Chapter 13 #4
She was angry on Brian’s behalf and the knowledge exhilarated him. And unleashed his own anger. “Get the hell out of here. And don’t bother going to see Lindy again. I’ll get a restraining order.” Brian didn’t bother to think.
“You would do that, wouldn’t you?” Paul sneered.
“Yes. I would. I am a bastard.”
He watched the man turn red and could see the instant he snapped. Pulling back a balled fist, Paul let it go and slammed him in the midsection before he could sidestep the punch. The force was enough to knock him back against the counter.
“Paul! Are you crazy?” Roxanne was knocked aside and looked between them, stunned.
Brian glared at the man. The arm he’d been holding Roxanne with now clamped his stomach and he was slightly bent over.
Dr. Oki approached from the other side of the kitchen to appear next to Roxanne.
But before anyone had a chance to do or say another thing, Brian recovered.
He straightened himself up and launched a blow that landed squarely on Paul’s jaw and knocked him backward to the floor with a cry of pain.
***
Roxanne’s hands flew to her face. She looked up at Brian and back at Paul.
She could hardly believe the scene before her.
Dr. Oki rushed to the man on the floor. Roxanne looked back up at Brian to see him flexing his fingers and then straightening his tie.
She couldn’t blame him for taking the shot—but on the other hand, she was appalled.
And speechless. She went to the refrigerator and with her hands shaking, took a bag of ice from the freezer and brought it to Dr. Oki. She knelt beside him.
“I’m sure he’ll live,” Brian said.
She looked up at him. His face was calm.
“You’re right about that,” Dr. Oki stood as he spoke. “But he’s out cold and he won’t be doing much chewing for the next couple of months. His jaw’s broken.”
Roxanne stood and watched Brian smile with satisfaction. Then he met her stare and his smile was undiminished. Laura, who held the ice to Paul’s face, gave Brian an admonishing look.
“Laura, can you help me find some volunteers to move him into the guest room? I’ll have Bonnie get him a taxi to the hospital.
I don’t think he needs an ambulance, right Doc?
” Roxanne didn’t know what to say to Brian.
She was sure he was hurting from Paul’s accusations.
And she could see that his hand was bruised and swelling.
“No ambulance needed,” Dr. Oki said. The doctor smiled and looked up at Brian with a suppressed grin. “Your hand okay?”
Brian’s arms were folded across his chest. “Fucking wonderful.” He didn’t remove the hand from its tucked position to allow examination. Roxanne knew it probably hurt like hell but he seemed to be in a particularly macho mood at the moment. Laura stood.
“What did you hit him for anyway?” Laura asked Brian as she brushed past him.
“He hit me first.”
“Of course.” Laura threw up her hands and shook her head on her way out the door.
Roxanne tried to stay cool, noting the indignant look on Brian’s face.
“Don’t worry about Laura. She has a little trouble with this macho stuff.” She didn’t bother to keep the edge from her voice.
“Is that what you think it is?”
Before Roxanne could respond, Paul was sitting and calling for her. She turned to him.
“I’m out of here.” Brian walked from the room. Heaving a sigh, Roxanne reassured Paul and saw him to the guest room. She left Paul, hoping to catch up with Brian. She rushed to the front hall.
He stood there with his coat on, buttoning his last button. “Good night,” he said. He reached for the door handle.
“Does this mean I’ll have to take filet of Brian Dennis off my menu for the evening?” Roxanne strived for her teasing tone, but she heard the anxious edge in her own voice.
“Right now I feel like you’ve already chewed me up and spit me out.”
“If I have, I don’t recall it.” She moved to the door to stand in front of him, stopping him on the threshold with a caress of his chin.
She didn’t want him to leave. But she decided she had nothing to apologize for.
“Are you sure I can’t change your mind?” She gave him her best seductive smile, determined that her disappointment wouldn’t show through.
He paused, staring back into her eyes with his piercing blue ones.
She wasn’t so sure that he didn’t see through her act.
“No. I may regret it in the morning, but at least I’ll be in one piece.
” He removed the scowl from his face, finally treating her to his signature grin, and she automatically smiled back.
She knew he’d seen through her, but she felt helpless to stop her eager response to his smile.
She better watch her behavior. She was not acting cool and controlled at all.
But then that was probably because she didn’t feel cool and controlled—at all.
“I’ll let you leave unscathed. This time.” She stood on her toes and kissed his lopsided lips, then bounced back down on her heels. He stood staring, watching her. She felt unnerved. She almost had to say something more, but instead he did.
“I’m hardly leaving unscathed.” His smile was gone and he continued to stare her in the eyes as if he had something to add. She waited. Her anticipation surely showed in her face. But he turned and shoved through the door into the night without another word.
She used every ounce of her self-control to keep herself from calling after him. Of course he was referring to his hand and the punch in the gut he took from Paul when he made that last comment. But she couldn’t convince herself of that. She slowly turned back to the party.