Chapter Seven #4
Gigi yawned. “I had three margaritas. I could fly home on my
own.”
He moved to Miranda and put his hand out. “Keys. I’ll get us
all back to the ranch.”
“Hey, Olivia. You okay?”
He turned and had to bite back a growl because there was
that massive ass Jason. He stood there like he had some kind of right.
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, no thanks to your
girlfriend. You want to tell me why she thinks I’m trying to steal a man I
haven’t talked to in years?”
“We’ve talked. We talked at Easter,” Jason pointed out.
“I said hello as we walked by at church. That is not
talking. That is being polite, and now I realize that was a horrible mistake. I
shouldn’t be polite to anyone.”
Jason seemed determined. He did this whole thing with his
face going soft and looming over her. Almost taking her hand and then looking
shy. It made Garrett a little sick. “Livie, Lola and I are not dating. We broke
up weeks ago. We broke up…well, we broke up because…”
Olivia held a hand up. “Do not say it.”
Gigi leaned into Miranda’s space. “I think he’s going to say
it.”
“I realized what a huge mistake I made back in high school.”
Jason plowed on like he didn’t have five people looking at him with disgust. He
actually moved forward.
That was when Keane stepped between Olivia and that ass. He
didn’t say anything. Just stood there.
“Olivia, I only want to talk to you,” Jason said, obviously
trying to ignore the big dude standing in front of his prize. “Can I take you
to the café and we could get a cup of coffee and a piece of pie? I remember how
much you love the peach pie there.”
“I’m allergic to peaches,” Olivia said flatly.
Jason frowned. “No. I remember feeding you peach pie. I
would get you a piece before I came out to the ranch to spend the day with you.
Don’t you remember how we would study and sit out on the porch and your momma
would bring us sweet tea?”
Olivia wasn’t falling for his act. “I remember how you told
everyone I was your meal ticket to an easy life.”
“He said it again tonight.” It was time for him to speak up.
“Earlier, when his friends were pretty aggressively hitting on us, he told her
to go home and that he would get back with her after he secured you.”
“I never said that,” Jason argued. “I didn’t want Lola
around because I know how jealous she can get. I was trying to protect you,
Liv.”
This was sad.
“I don’t need protection,” Olivia proclaimed, and then she
put a hand on Keane’s arm. “I can handle myself against women like Lola, and if
I need more muscle, I have these two. Don’t worry. I pay them in sex.”
“You should leave,” Keane replied, not looking back at the
woman behind him. His eyes were steady on the threat.
“Who the hell are these people? I’ve never seen them in town
before. You don’t have one boyfriend, much less two,” Jason said. “That Bobby
guy dumped you, and he was never man enough for a woman like you.”
“He was plenty man enough, but we have different paths. And
the relationship with Keane and Garrett is none of your business. Jason, I
would never date you again, and honestly, this is pathetic. Go back to your
ex-cheerleader and try to relive your glory days. And don’t bother me again.”
Olivia turned and started for the SUV.
Keane sighed and looked Garrett’s way. “You want me to do
it?”
Garrett waved him off. “Go catch our girl before she drives
off or calls Gwen and Muffin.”
Keane nodded and grabbed the keys from him. “We’ll be
waiting. Ladies.”
Gigi stayed right where she was. “No, I need to see what the
lawyer is going to do.”
Miranda didn’t move either. “I’m with Gigi.”
Jason stared at where Olivia had walked off. Keane gave him
a nasty look and then moved after her.
“I need to explain to you what happens if you take one step
near her again,” Garrett began.
Gigi took a breath in and whispered, though it was completely
easy to hear her. “I think he’s going to do sexy Dom stuff now.”
Miranda nodded. “I told Olivia she’s so lucky.”
Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “You think you can
tell me what to do.”
“I don’t think I can tell you what to do. I can only explain
to you what the consequences will be if you continue to bother Olivia.” Garrett
kept his voice calm and cool. “You think I’ll meet you in town square and we
can beat on each other until one of us wins and gets the girl.”
“You’re not going to fight me,” Jason said with a derisive
huff. “I would take you out with one punch, son.”
“I am not your son, asshole, and I wouldn’t let you hit me.
I learned how to fight the hard way. But I also learned how to fight a better
way. You see, the first thing you decide when going into a fight is how to
manage the battle so it plays to your strengths. While I’m good in a fight, I
spent too much time in school to not know my brain is way better at punishing
idiots than my fists are. So the first thing I’ll do is figure out who you are
and what your weak spots are.”
Jason sneered his way. “I don’t have any. You think you can
scare me off by threatening to take my business? I ain’t got a business. Why do
you think I need her?”
“You have a family, don’t you?”
That seemed to stop everything. Gigi and Miranda went still.
Jason’s jaw went tight.
“Don’t threaten my family.”
“Don’t threaten my woman.” Garrett gave up his calm tone for
something a bit more savage. “I can and will destroy you, and I won’t need Jack
Barnes to do it, though you should know he’ll be cheering me on. Olivia is not
for you. She is not a prize. She is not a walking ATM. She is a fucking
treasure, and I’ll protect that forever.”
“Sure. You want the cash, too, don’t you? You know how
difficult she is? There’s no give in that woman. The money is the trade-off for
putting up with her shit,” Jason said in a nasty tone.
Before he could think about it, Garrett’s fist reared back
and connected hard with Jason’s face. The other man fell back to the ground,
blood pouring from his nose.
“Sorry. I guess my fist wanted in on it, too.” Garrett
loomed over him. “Leave her alone or I swear my next punch won’t be so kind.”
“I like him even more now,” Miranda whispered.
“Do you think he has a brother?” Gigi asked.
Miranda snorted. “Yes, and he wants Livie, too.”
Jason wiped the blood from his nose, but to his credit he
didn’t seem inclined to continue the fight. “Damn, you’re one of those
perverts.”
“I’m the pervert who isn’t trying to get a woman to make my
life easy. I want to do that for her. Say what you want about me, but I hear
you’re talking bad about Olivia or my partner and I’ll consider it a
declaration of war.”
He turned to Gigi and Miranda. “And Keane is not my brother.
He is my partner. Brother is a blood relation. I chose Keane. He chose me.
Whatever happens between us is natural, and I won’t let anyone make me feel bad
about it.”
Gigi groaned. “That is so weirdly sexy. I will admit to
feeling totally left out. I only have one dad and everyone else has two, and
some of them even play together.”
“I called it, you pervert,” Jason snarled behind him.
Garrett didn’t turn, merely flipped the asshole off and
gestured for Olivia’s friends to follow him. They were obviously subs, and he
didn’t think letting them free range would go well tonight. As it already
hadn’t.
It was time to put all the subs somewhere safe.
And deal with his own.