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“We are gonna go play some pool-y.” Raelyn set her empty glass on the bar and let out a burp. “My compliments to the bartender.”
Playboy shook his head. “Thank God you’re a goofy drunk.”
Memphis laid her head on my shoulder. “Do you hear that?” she asked.
I listened but didn’t hear anything out of the usual. “Uh, no, doll.”
She reached up and patted my cheek. “You’re such a good boy.”
Raelyn sputtered, and Playboy choked on his beer.
“Boy, doll?” I laughed.
She waved her hand around. “You know what I mean. How about sexy boy?”
“Sounds like a pedophile,” Raelyn snickered.
“Let’s just stick with Six, Memphis.”
She laid her hand on my thigh and sighed. “A sexy Six.”
Now that sounded a lot better than boy.
Raelyn managed to slide off her stool and stumbled ‘til she found her balance. “Whew, maybe I should have stopped at four,” she muttered.
“Where are you going?” Memphis asked.
Raelyn hitched her thumb over her shoulder. “Pool.”
“What kind of bar has a pool?” Memphis asked. “I didn’t even bring my swimming suit. I’m going to have to swim in my underwear.”
Maybe Memphis was a little more drunk than I thought. She only had two glasses of Raelyn’s rum concoction, and they obviously hit her pretty hard.
Raelyn cackled with laughter and leaned on the bar. “No, silly. The kind of pool with sticks and balls.”
“Oh,” Memphis laughed. “I suck at that.”
“I don’t think we’re playing the same kind of pool if you suck on the balls,” Raelyn laughed.
Memphis giggled. “I meant I suck at pool. I’m not good.” She leaned toward Raelyn. “At all.”
Raelyn grabbed Memphis’ hand and pulled her off her stool. “Let’s go, sister.”
They managed to make it over to the pool table with neither of them falling on their face.
“You think we should move over there?” I asked.
Playboy glanced over his shoulder. “They’re good.” He turned back to me. “Raelyn has been needing this. Losing Leona really did a number on her.”
“I bet.” I couldn’t imagine losing any of the guys in the club who were like my brothers. Leona was like Raelyn’s sister, and now, she was gone.
“I’m there for her whenever she needs me, but she needs more than me. Hopefully Memphis sticks around for a while and can help fill that void.”
I nodded and grabbed my glass of water. “I hope so, too.”
Playboy chuckled. “You fully decide she’s it?” he asked.
I nodded and glanced at the girls as they tried to fit all of the balls into the triangle. “I’d be a damn fool to not see it.”
“And what is it?”
“You trying to get me to spew my feelings all over this bar?” I laughed.
Playboy shrugged. “We can all see it. Just wondering if you saw it.”
I saw it. It was hard to ignore.
“She’s it. Don’t know if she knows it yet, but she’s getting closer.” The kiss earlier was a huge step. Just like always, I gave her the choice.
She chose me.
Playboy chuckled. “She’s a lot closer than you think she is. Just keep doing whatever the hell it is you’re doing, and it’ll all work out.”
“Are you the guy we go to for relationship advice now?” I laughed. “The guy who had more girls than he knew what to do with is now settled down and thinking he’s good enough to dole out advice?”
Playboy shrugged. “I mean, if the shoe fits, I might as well put the fucker on and lace it up.”
“Stop!” Raelyn screeched.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I jumped up from my stool and saw two guys crowding in on Raelyn and Memphis.
“What the fuck?” Playboy growled.
One of the guys put his arms around Memphis from behind and tried to bend her over.
Her eyes were glazed over, and she looked dead. No emotion on her face.
Completely checked out.
I tore my way across the bar and ripped the guy off her.
Playboy was right behind me and put the guy who was crowding in on Raelyn in a headlock.
Monk was next to me and grabbed Memphis before she fell to the floor.
I whipped the guy away from the table, put my hand around his neck, pressed him to the wall, and got in his face. “What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I growled.
The guy struggled against the hold I had, but he wasn’t getting loose. “Stop, stop,” he croaked.
I pressed against his windpipe and cut off his air. “The girls said that to you, too, but you didn’t fucking stop. Why the fuck should I?” I spit in his face.
“Hey,” one of the guy’s friends called. “He didn’t mean any harm.”
I glanced over at Memphis who was still staring blankly at the floor.
“You think you can touch whoever you want? Doesn’t matter if they want it or not?” I growled. An image of Jester flashed before my eyes. I tighten my grip on his neck and squeezed. “I’ll fucking kill you right here, right now.”
“Six,” Monk called.
The guy frantically tried to claw at my hand, and his face turned beet red.
“You don’t touch what belongs to me.” The words dripped with hatred from my mouth. “She’s mine.”
“Six-Gun!” Monk called again. “Get a grip.”
I flexed my fingers on the guys neck. I had a grip, and it was about to get deadly.
Playboy kept the other guy in a headlock and stepped to me. “Yo, think about what you’re doing, Six. I know he touched Memphis, but he’s not Jester.”
“He touched her,” I growled. “He touched her, and she didn’t have a choice.”
“And you were here to protect her,” Playboy reasoned. “I get you, brother. I got the same rage flowing through my veins right now, but you gotta let him go. He’s not Jester,” he repeated.
The harder I squeezed, the guys eyes about bugged out of his head. I released my grip, and he crumpled to the floor. Then I kicked a foot into his gut and stomped on his hand. “Don’t ever touch another man’s woman.”
The guy gasped for air and clutched his hands to his neck.
“Don’t ever touch another fucking woman, period.” This guy didn’t deserve anything except to rot in hell for thinking he had the right to do whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted.
I turned on my heel and pulled Memphis into my arms. She willingly faceplanted into my chest, and I lifted her up. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and her legs circled around my waist.
I stalked out of the bar toward my bike with her wrapped around me.
A sob escaped her lips, and my shirt was wet with tears.
“Shh, Memphis,” I whispered. “I have you. Nothing is going to hurt you.” I sat down on the bench outside the front door and cradled her in my arms. “Look at me, doll.” I tipped her head back, and her eyes connected with mine. “I have you, Memphis.”
Her eyes were clear, free from the blank stare she had earlier. “Six,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry, Memphis. I wasn’t there to keep you safe.”
She sobbed and wiped the tears from her cheek. “You were there,” she gasped. A hiccup slipped from between her lips, and she closed her eyes. “You saved me again.”
I had to save her again because I didn’t keep her safe in the first place. I should have followed her to the pool table and kept her from those sleazebags.
I had failed her.
Her eyes opened, and free tears fell. She reached up and brushed her fingers over my cheek. “Thank you.”
She shouldn’t be thanking me. She should be mad and running away from me.
Her fingers moved down my cheek and brushed over my lips. “Why are you mad at me?” she whispered.
“I’m mad at myself,” I said lowly. “I failed you.”
Her eyes connected with mine. “You saved me, Six. You were the one to make it better.”
“It never should have been bad, Memphis. I never should have let it happen.” I wanted to walk back into the bar, kill the guy, and then kick my own ass for even letting it happen.
She looked down at my lips and then her eyes were back to mine. “But you were there. You were there for me.”
“God dammit, Memphis. I’m supposed to be comforting your right now, not the other way around.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed.
She freakin’ laughed.
“I’m okay, Six. I’m okay because you were there.”
I brushed her hair from her face. “You were gone, Memphis. When I got to you, your eyes were blank and you were gone.”
“I zoned out.” She sighed and leaned her forehead against mine. “I got pretty good at doing that. If I zoned out and just cleared my mind of everything, I could make it through.”
Fucking hell.
Fucking. Hell.
“I’m gonna go fucking kill him, Memphis. I’m gonna kill him.” I moved to stand, but she wrapped her arms tight around my neck.
“Stop, Six. I’m okay,” she whispered. “You saved me. I’m okay.”
“He touched you, Memphis.”
She laughed.
Again, she fucking laughed.
“For two seconds and then, you pinned him to the wall.” She smiled. “And also kicked him in the nuts.”
I dropped my forehead to hers. “It was his stomach. I could go back in and kick him in the nuts if you want me to.” God knows it would make me feel better.
She shook her head. “No, I think I like you right where you are.”
“Holding you?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. I like you holding me.”
“I didn’t ask you if this was okay. I just did it.”
She shrugged. “I think you’re getting to know what I like. Afterall, I don’t think I’ve said no to you lately, have I?” She pressed a kiss to my lips. “Do you think I liked that?” she whispered.
“God, I fucking hope so, because I know I like it.”
A giggle bubbled from her lips. “I do, Six. I really liked it.”
“Everything okay?” Raelyn called. She peeked her head out the door and frowned.
Memphis turned and nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“I’m sorry.” Raelyn sighed. “I had no idea those idiots were going to try anything. You would have thought if they saw you and me with the guys that they wouldn’t try anything.”
“You just said it. They’re fucking idiots,” I growled.
“Yeah.” Raelyn glanced back in the bar. “The guys are getting ready to go. I think that was enough excitement for the day.”
“I would have to agree,” Memphis laughed.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” Raelyn asked again.
Memphis nodded. “Yeah, I promise.”
Raelyn sighed, relieved, and ducked back into the bar.
Memphis turned back to me and smiled. “I really like Raelyn.”
I brushed her hair from her face. “Good, doll. Playboy was saying she might need someone. A friend more than Playboy.”
“Well, then that is perfect because I know I need a friend, too.” She reached up and brushed her fingertips over my lips. “Just like I know I need you, Six.” She pressed a kiss to my lips. “Is that okay?”
Nothing in this world sounded better than that.
“I think I can deal with that, Memphis.”
She threaded her fingers through my hair. “Good. ‘Cause I’m kind of getting used to having you around.”
If Memphis wanted me around, nothing was going to take me away.
I was here for the long haul.
I belonged to Memphis.