AintNoAngel Read Free Page A

forget
all about him. Men were nothing but trouble.
    But his other hand started rubbing her back in small
circles. If it was meant to be soothing it was having the opposite effect. Her
heart started racing and there was a quick clench between her legs.
    The song ended and the people around them erupted into a
frenzy of movement but Jessie stood still as his gaze held her hostage.
    His head lowered and for the first time in years she wanted
to be kissed. He had sucked her in and she was helpless to stop him.
    “You fucking fags! Get the hell out of our bar!”
    Whipping her head around, she was just in time to see Brad
get a face full of fist. He staggered and blood spurted from his nose. Marc
planted himself between Brad and the upset and very drunk customer. Jessie didn’t
think twice, untangling herself from her sexy dance partner, and headed for the
fray.
    Marc and the man were now struggling, Marc trying to
restrain the man from causing any more harm.
    The music stopped and as she got closer she saw who the
culprit was. Harry, one of the more outspoken people in town about the nature
of Marc and Brad’s relationship, was just fighting free of Marc’s hold.
    “Harry! What in the hell are you doing?” Jessie yelled and
stepped between Marc and Harry before they could start up again.
    Harry pointed a menacing finger at her. “Damn you to hell
for bringing them here! This is all your fault!”
    Jessie blinked in surprise at the verbal attack but didn’t
back down. The new guy looked between them and asked her, “Do you know these
two?” He inclined his head at Marc and Brad.
    “Yes, they are my friends,” she told him.
    Jessie stood stone-still as he planted his big body next to
hers and put his arm around her waist. His silent support had more than a few
eyebrows going up in the bar.
    Harry looked between them and took a step back when the big
hand on her back eased her a step forward, but she didn’t take that step alone.
    Harry glanced around him, looking for help. The people
standing behind him watching obviously weren’t on his side. He had stopped the
party.
    Johnny, the bartender and owner of the bar, chose that
moment to elbow his way through the crowd.
    “What the hell is going on? I leave for two minutes to take
a piss and all hell breaks loose,” he grumbled.
    It took him all of three seconds to figure out who the
problem was. Between Marc helping Brad to his feet, blood dripping from his
nose and Jessie and the guy’s big body blocking Harry from them, it was pretty
obvious. “Damn it, Harry. That’s it. Get out of my bar!”
    Harry sputtered and tried to plead his case but Johnny cut
him off. “I don’t want to hear it. You’re bad for business. Out!”
    Harry turned and slammed himself out of the bar and Jessie
breathed a sigh of relief. Marc helped Brad to a stool and Jessie passed the
cloth and bag of ice that Johnny gave her to him.
    Marc looked at the man who had stood next to Jessie and
stuck his hand out. “Thanks for helping,” Marc told him.
    The guy shook his hand and said, “No problem.”
    Jessie watched the exchange. Marc turned to her then. “Are
you ready to head home? I think Brad is done for the night.”
    “Sure, of course,” she answered as she glanced at the
helpful stranger from under her lashes. She would probably never see him again.
    “I’m fine, Marc,” she heard Brad say. “Jessie hasn’t had any
fun in ages and she isn’t ready to leave.” But Brad’s eyes were glued to the
big man standing next to her.
    “Are you good to drive?” the new guy asked Marc.
    “Yeah, I’m fine. Nothing but Pepsi for me tonight,” Marc
told him.
    It made her like him even more. Most men never thought about
that. It was how her parents had died. A drunk driver had hit them head on.
    His gray gaze caught hers. “Do you want to go for a little
drive and then I’ll take you home?”
    She didn’t know what to say. Her first reaction was to say
no. She didn’t know this