Chapter 12
Cole
“W hat was your plan before Kaleb and Devon ushered that guy out of here?” Lauren murmured against my shoulder.
My plan?
Hell, I’d seen red from the moment that Massey had put his hand on Lauren.
I’d been holding on by a thread.
Actually, my cousins had saved me from making a major scene, and I’d probably always be grateful for that.
Not only had Massey touched Lauren, but he’d upset her when he’d thrown out that murder accusation.
At the very least, the two of us would have ended up outside, and I would have made damn sure that he never laid a hand on her again if Kaleb and Devon hadn’t abruptly intervened.
“What was yours?” I countered, knowing Lauren had been angry.
I’d literally felt her body tense up, and I’d known she was ready to spring after that comment had come out of Massey’s mouth.
“I was going to slap him,” she admitted.
“You would have regretted it later,” I told her as I pulled her a little tighter against my body. “You’re way too nice to slap someone and never regret it. You would have thought about it later, lamenting about the fact that he was drunk and you probably shouldn’t have done it.”
Christ! It killed me that a woman like Lauren would have tried to defend me.
While I appreciated her loyalty, I sure as fuck didn’t deserve it.
“You’re right,” she said contemplatively.
“I would have thought about it. I’ve never done anything violent, and I’ve never hit someone.
But I doubt I really would have regretted it.
He was vile. Admit it. You wanted to hit him, too.
Do you actually know him from your childhood or is he just listening to town gossip? ”
“Angel, we were about to step outside so I could make sure he learned how to treat a woman. And yeah, I knew him a little when I was young. His name is Todd Massey. His dad was my father’s drinking buddy.
Unfortunately, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
He’s just as mean and as ornery as his father was. ”
“I’m glad you didn’t go outside with him,” she said as she pulled her head back to look at me. “You’re right. He’s not worth it.”
I scowled. “I meant he wasn’t worth getting your hands dirty,” he corrected. “You’re always going to be worth protecting, Lauren. If a guy like him starts thinking he has a right to touch you whenever he wants, he’ll keep right on doing it.”
“I would have handled it,” she informed me.
“I’m sure you would have, but my methods would have been a lot firmer and more effective,” I assured her unhappily.
If Massey had gotten it into his head that he wanted Lauren, there were only a few things that were going to get him to let go of that idea.
He could be the kind of asshole who wouldn’t take no for an answer from a woman.
Hell, maybe it was the excessive liquor talking, but I’d watch that asshole like a hawk in the future if he and Lauren were ever in the same general area again.
“I’ll be fine,” she assured me. “He was drunk. I’ve seen him around town, but I’ve never met him. He’s never approached me before. Obviously, nobody I know is friends with him. He’ll probably sober up tomorrow and forget all about what happened.”
She was probably right.
Nevertheless, the thought of Massey ever touching Lauren again made my gut ache.
What in the fuck is wrong with me!
Christ! I was starting to think about the what-ifs and other things that were unlikely to happen.
That wasn’t something I ever did.
I’d also never wanted to take another man outside just because he’d grabbed some woman’s arm.
Problem was, Lauren wasn’t just some woman.
Something deep in my gut wouldn’t allow me to let another guy touch her, even though she wasn’t mine to protect.
In reality, we barely knew each other.
I had absolutely no reason to feel this protective toward a woman I hardly knew.
Right?
Yeah…well…that was wrong.
My protective tendency toward Lauren was purely instinct.
It had nothing to do with how long I’d known her and everything to do with the way I’d reacted to her since the first time I’d seen her.
In the beginning, I’d been able to rationalize my attraction to her.
I’d been able to blow it off.
Until I’d gotten to know her at my place when I was sick.
Since then, I’d been fucked.
It seemed that I actually liked her, and that was a problem for me.
I couldn’t seem to just blow off that physical attraction as easily as I could before I’d gotten to know what kind of person she was or how sweet she could be.
It had also been easier before I’d held her as closely as I was holding her right now.
Before I’d inhaled her intoxicating scent and felt her curvy body against mine.
My cock had responded the moment I’d pulled her into my arms, and she’d melted against me like it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do.
I wanted Lauren Collier more than I’d ever wanted another female in my entire life.
But she was the one woman I could never have.
I was a short-term guy, and Lauren was a woman who deserved a lifetime of adoration.
I’d probably have to watch her date and marry someone in the future, but I’d be damned if it would be an asshole like Massey.
If she wanted to be friends, I’d be her friend. At least I could keep the losers away from her.
I was going to see her often if she followed through on letting me help her with her fitness goals.
I was determined to make her realize that she could take her pick when it came to men.
Lauren Collier never had to settle for mediocre or some asshole who wouldn’t treat her like she deserved to be treated.
“Are you okay?” Lauren asked in a concerned tone. “You got quiet.”
My gaze locked on her face again, which was probably a mistake.
Fuck! She was so damn beautiful, and I could barely stop myself from lowering my head and tasting those gorgeous, plump lips of hers.
I could think of quite a few other places I’d like to see those lips, but I just couldn’t let my mind go there.
“I’m good,” I answered, not wanting to worry her.
Our eyes met and our gazes held.
“Cole,” she said breathlessly, like she needed me as much as I needed her right now.
Fucking hell!
Now I was imagining shit that wasn’t even remotely true.
I gripped her hips tightly and ground my teeth to resist the urge to pull her against my aching cock.
She doesn’t want me.
She doesn’t need me.
She doesn’t want me to fuck her.
That fuck-me voice I’d thought I’d heard was completely my imagination.
I tore my gaze away from her face. “I think we should probably get back to the table,” I said in a guttural voice.
I needed to put some distance between the two of us.
I saw a flash of disappointment in her expressive blue eyes that looked very, very real to me.
I made myself ignore that, too.
I took her hand and led her back to the table.
Lauren Collier was making me so damn crazy that for the first time in my life, I had no idea what was real and what wasn’t anymore.
I wasn’t myself, and I hated that.
I was going to figure out a way to find the old Cole, the sane one that had existed before I’d met Lauren Collier.
If I didn’t, I was going to completely lose my shit.