the bouncer at the club I used to work at a few years ago.” She grimaced. “But that was a life time ago.”

I pulled her closer, burying my face in her hair as I tried to get my rage under complete control. I hadn’t gotten into a fight like that in a long time, but I’d never fought over a girl before. I wasn’t the jealous type, at least not normally, but there was nothing normal about what I felt for Layla.

She held me until the rage seeped from my body, her fingers tracing soothing patterns on my back under my shirt. Her sweet scent filled my nose, and my body grew tense for another reason all together. “How about another drink?” she offered.

“Yeah, I think we need one.” I kissed her lips quick and hard then pulled her toward the bar.

Chapter 11

Layla

We weren’t back at the bar five minutes before three guys approached Jesse. They were obviously fans. Jesse was good-natured about signing autographs, but after a few minutes of conversation he excused us. “Sorry, guys. I’m here with my girl.” He pulled me against his chest.

The guys gave him knowing grins and left us alone. I took a long pull from my beer and wrapped myself around him. “I’m sorry,” I told him.

He frowned down at me. “What the hell are you sorry for?” he demanded. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I ruined our first date.”

“No. I shouldn’t have been dancing like that.” I should have known better than to even start, but I had been having so much fun and the music was pretty good. I had felt safe knowing that Jesse was right behind me, and I had wanted to dance just for him as I felt his eyes burning into my back while I moved to the music. I had gotten carried away and attracted more attention than I had wanted.

“Layla, you can dance however you fucking like, whenever you like. That douche bag was just asking for trouble. Everyone in this place knew you were with me. He was drunk and thought he owned the world, you included. I shouldn’t have let him get to me, but I wasn’t going to let him talk about you like that.” He grasped my hand and brought my fingers to his lips. “Let’s not let him and his friends ruin the rest of our night. Okay, baby?”

I smiled, equal parts of heart melting and panty melting as he nibbled on my fingers. “I promise not to if you promise not to.”

“Deal.” He ordered us each another beer and then pulled me to the back of the bar so that we could listen to the band. There were no seats left at the bar, but I didn’t want to sit. He leaned back against the wall and pulled me into his arms before giving me one of the beers.